I am Dr. Anthony Evangelista, a Board certified ophthalmologist who has been performing laser vision correction since it was approved by the U.S. FDA in 1995. Since then, I have helped thousands of people reduce, and for most of them eliminate, their need for glasses and contact lenses. I am so confident in the success and ease of LASIK surgery that I had the procedure performed myself.
Prior to my surgery I was a -6.00 diopter myope with a small amount of astigmatism in each eye. In lay terms, I was nearsighted. I was extremely dependent on contact lenses and glasses, which I began wearing in the fifth grade. For most of my life, I had tolerated contacts without much difficulty. As I went through college and medical school, the heavy reading began to take a toll on my comfort level while wearing contacts. My eyes became frequently dry and blurry, and my wearing time decreased where towards the end of the day I had to remove my contacts and switch to glasses. My glasses did not give me the quality of vision that I enjoyed with my contacts, and I didn’t care for them from a cosmetic standpoint as well.
As I was going through my residency training to become an ophthalmologist, laser vision correction was already approved in countries outside of the United States and was undergoing FDA approval studies here in the U.S. I researched it thoroughly and knew that this could be the ideal procedure to help me reduce my dependence on contacts.
During my training and as I went into private practice in the Dallas / Fort Worth metroplex, I performed radial keratotomy – a procedure that was approved for the correction of nearsightedness. Although it was a good procedure for select patients, I was frustrated in that it did not provide the accuracy and precision that I demanded for my patients. Once the excimer laser, the laser used to perform PRK and LASIK surgery, was approved by the FDA, I immediately adopted this surgical procedure.
I underwent LASIK surgery with my surgeon, Dr. David Kleiman at our center, Kleiman|Evangelista Eye Center in Arlington, using one of the first two original laser models commonly used in the USA during the early to mid ‘90s. I also had my corneal flap created by the first microkeratome model used in the US for LASIK surgery. We have made dramatic improvements in the equipment and technology of LASIK surgery since that time. That I was such an early adopter of this procedure speaks volumes for my confidence in LASIK surgery.
My surgery took a total of about ten minutes to perform. I was very comfortable throughout the procedure. The procedure itself is basically a two-step process. In the first step, a corneal flap is created. As mentioned earlier, my flap was made with a microkeratome which uses a stainless steel blade to cut the corneal flap. Today we use the Intralase FS laser to create the flap. The laser allows for much greater precision, control and safety during this critical process. I felt a little pressure on my eye during this step, and with our present laser, this step takes about 10 to 14 seconds, very fast.
The second step of the surgery uses the excimer laser to reshape the cornea in order to eliminate your glasses prescription. Today, we use the Visx Star S4 excimer laser with Wavefront technology. This technology provides us with the best opportunity to be as accurate as possible – the laser can be programmed to correct down to the nearest 0.01 diopter. (To compare: your contact lens comes in powers that differ by at least 0.25 diopters).
The amount of time this second step takes varies based on your prescription. Higher prescriptions will take a few seconds longer compared to lower prescriptions. My prescription took about 40 seconds to correct. After this step, Dr. Kleiman gently repositioned my corneal flap, which seals by itself without the need for stitches. He then did the exact same steps on my second eye.
Right after my LASIK surgery, my vision was rather blurry. I describe it like being in a smoky room. I immediately went home and rested with my eyes closed for about two hours. Once I woke up, I could already tell a difference in my vision. I was seeing better than a few hours earlier, yet still pretty fuzzy. I took my eyedrops as directed and was able to watch TV and work on my computer that evening. My eyes did feel a little irritated, like I had a dirty contact in them. Once I placed some artificial tear drops in them, I felt much better.
The next morning after my surgery was the neatest experience. I woke up and could see the alarm clock and the television across the room! I returned to my office at Kleiman|Evangelista Eye Center, and Dr. Kleiman examined me that morning. My vision wasn’t ideal yet, I was 20/30 in each eye and details were still a little blurry. I went across the hall of my office to examine my own patients. I was able to work all day without trouble.
As the week progressed, I had some variations in my vision. There were times where I could see great, then I would blink and things blurred. These episodes were brief and never kept me from being able to function. I used my eyedrops throughout the week and occasionally needed some artificial tear drops for comfort. After about one week, my vision started to become more stable. At about three weeks out, things really started to sharpen up.
For well over a decade I have enjoyed great vision without the need for glasses. I am now in my forties and am approaching the need for reading glasses, which is expected. But there may be hope for that as well in the near future. As always, I am researching every new technology that may help both myself and my patients improve and preserve our vision.
As I mentioned earlier, we have come a long way with the technology since I had my LASIK surgery. At Kleiman Evangelista Eye Center, we are proud to offer Blade-Free HD IntraLASIK. This is the most up-to-date technology to help reduce or eliminate your need for glasses or contacts. As always, it is important to consult with your eye doctor to make sure you are a good candidate for LASIK surgery. After a thorough preoperative examination, myself or one of the other doctors at Kleiman Evangelista Eye Center will personally review your case and answer any questions you may have.
Call 1-800-714-2020 to speak to one of our vision correction specialists. We can arrange for a free consultation at your convenience.
*As with any vision correction procedure, results may vary patient to patient. Most patients report improved immediate vision. Additionally, the majority of our patients continue to experience improvement in their vision for up to six months.
