At the Alabama Vision Center, our patients are the best referral source. What they appreciate is the personalized care from doctors who care about providing the best treatment for their specific needs.  We walk with you from start to finish through every procedure, answering questions and setting realistic expectations. Our Corneal Specialist ophthalmologists Dr. Price Kloess, Dr. Andrew Velazquez and Dr. Andrew Bartlett have gained the nickname "The Doctors' Doctor" since many physicians have chosen us for their LASIK procedures.  

LASIK is a brief, painless, outpatient laser vision correction procedure effective in reducing and usually eliminating your dependency on glasses and contacts.  LASIK treats nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.  In some patients it is also effective in treating presbyopia (the need for reading glasses).

Reasons to consider LASIK:

• Nearsightedness (myopia)
• Farsightedness (hyperopia)
• Astigmatism (irregularly shaped cornea)
• Desire to decrease or eliminate dependence on glasses or contacts

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate for LASIK is over 18 years of age and with good ocular health. Candidates must have a stable prescription for the preceding 12 months. People with certain medical conditions or women who are pregnant or breastfeeding may not be good candidates for LASIK. The goal of LASIK is to reduce dependence on corrective lenses and restore clear, natural vision.  We can even correct presbyopia (the need for reading glasses that occurs around 40 years of age) through an approach called monovision (one eye corrected for distance vision and the other corrected for near).  Our doctors will help you make the appropriate decisions regarding your vision correction goals.

LASIK is basically a two step procedure.  Step 1 is creation of a corneal flap.  Step 2 is lifting of the flap which allows the invisible light of an excimer laser to "sculpt" one's unique prescription into the underlying cornea.  At the beginning of the procedure patients receive sedation and numbing eye drops to minimize discomfort.

Unlike many centers, for Step 1 we use a blade-free laser technology called Intralase to create the flap.  The unparalleled precision of the Intralase to create a corneal flap gives our patients peace of mind knowing they are receiving the best and safest technology for this critical step of the procedure.  

For Step 2 we use the most advanced laser technology available: the VISX CustomvueIR Star 4 excimer laser with Active TRAK, CustomVue and Iris Registration.  More LASIK procedures have been performed with this laser than all others combined. The combination of VISX and Intralase provides the most precise blade-free LASIK available. Experts agree that Corneal Specialists are the most qualified to perform LASIK.  All of our surgeons are fellowship trained Corneal Specialists.  It takes only seconds to treat a lifetime of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism!

"At first I originally wanted LASIK because of wanting to reduce the number of wearable objects on my ears.  For example, either LASIK or contact lenses eliminate cochlear implant and eyeglasses competing for my right ear and often clang together.  While I was in contacts, it simplified swimming and resting my head on a pillow.  Seconds after leaving the O.R., I was noticing the immediate change of vision.  On the next day, I got my perfect 20/20 expectation on both eyes!"

Ryan Cato | Engineer (See B Metro Article "Making Sense of the Senses"

Call 888-841-EYES today to schedule your FREE consultation with Birmingham's most trusted eye surgeons!