NOW, HERE IS SOMETHING MAYBE YOU
DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ME, BUT I WEAR
CONTACTS.
I'M ACTUALLY COMING OUT TO
SOUTHWESTERN EYE CENTER, KIND OF
FOR A SELFISH REASON.
DR DIAZ, I HAVE TALKED TO MANY
PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD LASIX
SURGERY.
WHAT IS IT, BECAUSE OF COURSE,
YOU KNOW I'M GOING TO ASK YOU.
>> THANK YOU FOR COMING.
SO IT IS ONE OF MANY REFRACKTIV
SURGERIES THAT ARE INTENDED TO
DECREASE THE DEPENDENCE OR
ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR GLASSES
AND CONTACTS IN PATIENTS THAT
ARE AFFECTED BY THEIR GLASSES
AND CONTACTS FOR VARIOUS
LIFESTYLE REASONS.
>> SO WHO IS THE RIGHT PERSON
FOR THIS?
I'M LISTENING.
>> SO WE HAVE OF COURSE A LOT OF
PATIENTS THAT COME IN OR CALL
WANTING TO KNOW IF THEY ARE A
CANDIDATE.
THEY WANT TO GET RID OF THEIR
GLASSES OR CONTACTS OR THEY'RE
BOTHERING THEM OR HAVING
PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF WORK OR
HOBBIES.
SO THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT
THINGS WE NEED TO LOOK AT, AND
OF COURSE, WE TALK TO THE
PATIENT TO SEE WHAT THE OUTCOMES
AND EXPECTATIONS ARE, MAKE SURE
THEY'RE REALISTIC.
WE DO THE FULL EYE EXAMPL
AS WE DO
FOR OTHER EYE CONDITIONS, WE
MEASURE THE PRESCRIPTION.
SO BY KNOWING THE PRESCRIPTION,
THEN WE KNOW THE TYPE OF
TREATMENT AND THE AMOUNT OF
TREATMENT.
AND THEN WE DO MEASUREMENTS ON
THE CORNEA TO MAKE SURE IT IS
HEALTHY, AND THAT IT IS THICK
ENOUGH FOR THE TREATMENT WE I
OBJECT -- INTEND TO DO.
>> Tina: I'M SURE OTHER PEOPLE
ASK IS IT SAFE?
>> IT IS VERY SAFE.
REFRACKTIV SURGERY HAS EVOLVED
OVER THE LAST 15 TO 20 YEARS,
AND AT THIS POINT, WE DO
REFRACTIVE SURGERY AT
SOUTHWESTERN EYE SURGERY WITH
ALL LASERS IN THE PAST, BLADES
WERE USED TO CUT ON THE CORNEA
AND THEN THE LASER WAS USED TO
RESURFACE THE CORNEA.
THE NEWER LASERS ARE MUCH SAFER.
WE HAVE ELIMINATED THE BLADE TO
CUT THE CORNEA, PLUS ALL
TECHNOLOGY HAS EVOLVED.
THE OUTCOMES HAVE BECOME MUCH
MORE PRECISE AND A LOT OF CASES
PATIENTS SEE BETTE AFTER LASIX
THAN BEFORE.
>> Tina: WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE
ADVANCEMENTS, ARE THERE ANY
RISKS YOU WOULD HAVE TO TELL A
PATIENT?
>> SURE.
AS IN ANY OTHER SURGERY, WE
DISCUSS ALL THE RISKS INVOLVED
BEFOREHAND.
THE RISKS ARE VERY RARE.
BUT WITH LASIX, THE MAIN RISK IS
INFECTION.
WE GIVE PATIENTS ANTIBIOTICS TO
PREVENT THAT.
THERE IS A LIST OF INFLAMMATION,
AND WE GIVE MEDICATION TO
PREVENT THAT.
SOME PATIENTS RARELY HAVE TOO
MUCH OR TOO LITTLE CORRECTION,
AND WE HAVE TO DO A SMALL
TOUCHUP AT TWO TO THREE MONTHS
OUT.
BY AND LARGE, LOSING VISION
DECREASED VISION AFTER LASIX IS
VERY RARE.
>> Tina: I KNOW THROUGHOUT OUR
LIFE, I'VE BEEN WEARING GLASSES
SINCE THE THIRD GRADE AND GOING
INTO OUR LATER YEARS, OUR EYE
CHANGES, EVEN OUR OWN
PRESCRIPTIONS CHANGE.
DOES THIS EVER WEAROFF?
>> SO WLCHL
LASIX DOES NOT WEAR OFF.
WE RESHAPE THE CORNEA AND THAT'S
A PERMANENT CHANGE.
SO THE CHANGES THAT PATIENTS MAY
EXPERIENCE ARE SIMILAR TO WHAT
THEY EXPERIENCE AS THEY CHANGE
THE STRENGTH OF THEIR CONTACTS
AND GLASSES OVER YEARS.
SO IF, FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT ANYONE
DID YOU START USING GLASSES?
>> THIRD GRADE.
>> THIRD GRADE, SO THIRD, FOURTH
GRADE, YOU MAY HAVE BEEN A ONE,
LET'S SAY FOR NEAR SIGHTED.
THEN OVER THE YEARS, YOU WENT UP
TO TWO, TO TWO AND A HALF TO
THREE, THREE AND A HALF.
EVERY YEAR, YOU GO BACK AND
NOTICED YOUR VISION WAS GETTING
BLURRED.
AT SOME POINT, THE EYE STOPS
CHANGING, AND THAT LEVELS OFF.
IF YOU COME IN FOR AN EYE EXAM
TO SEE IF YOU'RE CANDIDATE, WE
SEE THE STABILITY OR HOW YOUR HE
PRESCRIPTION IS DOING OVER THE
FEW YEARS.
IF YOUR CURRENT CONTACTS IS A
MINUS SIX, AND LAST YEAR, THEY
WERE MINUS FIVE, THAT MEANS
YOU'VE BEEN CHANGING OVER THE
LAST YEAR AND NEXT YEAR, THEY
MAY BE A MINUS 6 OR 7.
ONCE WE DO TREATMENT, THE EYE
CONTINUES TO CHANGE AND YOUR
PRESCRIPTION CHANGES IN THE
FUTURE.
YOU WILL NO LONGER BE A SIX BUT
STILL MAY NEED GLASSES DOWN THE
ROAD.
IF SOMEBODY HAS HAD THE SAME
PRESCRIPTION FOR THE LAST TWO OR
THREE YEARS, THEY ARE A GOOD
CANDIDATE BECAUSE THAT MEANS
THAT THEY SHOULDN'T PROGRESS IN
THE FUTURE.
>> Tina: AND THAT'S, I THINK,
WHAT I'VE HEARD IN THE PAST.
ONCE YOU KIND OF GO OVER A
CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME AND YOUR
PRESCRIPTION HASN'T CHANGED AND
GIVES YOU A BETTER OPPORTUNITY
TO BECOME A CANDIDATE, I TOLD
YOU, I'VE BEEN LOOKING INTO
THIS, SO YOUR BEST ADVICE, IF
YOU'RE LOOKING INTO IT AND THINK
IT WOULD BENEFIT YOUR LIFE, COME
IN AND GET A CONSULTATION.
>> YES, IT IS A FREE
CONSULTATION, AND WE DO T
EXAMS THAT WE WERE DISCUSSING,
THOROUGH EXAM AND GO OVER THE
PATIENT'S EXPECTATIONS, AND WE
CAN TELL IF YOU'RE CANDIDATE OR
NOT WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF
TIME.
IT IS VERY SIMPLE.
IT IS A SIMPLE DISCUSSION.
AND THEN IT GIVES YOU THE TOOLS
TO MAKE A DECISION.
>> Tina: LIKE YOU SAID, A LOT OF
PEOPLE WALK OUT WITH BETTER
VISION THAN THEY HAD WITH
GLASSES OR CONTACTS.
DOCTOR, THIS HAS BEEN VERY
ENLIGHTENING.
I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT
COULD BENEFIT SOMEONE'S LIFE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> Tina: FOR MORE INFORMATION