LASIK at Eye Centers of Tennessee

Are you ready to get rid of your glasses and contacts?  Call Cristen at Eye Centers of Tennessee at 931-456-2728 or 800-766-2728 with any questions, or to schedule your free evaulation. You can also send us an email and Cristen will contact you.  You can set up a free screening in our Crossville location, or any of our satellite offices in Cookeville, Jamestown, Livingston or Kingston, Tennessee.

Dr. Larry Patterson has been providing laser vision correction to patients in Crossville, Tennessee and the surrounding area for 10 years, and has personally performed over 1000 laser vision correction procedures with great success. Dr. Patterson was the first ophthalmologist in Tennessee selected to perform Zyoptix, the new advanced wavefront laser treatment for nearsightedness and astigmatism.

LASIK Overview
Am I a candidate for LASIK?
A walkthrough of the LASIK procedure
What happens next?
LASIK Possible Risks and Side Effects
Alternatives to LASIK
Financing Options
More Information on our Technology

LASIK Overview at Eye Centers of Tennessee

LASIK (laser in-situ keratomileusis) is one of the most popular procedures to reduce or eliminate the need for corrective eyewear.  The procedure uses a laser to change the curvature of the cornea (outer window of the eye). The cornea is about the thickness of a credit card.  With hundreds of procedures performed annually in Tennessee, LASIK has quickly become the preferred procedure for most patients due to its quick recovery and fewer side effects and complications than with other methods of vision correction. In fact, the majority of patients who undergo LASIK notice a drastic improvement in their visual clarity soon after surgery. LASIK reshapes tissue within the cornea to treat mild to severe levels of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.

To treat nearsightedness, the cornea is flattened by removing tissue from the center of the cornea. This moves the point of focus from in front of the retina, as it is in a nearsighted eye, to directly on the retina.

Treating nearsightedness,
the cornea is made flatter

In the early days of LASIK, farsightedness could not be treated.  With advances in technology we can now offer LASIK to people who are farsighted.  To treat farsightedness, the cornea is steepened by removing tissue around the periphery of the cornea. This moves the point of focus from behind the retina, as it is in a farsighted eye, to directly on the retina.

Treating farsightedness,
the cornea is made steeper

We can also use LASIK to correct astigmatism.  To do this, the cornea is made more spherical - round like a basketball instead of oblong like a football. This eliminates multiple focusing points within the eye induced by astigmatism and brings the light to one point of focus on the retina. Astigmatism can be treated simultaneously as nearsightedness and farsightedness.

Treating astigmatism,
the cornea is made more spherical

Am I a candidate for LASIK?

 LASIK is for those who:
 

• want to reduce or eliminate thir dependence on glasses or contacts
• are at least 18 years of age
• have had a stable vision prescription for at least one year
• have no diseases or health issues affecting their eyes
• have no signs of glaucoma or cataracts

A walkthrough of your LASIK procedure at Eye Centers of Tennessee:

You will arrive at Cataract and Laser Center, our eye surgical facility in Crossville, Tennessee about 45 minutes to an hour prior to your procedure.  We will offer you a sedative to help you relax. Our expert eye care staff will then prepare you for surgery. You will be given several drops to prepare your eye for surgery, and your post-operative medications and instructions will be discussed with you. Anesthetic eye drops will be used to numb your eyes; no injections or needles will be used. You will then be walked into the laser room.  When your eye is completely numb, a speculum (eyelid holder) will be placed between your eyelids to keep you from blinking during the procedure.

Next, an instrument called a microkeratome will be placed on your eye.  This instrument will glide across your cornea to create a hinged flap of thin corneal tissue, and Dr. Patterson will gently fold the flap out of the way. Due to the anisthetic drops, you will feel no pain during this process. You will then be asked to focus directly on a blinking light, and the laser will begin to sculpt your cornea. The measurements taken at your pre-operative exam will be used to program the laser and tell it what to do. Depending on your level of correction needed, the LASIK treatment usually is complete in less than two minutes. After the laser is finished, Dr. Patterson will fold the flap of corneal tissue back into place where it will adhere to your eye without the need for stitches.

Following your LASIK procedure, Dr. Larry Patterson will examine your eye(s) with a slit lamp microscope. Then you will be given additional eye drops, and we will place a shield over your eyes for protection before you leave Eye Centers of Tennessee. Your vision will probably be a little blurry at first, so we ask that someone drive you home. To jump-start the healing process, we recommend your eyes stay shut as much as possible for the first several hours following the procedure. You may experience some discomfort for 12 to 24 hours, but this is usually alleviated with lubricating eye drops or an over-the-counter pain reliever. Some people experience light sensitivity, redness, watering or puffiness of their eyes for a few days following their procedure. 

Following your procedure, Dr. Patterson will examine
your eye(s) with a slit lamp biomicroscope.

What happens next? 

Testimonial:

LASIK possible risks and side effects:

The decision to have LASIK is an important one that only you can make. The goal of any refractive surgical procedure is to reduce or eliminate your dependence on corrective lenses. However, we cannot guarantee you will have the results you desire. The vast majority of our patients are extremely happy with their vision after LASIK and can do most activities without dependence on corrective lenses.

Serious complications with LASIK are extremely rare. LASIK is a safe, effective and permanent procedure, but like any surgical procedure, it does have some risks. Many of the risks and complications associated with this procedure can be reduced or eliminated through careful patient selection and thorough pre-operative testing using the latest diagnostic technology.  Not everyone is a good candidate for LASIK, and sometimes at your pre-operative evaluation Dr. Patterson will determine that LASIK is not a good option for you.  If this is the case, Dr. Patterson will discuss your best options for vision correction with you, which may include continuing with glasses or contacts.

One of the most commonly experienced side effects of LASIK is dryness of the eyes.  Dr. Patterson carefully screens each patient to find any incidence of dry eyes at the pre-operative evaluation.  If there is any hint of dryness, we do whatever necessary to ensure that it will not become a problem for you after LASIK.  Sometimes this means forgoing LASIK for certain patients.  Another option for some patients with dry eyes is a similar procedure called PRK.  Even with careful screening, some patients notice problems from dry eyes after their procedure which must be treated with over-the-counter or prescription eye drops or medications.

After LASIK, you may experience some visual side effects. These visual side effects are usually mild and diminish over time. There is a slight chance that some of these side effects will not completely disappear, such as feelings of dryness, glare and halos.

Since every person heals somewhat differently, some patients may over- or under-react to the procedure, resulting in overcorrections and undercorrections. Once the eye has stablized, usually within 3 to 6 months, Dr. Patterson will discuss with you whether a re-treatment could help fine tune your vision.

After a thorough eye exam, you and Dr. Patterson will determine if LASIK is an option for you. If you are a good candidate, you will be given additional information about the procedure that will allow you to make an informed decision about whether to proceed. Be sure you have all your questions answered to your satisfaction.

Be sure you have all your questions
answered to your satisfaction

Alternatives to LASIK

LASIK is not the only surgical procedure designed to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. To learn about other procedures go to the surgical and laser vision correction procedures section of our Web Site. You may also choose to request additional information to learn more about this exciting procedure.

Financing Options

We offer a number of financing options and affordable payment plans. It is easy to apply online and receive credit approval before you schedule an appointment.  You can visit the link below to pre-qualify for financing before your appointment or anytime.

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