- Emergency CareYour post-op evaluations at a “low cost” Laser Center will be performed by technicians or optometrists, not your Laser Vision Surgeon. If you have a complication (which can happen at any Laser Center!), the “low cost” centers may not have the expertise available to quickly diagnose and treat the complication. This can significantly delay treatment for the complication. The “low cost” Laser Center will limit your access to your Laser Eye Surgeon, the one person who should really be treating you! In my practice, I see all LASIK patients at every post-op visit and if there is a complication (which, happily is rare), I will treat the problem immediately. I even give my Laser Vision patients my mobile phone number so they can contact me directly if they have a concern. I am also in a “call group” with other Laser Vision Surgeons to provide backup emergency care if I am not available. I encourage you to ask the “low cost” Laser Centers who will be available for you on weekends or holidays if you have an emergency. The sooner a problem is treated, the better the chance of resolving the problem. Laser Vision Correction is surgery being performed on your eye, and I have only one goal; to maximize your chance of getting an excellent Laser Vision Correction result. If I would choose to focus, instead, on a “low cost ” approach, I would not be providing you with same Laser Vision Correction procedure that I now provide. I would have to “cut corners”, and in my experience, this inevitably compromises quality. I can have only one “highest priority”, either quality or “low cost”. My uncompromising commitment is to quality, at a competitive, but not the “lowest” price.
- GlaucomaWe recommend that people between the ages of 20-30 get their eye checked every two years, and once a year starting in their late 30s. People with diabetes, or who are at risk of developing glaucoma, should also have their eyes checked yearly. Early detection is the best way to treat eye disease and prevent vision loss.
- OphthalmologyThe “best” model is, in my opinion, the traditional Ophthalmology “private practice” medical setting in which you are directly selecting your Ophthalmologist Laser Surgeon and this Laser Surgeon is providing you with continuous care throughout your Laser Vision Procedure, not delegating your care to non-medical personnel. There are at least thirty Laser Vision Surgeons in private ophthalmology practice in the Denver-Boulder area. In this model, the Laser Surgeon is completely responsible for every detail of your Laser Vision Procedure, from the initial consultation, through the Laser Vision Surgery, to the final postop visit. This is the model of care I provide to my patients.
- Macular DegenerationObviously, if you are having difficulty seeing to perform your daily activities, you need to have your eyes examined. Cataracts aren’t the only cause of blurred vision. You may just need your glasses prescription updated, or you may have other problems with your eyes, like glaucoma, macular degeneration, dry eye, etc.
- Laser Eye SurgeryBoth LASIK and PRK give excellent results. Both use an Excimer Laser to reshape your cornea. With LASIK a thin flap of corneal tissue is lifted and the laser correction placed on the underlying corneal bed and the overlying corneal flap then repositioned.
- CataractsAn ICL is a thin artificial lens that is placed inside the eye, just in front the natural lens of the eye. In the above described Clear Lens Extraction, the natural lens of the eye is removed and replaced with a new intraocular lens (IOL). With the ICL the natural lens of the eye is left in place. This allows for the continued dynamic range of focusing in the under 40 year old eye. ICL’s only correct extreme amounts of Nearsightedness. They do not correct Astigmatism, but Laser Vision Correction can be performed after the ICL to correct the Astigmatism. ICL’s are in the $3500 per eye range. The ICL is removable although it may be associated with complications that are not reversible, such as causing cataracts.
- Cataract SurgeryCataract surgery is the most common surgery performed in the U.S. today. It is performed on an out-patient basis and can offer significant improvements to vision. In cataract surgery, the clouded lens of your eye is replaced with a plastic lens, an intraocular lens (IOL). Dr. Levinson has performed over 6,000 Cataract Surgeries.
- Eye ExamThat’s because Dr. Levinson is dedicated to building relationships with all of his patients and meets personally with all of them—whether they’re at his Denver eye clinic for a routine eye exam, a surgery or a follow up appointment.
- Pregnancy
- Diabetes Care
- UltrasoundThe initial consultation should include a review of your medical and ocular history, an examination of your eyes, a Refraction, and Corneal Pachymetry,and Corneal Topography measurements. The Refraction (the “which is better, one or two”) determines the numbers that will be entered into the computer to calculate how much of your corneal tissue will be removed by the Laser. The Refraction is probably the most important step in Laser Vision Correction. If inaccurate numbers are put in the computer that runs the Excimer Laser, your visual outcome after Laser Vision Correction will not be acceptable. In my practice, I will perform your preoperative Refraction. I feel the Refraction is too important to delegate to anyone else. Corneal Pachymetry uses ultrasound to measure the thickness of your cornea to insure that your cornea is thick enough to safely accept Laser Vision Correction. Corneal Topography produces a Topographical profile of your cornea to help identify any evidence of corneal pathology that may make it unsafe for me to perform Laser Vision Correction surgery on your eye. I also use Corneal Topography to verify, if applicable, that your corneas are not distorted by your contact lenses. If you wear soft contact lenses you need to stop wearing your lenses at least one to two weeks prior to surgery. If you wear gas-permeable or hard contacts, you must stop wearing your lenses 3 weeks prior to surgery. After you have stopped wearing your contact lenses for the prescribed length of time, I repeat your Corneal Topography to make sure that any corneal distortion has resolved. If the distortion persists, you will be asked to wait longer, until the corneal distortion resolves.
- BotoxThe “low cost” Centers have stringent “cost controls” that are not compatible with highest quality eye surgery. These “cost controls” require relying extensively on non-medical ancillary staff to make medical decisions, limiting patient’s access to the doctor, by “self-insuring”, and/or carrying inadequate malpractice insurance, and by allowing corporate profit goals to influence medical decisions. Examples of corporate profit considerations influencing medical decisions are: not calibrating the Excimer Laser before every procedure, using “off brand” blades for the Microkeratome, purchasing “refurbished” (i.e. used) Excimer Lasers, by using “moonlighting” technicians to repair and maintain the Laser, and by offering Laser Vision Correction below cost to generate high volumes to then entice investors and maintain stock value. Over 20 “low cost” Laser Centers have already closed in Canada and America, some rather precipitously, leaving patients without follow-up care. What good are “lifetime guaranties” if the Laser Center goes out of business? Many “low cost” Laser Centers are now also offering Botox, Derm Abrasion and Cosmetic Products.
- Allergies