Hoopes Vision - 877-30-LASIK

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All-Laser Vision Correction and IntraLase® Custom LASIK for the Salt Lake City, Utah Area

Hoopes Vision is committed to providing its patients with the newest and safest technologies. As the only vision practice with five different types of custom all-laser LASIK vision correction platforms in all of Utah, Sandy and Salt Lake City-area residents have the benefit of variety and choice when deciding how to improve their vision. Our various machines, including Utah's only Carl Zeiss MEL 80™ and ALLEGRETTO WAVE™ IQ 400 excimer lasers (the only new laser platforms approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the last six years), as well as the safer, more accurate IntraLase® laser, ensure our Salt Lake City, Utah-area patients that they have the highest-quality laser vision correction options available. If you would like to learn more about the technology that we use and how it can help you, please contact Hoopes Vision today to schedule a private consultation.

All-Laser LASIK Vision Correction – A Safer Approach to LASIK

Some patients may be surprised to learn that traditional LASIK laser vision correction is not an all-laser procedure. The conventional LASIK procedure performed at our Salt Lake City-area practice was a two-step surgery in which only the second step was performed with a laser. The first step, creating a corneal flap, was performed using a mechanical blade to cut into the surface of the eye. Now, thanks to a technological breakthrough, a silent, computer-guided laser creates the corneal flap.

This advancement allows all-laser LASIK vision correction, referred to as IntraLASIK, to be performed by our Sandy, Utah surgeons. This new laser introduces new, high-precision femtosecond laser technology to eye surgery. It uses a short, rapidly fired impulse with a spot size of only three microns to pass through the cornea and, through a process called photo disruption, create the corneal flap safely from the inside out. These small spots (60,000 pulses per second) are spread out on a layer out beneath the cornea, creating thousands of cavitation bubbles of carbon dioxide and water vapor, each bubble smaller than a red blood cell, that produce a clean dissection plane. The spots are stacked at the periphery of the dissection plane to form the side cut and hinge. This system also introduces a new level of safety as it largely eliminates most flap complications. This solid-state laser is computer-controlled and can make very clean and precise incisions within the cornea without the risk of damaging surrounding tissues. Our IntraLase® laser is equipped with the latest 60Hz upgrade and takes only approximately 15 seconds to create a corneal flap.

Although some believe that the cost of LASIK eye surgery is keeping many people from having this miraculous procedure, studies show that most patients are waiting for improvement in its safety. Most complications associated with LASIK occur during the creation of the corneal flap. Flaps are usually created with a razor-like surgical blade attached to a handheld microkeratome. Flap complications with the microkeratome are rare and include off-centered and incomplete flaps, flaps that are too thin or thick, and buttonhole flaps. The IntraLase® laser virtually eliminates the major complications associated with the microkeratome. Besides being much safer, the IntraLase® laser is more accurate (up to 100 times more precise) and patients are more likely to achieve vision that 20/20 or better. The risk of experiencing dry eyes is also decreased with the use of the IntraLase® laser.

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Custom LASIK

Despite the exceptional results that patients have been enjoying over the last few years with newer laser vision correction treatments, there are still some patients who experience less than ideal outcomes. Such situations have been caused by many different factors, such as individual genetic healing responses, the differently sized optical and treatment zones produced by the various lasers, and patients themselves, who may have distortions or aberrations in their visual systems that are made worse after laser treatment. These higher-order aberrations (HOAs) produce refractive distortions that limit the visual acuity of healthy eyes to less than their full potential. Spectacles and contact lenses do not currently correct these aberrations.

Why opt for custom LASIK?

It is estimated that 10 percent to 20 percent of patients have significant higher-order aberrations that can be corrected with a procedure known as custom LASIK. For our Utah patients with these higher-order aberrations, the difference between conventional LASIK and custom LASIK can be compared to that between buying an off-the-rack suit versus a tailor-made, custom-fit suit.

At Hoopes Vision, we recognized early on the great benefits custom LASIK with wavefront-guided technology afforded our patients. Wavefront-guided treatments start by measuring thousands of unique points in the patient's vision; these measurements are analyzed to identify distortions that would not have been addressed with a treatment using the normal glasses of contact lens prescription. The measurements are processed by wavefront software to create a customized LASIK treatment plan to optimize the patient's vision.

While wavefront-guided custom LASIK treatments were more effective than traditional LASIK procedures, Hoopes Vision has fully embraced an even-newer technology known as wavefront-optimized treatments. Traditional and wavefront-guided LASIK technologies had been shown to cause an additional distortion during the treatment known as spherical aberrations – aberrations that were found to be a significant factor behind post-LASIK nighttime halos and glare. Wavefront-optimized treatments are designed to correct a very large prescription range, but can do so without compromising the natural curvature of the eye, resulting in crisp, clear vision with a decreased risk of halos and glare.

Wavefront-optimized treatments now comprise the majority of our custom LASIK procedures, as we believe that this is the option that allows for the best possible results in most of our patients. The LASIK technologies that we use for our wavefront-optimized treatments were built from the ground-up with an understanding of the shortcomings of wavefront-guided treatments. In our experience, wavefront-optimization affords most patients the best possible outcome with the least chance for vision post-treatment complications. Hoopes Vision is proud to be the only LASIK practice in Utah to offer wavefront-optimized custom LASIK treatments, and we hope to be able to help you achieve your best vision using our advanced technologies. To learn more, please contact Hoopes Vision today.

What are the advantages of wavefront and custom LASIK?

While conventional LASIK can actually worsen higher-order aberrations, wavefront technology and custom LASIK can benefit patients with HOAs. For patients without significant HOAs, wavefront-optimized technology can ensure that the LASIK procedure will not result in induced higher-order aberrations.This fact is another good reason for patients not to consider discount surgeons and centers that, because of the added costs in equipment and time, are not likely to be able to offer this advancement any time soon.

Whether a patient's eye has naturally occurring aberrations or has defects caused by previous surgeries, the wavefront analysis gives the surgeon a better understanding of how the patient is seeing, the causes of the patient’s problems and complaints, and what can be done now or in the future to help the patient see better. Every person considering LASIK should have a wavefront map created prior to surgery to determine whether or not he or she might have these higher-order aberrations.

How does wavefront mapping and custom LASIK work?

The wavefront analyzing devices (aberrometers) that the Alcon LADARVision®, Bausch & Lomb Technolas®, and VISX® CustomVue™ systems use work by measuring the passage of light through the eye. They employ a system in which rays of light are measured as they come out of the eye after being influenced by the different parts of its structure such as the tear film, the anterior and posterior cornea, the lens, the vitreous fluid, and the retina. The values recorded give the doctor the ability to observe both the direction and magnitude of each aberration or defect. Depending on the degree and number of aberrations identified, the doctor can determine whether the patient should proceed with conventional treatment (or re-treatment) or a custom LASIK procedure. The data can then be fed into an excimer laser equipped with specialized software to execute a custom LASIK treatment that compensates for aberrations, allowing for better postoperative visual acuity and better vision under low-light conditions.

A custom ablation (removal of tissue) includes four components. First, a quantitative measurement of both low- and high-order aberrations is taken with the wavefront aberrometer. Second, this Zernike data is transferred to the laser. Third, automatic registration or matching of the wavefront to the eye occurs. Fourth, the computer in the laser calculates how to deliver a unique ablation to each eye.

Wavefront and Custom LASIK Outcomes

In studies on wavefront ablations, improved visual outcomes were seen because both lower- and higher-order aberrations were reduced. The wavefront-treated patients experienced significantly greater reductions in aberrations when compared to conventionally treated patients. This new wavefront-corrected vision is being referred to as "high-definition vision." If you happen to have HOAs, the use of the wavefront custom LASIK technology available at our Utah office will make a significant difference in giving you a good visual outcome!

Wavefront and Custom LASIK at Hoopes Vision

At Hoopes Vision, we believe that a screening with a wavefront aberrometer as part of the preoperative exam is critical for all laser patients in the process of choosing a surgeon, a center, and a laser for vision correction. Hoopes Vision is positioned as the leader in wavefront technology, wavefront-optimized technology, and custom LASIK procedures with three wavefront lasers, two wavefront-optimized lasers, and three wavefront mapping aberrometers. We are excited to be able to offer this latest technology and the custom LASIK treatment it makes possible to our Utah patients.

To learn about the great advantages of custom LASIK performed at our Utah-leading vision practice, please contact Hoopes Vision today.

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LASIK Technology

Hoopes Vision has more LASIK technology onsite than any other Utah LASIK center. We are committed to providing only the safest and most advanced technology for the benefit of our patients' vision. We strongly believe that our patients deserve numerous options so that we can find and use the ideal technology to suit our patients' individual needs. No single laser can provide the best outcome for every patient. With five different all-laser LASIK platform onsite, you can rest assured that our doctors have the technology available and the experience necessary to offer each patient the best solution for their unique vision needs.

ALLEGRETTO WAVE™ IQ 400 Excimer Laser

Hoopes Vision is also proud to offer the ALLEGRETTO WAVE™ IQ 400 Excimer Laser (made by WaveLight AG, Erlangen, Germany) in a concerted effort to provide a choice of technology for patients who seek all-laser LASIK vision correction in the greater Salt Lake City, Utah area.

The ALLEGRETTO WAVE™ IQ 400 brings a whole new dimension to laser vision correction. This laser is the best selling laser system internationally, and it accounted for 20 percent of the new laser sales in the US in its first year. This European-designed laser system utilizes PerfectPulse Technology™, which maximizes the chances of the procedure being safe and accurate.

We chose to invest in the ALLEGRETTO WAVE™ IQ 400 laser because it offers superior clinical results with great speed, precision, and safety. We can now bring customized treatment to more patients than ever before, including patients with myopia and hyperopia. The ALLEGRETTO WAVE™ IQ 400 performs a "wavefront-optimized" correction rather than a wavefront-guided treatment. The difference is that the ALLEGRETTO WAVE™ IQ 400 laser was built from the ground up using wavefront principles and algorithms. All other manufacturers retrofitted their lasers to allow wavefront treatments. Wavefront optimization creates a wavefront treatment profile that preserves as much of the prolate cornea as possible and minimizes the side effects of glare, halos, and other symptoms of poor low-light vision.

Visit the official ALLEGRETTO WAVE™ IQ 400 Excimer Laser site to learn more about this exciting technology.

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Carl Zeiss MEL 80™ Laser

Hoopes Vision purchased the very first Carl Zeiss Mel 80™ excimer laser sold in the United States. As of August 2006, this was the latest laser to be approved by the Federal Drug Administration. It was delivered to us in April 2007. The new MEL 80™ is a fifth-generation laser and one of the fastest lasers available at our laser vision correction practice located in Sandy, Utah.

Internationally, there are over 750 MEL 80™ lasers installed, and the device has already proven itself as one of the leading excimer laser systems available. In the FDA clinical trials, 93 percent of patients treated with the laser were able to see 20/20 without further correction and 85 percent achieved a result within one half of a diopter of the intended correction.

The new MEL 80™ is extremely fast, shortening treatment time considerably. This shortened exposure time helps enable a faster visual recovery. The MEL 80™ also has a new, ultra-fast eye tracker. Your correction will be performed very precisely without dilating your pupil.

This laser has a very small spot size of only 0.7mm with Gaussian beam profile. This feature allows the finest corrections, with very smooth customized treatment surfaces. In addition, the MEL 80™ laser incorporates treatment optimization tools for maintaining the round, prolate contour of the cornea, which improves vision outcomes under dim light and at night. As a result, this tool for all-laser LASIK is greatly beneficial for our Salt Lake City-area patients, and we are proud to offer such cutting-edge technology.

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IntraLase® FS Laser

The IntraLase® FS laser used at our Salt Lake City-area vision center is a safer, computer-controlled alternative to mechanical microkeratomes for the first step of LASIK: creating corneal flaps. Besides making a more precise flap, the new IntraLase® FS laser virtually eliminates the problems and complications discussed above that are associated with mechanical systems. IntraLase® flaps are also much thinner than microkeratome-made flaps. Because of this advancement, patients with thinner corneas who have been turned down in the past may now be able to have LASIK performed.

The IntraLase® FS laser that the surgeons at our Salt Lake City-area practice use allows them to:

Hoopes Vision is happy to have been one of the first sites in Utah to provide this technology.

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Bausch & Lomb Technolas® 217 Laser

The Bausch & Lomb Technolas® 217 laser system is one of our newer lasers. Using innovative technology that improves surgical accuracy, the Technolas® 217 laser far exceeded FDA benchmarks in clinical trials. This is a German-made laser, and it is the most preferred and frequently used laser in the world outside of the United States. Dr. Phillip Hoopes' former practice in Kansas City performed some of the FDA clinical trials on this laser, allowing him to learn about its superior results first hand.

The FDA Premarket Approval (PMA) clinical study results showed that 99.7 percent of all patients who had undergone laser vision correction surgery with the Technolas® 217 saw 20/40 or better without glasses or contact lenses; this rate is 14.7 percent higher than FDA guidance requires. Additionally, the results showed that 87.3 percent of all patients in the study saw 20/20 or better without glasses or contact lenses after the surgery.

Using the latest technology, the laser corrects refractive errors by utilizing its small beam profile to flatten the cornea centrally and then "polishes" the periphery, or transition zone, to produce an extremely smooth cornea. Hoopes Vision was fortunate to have received one of the first Technolas® lasers to be delivered after its approval on February 24, 2000. We have been very impressed with our results using this laser. Very few of our patients complain of nighttime glare or halos, and we have a very high percentage of patients who see 20/25 or better.

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Alcon LADARVision® Laser

The Alcon LADARVision® autonomous excimer laser was acquired and installed at our practice in April 2001. It is a third-generation flying spot laser with the advantage of being approved to treat farsightedness and mixed astigmatism. This was also the first laser to gain FDA approval to begin performing custom wavefront ablations, making it the most advanced laser on the market.

The laser is also equipped with the fastest and most sophisticated tracking system in the industry. Designed by former NASA space engineers, this tracker locks onto the patient's eye using laser radar and follows any eye movements that might occur during the laser procedure. The laser radar tracking system is 6.7 times faster than any other tracker. This technology allows the laser to correct higher-order aberrations by making custom LASIK procedures possible. As the only Utah vision practice to offer five different all-laser LASIK technologies, Hoopes Vision in the greater Salt Lake City vicinity is able to give its patients the distinct advantage of choice. To learn more about the Alcon LADARVision® laser or any of our other lasers, please contact Hoopes Vision today.

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VISX® CustomVue™ with Iris Registration

The technological advancements of the VISX® CustomVue with iris registration allow for incredibly accurate and safe laser vision correction treatments.

A common complication that corrective lasers must account for is the movement of the eye during the course of surgery. Aligning the laser with the eye is a crucial measurement, as the precision of the alignment is closely related the accuracy and effectiveness of the procedure.

With the VISX® CustomVue™ laser with iris registration, the surgeons at Hoopes Vision can measure and follow eye movement with unprecedented accuracy. With precise measurements, the laser is able to locate and track the exact area that is to be treated. The speed and accuracy with which the VISX® CustomVue™ laser performs ensures outstanding results and a decreased risk of complications.

VISX™® CustomVue™ with iris registration is yet another excellent technological option offered at Hoopes Vision. To learn more about undergoing laser vision correction at Hoopes Vision in Sandy, Utah, please contact today.

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Contact Us for Laser Vision Correction in Sandy, Utah

At Hoopes Vision, our surgeons and staff are dedicated to providing our patients with state-of-the-art technology that maximizes their chances of achieving optimal, satisfying vision results. Providing five all-laser LASIK vision correction system choices at our Salt Lake City-area practice in Sandy, Utah, Hoopes Vision has set itself apart from all other vision practices in the state as the only vision institute to offer so many all-laser LASIK options. In addition, with technologies such as the Carl Zeiss MEL 80™ Laser, the ALLEGRETTO WAVE™ IQ 400 Excimer Laser, and the IntraLase® laser, custom LASIK can be an incredibly satisfying option for our Salt Lake City, Utah area patients. To learn more about our cutting-edge technologies, please contact Hoopes Vision today.

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To learn more about custom LASIK with IntraLASE®, as well as all-laser LASIK vision correction near Salt Lake City in Sandy, Utah, please contact Hoopes Vision today.






Hoopes Vision
Vision Correction Center

10011 S. Centennial Pkwy Suite 400
Sandy, Utah 84070
877-30-LASIK

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