Indiana LASIK Flex Plans-Now is the Time!

“Now is the time for patients who want LASIK in Indiana to use any Flex Plan funds that might be available to them,” commented Kelly Connors of Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center. “In the event you don’t have any Flex Plan funds remaining for 2013, it’s a good time for you or a family member to set aside funds for 2014 and make LASIK affordable.”

Many employers offer Flex Plans-Flexible Spending Accounts or FSA’s. These plans allow you to have money taken out of your paycheck over time to pay for LASIK. What is even more appealing about Flex Plans is that money is withheld in Pre-Tax dollars allowing you to get extra tax savings.

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, is located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.

Contact Lens Dry Eye & LASIK

Indiana LASIK Surgeon Scott Buck, M.D. cited some important information about contact lenses and dry eyes for contact lens wearers considering LASIK. “Dry eyes can be a very real problem for both rigid and soft contact lens wearers. Researchers reporting in the Eye & Contact Lens: Science & Clinical Practice demonstrated that both rigid and soft contact lenses negatively impacted the tear film surface quality. This research is important to keep in mind when contact lens wearers present for LASIK consultations since the evaluation of the tear film quality and quantity is a critical consideration of determining the patient’s candidacy for any type of Laser Vision Correction-but especially for LASIK surgery,” commented Dr. Buck. “Given that a significant number of our patients electing to have LASIK today are contact lens wearers, we need to be aware that some of the pre LASIK tear film abnormalities that we find are actually due to their contact lens wear and that with a sufficient amount of time without contact lens wear contact lens wearers who want LASIK will recover a normal tear film surface quality and be able to proceed with Laser Vision Correction,” noted Dr. Buck.

Contact lens patients considering LASIK or any type of Laser Eye Surgery for vision correction are encouraged to find the best LASIK Surgeons in their area and have a thorough evaluation, examination and consultation in order to find out if they are good candidates. 

If you or someone you know has a question about LASIK, contact lenses, dry eyes or would like to schedule a Free LASIK Consultation please call Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. Let us tell you if you are a good candidate for Laser Eye Surgery for Laser Vision Correction. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, is located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.

LASIK for Glaucoma Patients

LASIK for patients with glaucoma is possible but must be evaluated for each person on an individualized basis. “We would consider performing LASIK for certain patients with glaucoma-but it really depends a great deal on the stability of the glaucoma and whether and how much damage to the optic nerve the disease has caused,” remarked Indiana LASIK Surgeon Scott Buck, M.D. of Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center in Valparaiso, IN.

Generally, unless the glaucoma is severe it is possible that LASIK could be an option for most patients. Other types of laser eye surgery for vision correction such as PRK might be preferred. In some cases it might actually be beneficial to have lens replacement surgery using advanced technology lens implants for vision correction.

If you or someone you know has glaucoma or is a glaucoma suspect and is considering LASIK, we would be happy to provide a free consultation to help determine if they are a LASIK candidate or perhaps a better candidate for another type of refractive surgery. Please feel free to schedule an appointment with Scott Buck, M.D at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. Let us tell you if you are even a good candidate for Laser Eye Surgery for Laser Vision Correction.

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center in Valparaiso, IN is staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear and optical services. We are conveniently located for patients seeking eye care from throughout northern Indiana including La Porte, Mishawaka, South Bend, Michigan City, Crown Point, Merrillville, Chesterton, South Haven, Westville, Hebron, Lowell, Valparaiso and Walkerton as well as Chicago, Illinois suburban areas of Frankfurt, Calumet City, Monee and Crete.

IN Surgeon on Being Too Old for LASIK

Indiana LASIK Surgeon Scott Buck, M.D. reassured patients seeking LASIK that if their eyes are healthy and they have an appropriate need for vision correction, you are never really too old for LASIK. “I recently examined a 64 year old gentleman who wanted to know if he was too old for LASIK,” shared Dr. Buck of Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center in Valparaiso, IN. “After performing a thorough examination and LASIK consultation I understood that for his avid hobbies of hiking, hunting and camping he just didn’t want to wear glasses for seeing at distance,” said Dr. Buck. From his eye exam I was comfortable that his eye health, corneal health and tear film were quite good. His retinas were normal and he had no sign of cataracts and his vision corrected to 20/20 with his -6.25 D eyeglass correction. Also, importantly he couldn’t tolerate contact lenses and just didn’t want to wear them while camping anyway-so we scheduled him for LASIK,” explained Dr. Buck. “We carefully explained that he was going to need to either wear reading glasses or consider having monovision to help with his near vision presbyopia focusing problem that we all have after 40 or so.”

As long as they have a tangible reason for wanting LASIK so that it will improve their lifestyle, people thinking about having Laser Eye Surgery can do so without worrying about being too old for LASIK as long as they have healthy eyes, a health cornea, sufficient tears and are free of cataracts or retinal diseases.

If you are someone you know would like to find out if you are a good candidate for LASIK please schedule a Free LASIK consultation with Scott Buck, M.D at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. Let us tell you if you are a good candidate for Laser Eye Surgery for Laser Vision Correction.

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center in Valparaiso, IN is staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear and optical services. We are conveniently located for patients seeking eye care from throughout northern Indiana including La Porte, Mishawaka, South Bend, Michigan City, Crown Point, Merrillville, Chesterton, South Haven, Westville, Hebron, Lowell, Valparaiso and Walkerton as well as Chicago, Illinois suburban areas of Frankfurt, Calumet City, Monee and Crete.

My Story About Fear of LASIK

“When you think about LASIK, sure, you may be thinking “my eyes” with panic and fear-or do I really want to do this? Well, you do, especially if you are reading this. The procedure is smooth and Dr. Buck walks you through the whole thing. The staff is friendly, professional and knowledgeable which helps the nerves. Seriously, after having the procedure and a nap you wake up “normal”. I have already recommended this to friends and acquaintances alike. I would do it again and recommend Dr. Buck to anyone. It truly is great to be free to see any and everything life has to offer. All I can say is “what took me so long?”. I’ve worn glasses and contacts for 39 years. Being able to wake up and actually read the alarm clock and see everything is amazing. No more spotty glasses or dry contacts. I am one of the biggest chickens. Dr. Buck and his staff made me feel very relaxed and talked me through the whole procedure-which was a lot quicker than I thought it would be.”

Thank you Dr. Buck, Kelley & Staff. –J.A.

If you or someone you know has a question about LASIK or would like to schedule a Free LASIK Consultation please feel free to call Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser.  Let us tell you if you are a good candidate for Laser Eye Surgery for Laser Vision Correction. Then let us help make LASIK affordable.

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center in Valparaiso, IN is staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear and optical services. We are conveniently located for patients seeking eye care from throughout northern Indiana including La Porte, Mishawaka, South Bend, Michigan City, Crown Point, Merrillville, Chesterton, South Haven, Westville, Hebron, Lowell, Valparaiso and Walkerton as well as Chicago, Illinois suburban areas of Frankfurt, Calumet City, Monee and Crete.

LASIK to See the Birds

“Not long after my LASIK surgery at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center I was in a small plane with my brother and I could see objects like birds thousands of feet below us-I am very pleased with my choice of Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center. That’s the first time since I was a teenager that I could see that well. I can’t even think of any areas for improvement. I hate to wait, but I didn’t wait long at all during my visits. Thank you! I am very happy I could keep my money in Valparaiso.”

-B.V

If you or someone you know has a question about LASIK or would like to schedule a Free LASIK Consultation please feel free to call Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. Let us tell you if you are a good candidate for Laser Eye Surgery for Laser Vision Correction. Then let us help make LASIK affordable.

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center in Valparaiso, IN is staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear and optical services. We are conveniently located for patients seeking eye care from throughout northern Indiana including La Porte, Mishawaka, South Bend, Michigan City, Crown Point, Merrillville, Chesterton, South Haven, Westville, Hebron, Lowell, Valparaiso and Walkerton as well as Chicago, Illinois suburban areas of Frankfurt, Calumet City, Monee and Crete.

Indiana Surgeon on Dry Eyes & LASIK

Indiana eye surgeon Scott Buck, M.D. explained about the causes and treatment of dry eyes after LASIK surgery. “By far the most common side effect of LASIK is dry eyes. In fact, it is pretty much normal and expected for all LASIK patients to have temporary dry eye symptoms after their treatment. The critical thing to know is that the dry eye symptoms should be temporary”, explained Dr. Buck.

Here is what you should know about LASIK and dry eyes. LASIK is corneal surgery. ANY time we do corneal surgery we typically sever some corneal nerves and we often temporarily disturb the delicate cells on the surface of the eye. “By the way, during cataract surgery and any other eye surgery procedures that involve the cornea we do the exact same things,” said Dr. Buck. These corneal nerves connect to the Lacrimal Gland which is responsible for producing tears. When the nerves are temporarily interrupted there is a decrease in the amount of tears that are produced-making your eyes feel dry and gritty. To make you more comfortable during the time it takes for the corneal nerves to heal and regenerate we may do one of more of the following for you:

Prescribe Artificial Tear Eye Drops

Insert Tiny Tear Duct Plugs

Prescribe Restasis® Eye Drops

Prescribe Dietary Supplements with Omega-3 Oils

Each of the above acts to either retain the tears that you have, supplement the tears that are lacking or help you produce more of your own tears so that you will be most comfortable and heal properly. Each person will regenerate the fine corneal nerves at a DIFFERENT RATE and thus will need to use one or more of the above tear helpers for different amounts of time. A very important consideration is how healthy your tear film was BEFORE your surgery. A critical part of your LASIK consultation will be a careful examination of your tear film. Sometimes, in order to make you the most comfortable and make the healing and visual recovery process as quick and easy as possible for you, we may actually prescribe one or more of the above BEFORE your surgery.

If you or someone you know has questions about LASIK and dry eyes or would like to schedule a Free LASIK Evaluation please call Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center to schedule a Free Consultation with LASIK Surgeon Scott Buck, M.D. at 866-522-3937, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center in Valparaiso, IN is staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear  and optical services. We are conveniently located for patients seeking eye care from throughout northern Indiana including La Porte, Mishawaka, South Bend, Michigan City, Crown Point, Merrillville, Chesterton, South Haven, Westville, Hebron, Lowell, Valparaiso and Walkerton as well as Chicago, Illinois suburban areas of Frankfurt, Calumet City, Monee and Crete.

Astigmatism & LASIK at NW Indiana Eye & Laser

NW Indiana Eye & Laser Center offers correction of astigmatism with LASIK and other types of Laser Eye Surgery. “Astigmatism is something that is often confusing to patients. A lot of patients I speak with are under the incorrect impression that having astigmatism means you can’t have Laser Eye Surgery such as LASIK to correct your vision”, commented Indiana LASIK Surgeon Scott Buck, M.D. “In fact LASIK for astigmatism is not only possible-but we use it all the time as an excellent way to correct vision”, said Dr. Buck. Here is what you need to know about LASIK and astigmatism.

First, astigmatism is one of the common types of refractive problems that cause blurry vision. Common refractive-or eye focus problems-include nearsightedness or myopia, farsightedness or hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia. At Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center we can correct these types of eye problems with glasses, contact lenses or laser vision correction such as LASIK.

“Astigmatism usually results from an unequal curvature of the cornea-the outermost clear dome in the front of the eye-that causes the eye to have two different curvatures and thus two different focal points. This can make images look more blurry at a specific orientation so that things horizontally are blurred or things vertically are blurred, depending on the direction of the astigmatism,” explained Indiana Optometrist & Contact Lens Specialist Dr. Stephen Buck. "Astigmatism can be very annoying visually and can even cause headaches and many visual symptoms apart from the blurriness itself,” said Dr. Stephen Buck.

“Today, as LASIK surgeons, we are able to accurately measure and treat all types of astigmatism with high degrees of precision and predictability by using very fast tracking and scanning lasers like the Allegretto Wave Laser we have at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser,” said Dr. Scott Buck.

If you or someone you know has astigmatism and would like to be less dependent or possibly even be free from the hassle of glasses and contact lenses for seeing at distance please call Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center to schedule a Free Consultation with LASIK Surgeon Scott Buck, M.D. at 866-522-3937, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser.

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center in Valparaiso, IN is staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear and optical services. We are conveniently located for patients seeking eye care from throughout northern Indiana including La Porte, Mishawaka, South Bend, Michigan City, Crown Point, Merrillville, Chesterton, South Haven, Westville, Hebron, Lowell, Valparaiso and Walkerton as well as Chicago, Illinois suburban areas of Frankfurt, Calumet City, Monee and Crete.