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Community Outreach

One Reason Myopia (Nearsightedness) is on the Rise!

By | Community Outreach, Eye Care, Eye Facts, Eye Safety

An incredible 1.6 billion people worldwide suffer from some form of nearsightedness (myopia), which can vary from being mild to severe.

Myopia is the world’s most common eyesight problem, but in the last two decades there has been a significant increase in the number of children being diagnosed with the condition.

Recent research suggests that a quarter of children now need glasses to correct blurred distance vision caused by myopia.

A study carried out has found that a lack of outdoor activity (less than 45 minutes a day) and a general increase in the amount of time (more than 2 hours a day) spent using near vision (video games, computers) can affect eye development in children.

Reducing the risk of myopia
There is a genetic link to the development of myopia, with those who have a familial history of the eye condition being more likely to suffer from it too.

For children who are predisposed to developing myopia, it was suggested that they spend at least 15 hours a week outside and minimize the amount of time doing long stints of activities that require near vision.

Simple changes, such as increasing the amount of time outdoors and limiting the use of liquid crystal monitors at close range (laptops, computer games etc) can help reduce the risk of developing myopia.

My Custom LASIK Pre-Op

By | Blog, Community Outreach, Eye Care

Wow…it’s really happening…reality has finally hit, I’ll be having LASIK in just two more days.  And today is my LASIK pre-op.  The morning of the pre-op you’re not supposed to read anything up close because it changes the shape of the cornea.  It wasn’t too hard not reading anything up close.  First I met with the LASIK Techs for some testing and measurements, then I met with Dr. Richards, and then Dr. Miselis.

Techs:  During the pre-op the techs (ophthalmic technicians) were so great and it was a really good experience.  They were so nice and explained everything they were doing with me.  And even though I’m also a tech, it’s just different when you’re on the other side – as the patient.  They assured me that everything would be fine.

Dr. Richards: Dr. Richards, one of the Optometrists at Heritage, was really nice, she explained why she was doing each test, and was very detailed.

Dr. Miselis: Dr Miselis was very nice.  He told me what to expect during and after the LASIK procedure, and was very reassuring.

I’m Having Custom LASIK Today!

By | Blog, Community Outreach, Eye Care

I can’t believe the day is finally here!  I was nervous this morning and excited at the same time.  I dreamt that I coughed during the procedure!!!!  Everyone at work was excited for me and asked how I was doing.  I worked most of the day as usual until it was my turn to have LASIK.  I was pretty relaxed about it all day because I’ve seen how Dr. is with his patients and I work with the patients after their procedure so I know how great their results are.  I have been telling everyone that I’m having LASIK and I brought  my family and friends to our office to see me have LASIK!  I brought my kids, my niece, my parents, my brother, and my neighbors to watch the procedure!

Preparing for the the Procedure
When it as my turn to get ready for LASIK, Melissa (one of our LASIK Techs)came and got me and told me it was my turn to get prepped for LASIK.   Melissa was so nice and patient with me and she explained everything to me.  She assured me that everything would be fine.  She put this surgical cap on my head and booties on my feet.  She also fitted me with goggles and explained that I would wear them for two weeks when I sleep at night to protect form getting anything in my eyes.  She gave me a low dose of valium which helped me to relax.  Then she took me in the LASIK Suite.

During the Procedure – What It’s Really Like
The first thing they do is give you the cutest little teddy bear to hold on to during the procedure.  Then you lie on this bed and they put a patch over your left eye while they work on the other eye.  Dr. Miselis was very calm and reassuring.  He made me feel very secure.  He tells you what he’s doing every step of the way.  If you’re worried you’ll blink – you can’t because they use an instrument to hold your eye open.  It didn’t hurt.  He put drops in my eye to numb it and tells you to stare up at this red light and keep your head still.  He tells you that you won’t see the red light for a few seconds while he’s doing the procedure.  It goes by really quick (it only takes like 10 – 15 seconds per eye).  Then all of a sudden you see the red light again and the procedure is over on that side.  Then he does the same thing on the other eye.

Immediately After the Procedure
Right after the procedure I felt very calm.  Most people want to sit up and see how well they can see afterwards but we always tell patients it will be blurry right after – like looking through water.  And that’s exactly what it looked like.  After it was all over, I sat up and it was like looking through water.  I felt excited and relieved at the same time.  I felt so happy I worked for Dr. Miselis – he took really good care of me.  He does with all of us.  It’s like we’re his kids!

So afterwards, they walked me back to one of the patient rooms and Dr. Miselis came in to explain what he wanted me to do when I got home.  He gave me two sleeping pills and told me to take one when I got home.  He said to take a nap and then wake up later and have dinner, then take another sleeping pill and go back to sleep for the night.  So that’s exactly what I did.

That Night
Dr. Miselis called me that night to check on me (like he does with all of his LASIK patients).  It made me feel really good knowing that he was checking on me and was there if I needed anything.  The night went really great though.  I put on the goggles and went to sleep.  I did exactly what he said and slept through the night.

The Next Morning
When I woke up, I still had the goggles on and they were steamy!  I took them off and looked outside and couldn’t believe how clear everything was!  We always tell patients that they may be a little blurry in the morning so that’s what I was expecting but it wasn’t – it was super clear!  Most of our LASIK patients take Friday off and rest over the weekend but I called and said I was fine and was coming in!  I got ready that morning and came back to work.  I felt great and could see great.  It was so great to be able to see so clear when working with our patients.

My One Day Post-Op Appointment
Dr. Richards checked my eyes at my post-op appointment and I was 20/15!  That’s better than perfect vision!  I was so excited!  I worked the rest of the day and felt great!

End of the Story
So that’s the story of my LASIK Adventure at Heritage Eye, Skin & Laser Center.  I am so glad I did it…you should too!