Las Vegas Eye Institute Answers Question on “What Happens If I Blink During LASIK”

Las Vegas, Nevada -

Las Vegas Eye Institute, based in Las Vegas, NV, has discussed the answer to the question, “what happens if I blink during LASIK?” in a new blog post. This is actually one of the common concerns of potential LASIK patients and the good news is that it would be impossible for patients to blink during the surgery. This is because they use an eyelid opener, which is known as the eyelid speculum, for all eye surgeries that they perform at the practice, including: LASIK, pterygium removal, a corneal transplant, or the surgical procedure for cataracts. They put anesthetic eye drops before placing the eyelid speculum to ensure that it will not be uncomfortable.

The surgeons at the Las Vegas Eye Institute, headed by Dr. Matthew Swanic, do prefer that once they have the eyelids of the patient open, the patient should try to remain focused on the fixation lights of the lasers. This is because when a person blinks, the Bell’s phenomenon occurs, which means that when blinking, the eyes naturally roll upward. This is a natural defense mechanism to protect the eyes. However, during eye surgery, this means the eyes will move. Fortunately, however, movement of the eyes during the procedure is not a problem because the layers have eye-tracking technology. This means that when the eye moves, the laser will simply move the fixation spots to follow the eye. In the event that the eye has moved too far up, the laser will simply stop firing the pulses until the eye is looking back at the fixation light once more. The same thing will occur in case the patient is startled and looks away. The laser will automatically stop and the surgeon simply reminds the patient to find the light again.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas Eye Institute is also capable of providing advanced cataract eye surgery. A cataract is a clouding of the the natural lens of the eye that sits behind the iris. Surgery for cataracts always requires making an opening in the front surface of the lens and then eliminating the diseased lens. This removal is usually done with an ultrasonic probe that simultaneously breaks up the lens and removes it. A lens implant is then inserted and then positioned properly.

Currently, laser may be used to make the opening in the lens and to mildly break the lens. However, an ultrasonic probe will still be needed to remove the contents of the lens capsule. Dr. Swanic will usually make the opening mechanically without using a laser. However, he is certified to utilize both the J&J Catalys and Alcon LenSx laser platform to create the opening and soften the lens before ultrasonic removal.

During the consultation with Dr. Swanic, patients can discuss the possibility of using laser technology during cataract surgery. Patients can be sure that they will never make a hard push for laser cataract surgery as it has not be proven to provide any benefit in terms of safety or outcomes when compared to conventional surgery. On the other hand, Dr. Swanic believes in using advanced lens technologies for the appropriate patient. During the consultation, he will discuss various lens options that are suitable for the patient’s eye.

Established in 2013, Las Vegas Eye Institute is led by founder, Matthew Swanic, MD, who was trained in cornea and refractive surgery with specialization in advanced LASIK and cataract surgery during his fellowship at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). He has so much faith in laser vision correction that he had photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) performed on his own eyes in 2010. He was able to get certification on the advanced Visx iDesign 2.0 platform and he can do bladeless LASIK using the Carl Zeiss Visumax femtosecond laser. He uses multifocal and toric lenses of various designs to ensure a custom-fitted solution for a particular patient’s eyes. He has also received certification on the J&J Catalys laser that is applicable for femtosecond cataract surgery.

People who would like to know more about laser cataract surgery can visit the Las Vegas Eye Institute website, or contact them through the telephone or via email.