Manhattan Office: 101 Park Avenue
Lobby Level
New York, NY 10178
(212) 808-4888
Long Island Office: 901 Stewart Avenue
Suite 255
Garden City, NY 11530
(516) 222-5555
Vision Procedures Overview
Serving New York City, Long Island, and Manhattan, NY
Below is a brief overview of the various types of vision correction procedures Kelly Laser Center offers to treat common vision problems. The procedures are essentially divided into two categories: 1) Laser Vision Correction, and 2) Implant Vision Correction. Collectively, these procedures correct such vision disorders as: 1) nearsightedness (myopia), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism, and presbyopia (need for reading glasses). Since everyone has different eye characteristics, Dr. Kelly will determine during your consultation which vision correction procedure may be best to correct your vision disorder.
Sight is, by far, one of our most valuable senses. Without our vision, we would be unable to experience the beauty of the world around us and be unable to perform everyday tasks. Our eyes are complex organs that deliver a clear picture of the world around us. Simplistically, our eyes function like a camera. Light rays enter the eye through the clear cornea, pupil, and lens. These light rays are focused directly onto the retina, the sensitive nerve layer lining the back of the eye. The retina converts light rays into impulses sent through the optic nerve to your brain where they are recognized as images.
70% of our eye’s focusing power comes from the cornea and 30% from the lens. Please learn more by viewing the Anatomy of the Eye diagram and this brief animation of How the Eye Works.
Most Common Vision Disorders
When light is not properly focused, vision is blurry. The technical term for this is refractive error. The following information outlines the most common refractive errors that can be treated with vision correction surgery.
VISION DISORDER
REFRACTIVE DYNAMICS
MYOPIA
(nearsightedness or shortsightedness):
This condition results in light focusing in front of the retina. Individuals with myopia see near objects clearly, but distant objects are blurry.
HYPEROPIA
(farsightedness):
This disorder results in light not focusing by the time it reaches the retina. For farsighted individuals, distant objects are blurred and near objects are even more blurred.
ASTIGMATISM:
This occurs when the cornea is oval shaped, like an egg or football. In this condition light is bent unequally, forming two focal points and preventing a clear image from forming on the retina. One may have astigmatism alone or in combination with myopia or hyperopia.
PRESBYOPIA:
As we perform our daily activities such as reading, watching television, and driving, our eyes are constantly focusing on objects at varying distances. This process is called accommodation and diminishes slowly after age 45. The reduction in accommodation is known as presbyopia. The reason for presbyopia is that the lens of the eye loses flexibility, and the ciliary body muscle surrounding the lens weakens. Most people wear reading glasses or bifocals when they have presbyopia.
1. Non-candidates for LASIK because of thin, flat, steep, or irregular corneal shape. (Up to 10 diopters of myopia and 5 diopters of hyperopia).
2. Also for people with moderately dry eye.
1. Non-candidates for laser vision because of high levels of hyperopia.
2. Treatment of presbyopia.
Disclaimer: The New York LASIK Surgeons of Kelly Laser Center are pleased to present information about LASIK eye surgery, PRK and Cataract Surgery to patients in New York City, Long Island, Manhattan, and surrounding areas. The information provided on this website is not intended as medical advice. Please contact Kelly Laser Center or a qualified refractive surgeon in your area with your laser vision correction questions.
