Choosing A LASIK Surgeon

Have you ever thought about LASIK? If you wear eyeglasses or contact lenses chances are that at some time you will find things about glasses and contacts that are just annoying enough to make you want to get rid of them. LASIK Eye Surgery is by far the most popular type of laser eye surgery for correcting nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. One of the reasonss for LASIKs popularity is that after almost 15 years of real world clinical experience, LASIK has withstood the test of time. That is to say, with proper and careful patient selection, realistic patient expectations and personal goals and an experienced, competent LASIK surgeon, LASIK has proven to be a safe, effective and predictable method of vision correction.

As with any surgery, there are certain people who should not have LASIK because they have specific contraindications to the procedure. Also, LASIK does have risks that one needs to fully understand in order to make an informed decision about whether or not it is worth having for you as an individual. Again, consulting a LASIK surgeon is the best way to insure that you have a very high likelihood of excellent results and that your expectations are fully realized.

Choosing a LASIK surgeon is without a doubt the most important decision that you will make when deciding to become less dependent on glasses or contact lenses. So how should you go about that decision?

First, ask people you know have had LASIK about their experience and their LASIK surgeon. Listen carefully. Word of mouth referral is a good place to start in order to at least begin the evaluation and consultation process. Just because you attend a LASIK consultation with a particular surgeon, does not mean that you have to select that practice for your surgery. Make sure that the practice and the manner in which the staff and the surgeon interact with patients are compatible with how you would like to be treated.

Second, avoid getting swept up by either flashy advertising and claims or price advertising. Consider responding to advertisements that present information in a balanced and educational manner or offer to arrange a consultation without obligation. This gives you further opportunity to meet the staff and ask questions to see if that practice is a fit for you. Flashy advertisements, especially those tempting you with low prices are almost always misrepresenting something. Low price advertising is generally a means to get you in the door where high pressure sales tactics and bait and switch techniques can be applied. Typically when you attend a consultation at one of these low price advertisers you find out that, that price is for the older laser, you should be treated on the new laser, that price is for people without astigmatism and you need to have your astigmatism treated, that price doesnt include follow-up care and you need to have the follow-up care package, that price doesnt include enhancements, and you should take the extra coverage for enhancements, or a whole list of reasons why that low price doesnt apply to you.

You should select a LASIK surgeon and practice that is known within the community. There is value and trust that can be assigned based on the reputation of the practice and its longevity. That is, they have visibility in the community and commitment to the community. Select a practice that you are confident will be around for years to come. Avoid LASIK centers that operate like a Doc In the Box, where surgeons come and go and employees hide behind the name of a corporate entity.

Finally, choose a LASIK surgeon who has sufficient overall experience in your type of LASIK procedure. Some surgeons and entities make claims similar to McDonalds methodOver 500,000 served. Common sense tells you that there is a cumulative procedural experience volume that is sufficient for developing competence and skill. Generally that is 500-1,000 procedures. In order to maintain that competence a LASIK surgeon should probably perform about 20-30 procedures each month at a minimum. Bravado about having performed huge numbers of procedures may in fact be a warning sign that this particular practice operates like a production mill rather than a healthcare practice. This will be easy to determine by attending a consultation and seeing how you are treated. Remember, you want skill and experience but not to be treated like you are ordering a hamburger.

LASIK is a safe, effective and predictable method of correcting nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism when you have been carefully examined and found to be a good candidate by an experienced LASIK surgeon.

For more information about LASIK, LASIK surgeons and the location of LASIK practices visit http://www.seewithlasik.com/.



About the author:
Dr. Herskowitz is the founding and managing member of The Medical Management Services Group, L.L.C. a physician practice management company limited to providing specialized management services to ophthalmology practices delivering refractive surgery to eye care patients.

There Is Something Fishy About Triglycerides.Greg PostI get a kick out of those commercials which portray conversations at the kitchen table or in the locker room in ways that we dont normally see. Two women sipping coffee from pretty china cups might naturally start discussing headache medications or hygiene. Men might forgo the normal locker room banter for the much superior topics of foot care or that insurance that only a duck can seem to remember. Some people even get so excited about their cholesterol that they stop perfect strangers on the street to announce significant reductions in their own cholesterol levels.

Some of these commercials give us an excuse to leave the room for more pressing matters, while others make us smile in appreciation of their creativity. But there is one thing they have in common. They direct our attention to topics of great importance that we dont naturally discuss. High cholesterol is one such topic. Fortunately cholesterol is getting more press these days. Not only do television commercials and news reports discuss the dangers of high cholesterol, but even cereal boxes are preaching the message.

Cholesterol is not the only enemy of heart health that is attracting more attention. Triglycerides are gaining notoriety in the public eye as adversarial to a healthy heart. Though triglycerides might not be the topic of choice in the average locker room I think it is safe to assume that it is of greater importance than the majority of subjects that occupy center stage in that arena. Whether or not we choose to speak of such things most of us know something of their importance and secretly hope they do not become an important factor in our lives or in the lives of those we love. But sticking ones head in the proverbial sand is hardly proactive and does nothing to avoid potential problems. If triglycerides are an important health concern we should face the problem eye to eye and take action in true Western style.

Many doctors have not been alarmed with high triglyceride levels in their patients as long as cholesterol levels and other components of the lipid profile are within an acceptable range. That is because many believe that triglyceride levels alone do not adversely affect the heart. However, some studies are beginning to alter that thinking. For example, one study at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore demonstrated that people who are middle-aged or older having triglyceride levels above 100 are twice as likely to suffer from a heart attack, die from a heart attack or undergo treatment related to heart health than are people with triglyceride levels below 100 (Journal of the American College of Cardiology, May 1998). When we consider that triglycerides below 150 are within the accepted normal range we have cause to rethink the importance of triglycerides.

Heart health is not the only thing affected by triglycerides. A report in the Journal of the American Heart Association stated that high triglycerides are associated with ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attacks (TIA). This conclusion came from an eight year study involving 11,177 patients with coronary heart disease and no history of stroke or TIA. Those patients who later suffered from strokes or TIAs had higher than average levels of triglycerides and lower than average levels of HDL cholesterol.

There is no lack of research supporting the thesis that high triglyceride levels, either in conjunction with other risk factors or as an independent risk indicator, puts one in a more dangerous position in relation to heart attack or stroke. There are many folks who would ignore this fact even if a duck could learn to say Triglycerides. But what about the rest of us? Some of us are concerned. What can we do?

In the early 1970's two Danish researchers observed that Eskimos had diets very high in fatty fish. They expected to find that these people would have high incidence of heart disease. In fact they found the exact opposite. It was discovered that the blood platelets of Eskimos were not as sticky as those of their European and American counterparts. The researchers attributed this "non-sticky" characteristic to the omega-3 fatty acids consumed in the Eskimos' diet. Further studies have brought increased knowledge of the effects of fish oils and especially omega-3 fatty acids for the reduction of blood pressure and fat in the blood. Studies continue to uncover the positive effects that omega-3 fatty acids have in the treatment of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, asthma and arthritis.

Concerning heart health, fish oils decrease the risk of sudden death from arrhythmia, decrease blood clotting, reduce atherosclerosis, help lower blood pressure and improve arterial health. More particular to this essay is the fact that study upon study has demonstrated that the fish oils in cold water fish have triglyceride reducing powers. It is no wonder the American Heart Association since the year 2000 has been preaching the importance of healthy adults eating fish.

But what about unhealthy adults already struggling with high triglycerides? The answer that many researchers are giving is, Eat more fish. Or more precisely, ingest more omega-3 fatty acids. People who have elevated triglycerides may need 2 to 4 grams of EPA and DHA (omega-3 fatty acids) per day provided as a supplement. High levels of omega-3 can not be ingested through diet alone. You should consult a physician to discuss taking supplements to reduce heart disease risk. Patients taking more than 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids from supplements should do so only under a physicians care.

Lets face it. Our diets are not nearly what they should be. It isnt just about calories, carbohydrates and thin waistlines. Our hearts need more omega-3. If you are a fish lover then indulge your fantasies. Eat more. If you dont love the slimy little creatures then fish oil supplements might be your answer. Perhaps what we need is not a talking duck. Perhaps a talking trout would be more apropos to get the message out. But I suppose that would be counter productive for the trout.


About the author:
Greg holds degrees in science, divinity and philosophy and is currently an I.T. developer.


For more information on triglycerides and fish oils see:

http://www.optimal-heart-health.com/triglycerides.html
http://www.optimal-heart-health.com/fishoils.html