Dr. James Salz was a featured contributor among several doctors featured in an article entitled “Screening for LASIK: Tips and Techniques: Surgeons share helpful strategies for identifying which patients are good candidates -— and which could be trouble.” This article, was featured in Review of Ophthalmology (Vol. 6, Issue 28) and was written by Senior Editor Christopher Kent.
Dr. James Salz provided several tips for laser eye surgeons to improve screening and reduce the incidence of complications, including:
1. Use the proper color scale for corneal maps (topography), which are part of the preoperative workup. This reduces artifacts that are not real abnormalities and makes it easier for laser eye surgeons to interpret true abnormalities.
2. If the corneal maps are suspicious for an abnormality, the surgeon can perform other simple tests to determine if the patient is still a proper candidate for laser eye surgery (either LASIK or PRK). These tests include taking additional thickness readings of the cornea at multiple points, dilating the pupils and checking for abnormal reflexes from a light swept across the pupil, and examining the patient’s prescription history for changes changing indicating the eye is not stable.
3. Pupil size does matter. Carefully measure pupil size in a dark room and discuss in detail the possible increased risk of night vision complaints like halos and glare. This risk can be minimized with customized wavefront based LASIK and by using postoperative drops such as Alphagan at night to reduce pupil size and thus reduce the severity of night vision difficulty.
Laser Vision Medical Associates, Inc. is the refractive surgery medical private practice of Dr. James J. Salz, M.D. and services patients in the Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, and Orange County regions of Southern California. Dr. James Salz, M.D. is the President and primary physician who performs laser vision surgery for the company. Dr. Salz has been researching and publishing studies as well as performing refractive surgery, including LASIK, for over 20 years. Dr. Salz is Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Southern California and Co-Director of Refractive Surgery Research at the Discovery Fund for Eye Research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He has been the principal investigator for several major studies, including 8 FDA excimer laser studies, STAAR Surgical Implantable Contact Lens for Hyperopia FDA clinical trial. Dr. James Salz has been a paid consultant to Visx, and Alcon. Dr. James Salz is an expert of special interest in all aspects of refractive surgery, including LASIK, PRK, and Phakic implants. Dr. James Salz is also an expert in cataract surgery and lens implantation as well as medical legal matters and device and method patents related to ophthalmology.
Laser Eye Associates of Los Angeles, Inc. is an association consisting of about 30 LASIK and laser eye surgeons in the Beverly Hills/Los Angeles area. Laser Eye Associates is one of the few laser vision centers in the world with 3 different FDA approved excimer laser systems (Alcon, Visx and Alegretto): a femtosecond laser (Intralase) for creating the LASIK flap without a blade; (2) a Holmium laser system for treating low degrees of hyperopia; and (3) the only FDA approved procedure for treating presbyopia (the condition which requires reading glasses after age 40) the Refractec Conductive Keratoplasty (CK) instrument. Dr. James J. Salz is currently President of Laser Eye Associates and a shareholder of the company.
SOURCE: PRWeb