LASIK eye surgery is a very popular procedure in part because it is patient-friendly in many ways. The procedure only takes about 15 minutes for both eyes, and the healing process begins immediately with little to no discomfort. Another perk is that it doesn’t take long to start seeing positive results and getting back to most of your favorite activities. Although the results of LASIK surgery are very consistent, there are still questions to be answered.

One of the most common questions is: does LASIK hurt? The short answer is no, for most people, it doesn’t. In order to explain the long answer, let us look at why LASIK eye surgery is able to deliver results with very minimal pain or discomfort.

In order to understand why LASIK causes little or no pain, it helps to understand a bit about how the procedure works. The goal of LASIK is to gently reshape the cornea, treating only very small portions of tissue by using a precise laser. Throughout the procedure in Victoria, Beeville, Cuero, Hallettsville and Port Lavaca, Dr. Boozalis will also take every step to ensure that you are comfortable.

Local Anesthetic – Before your LASIK eye surgery begins, Dr. Boozalis will use eye drops to numb the surface of your eyes. These eye drops feel just like the type that you’d normally use to lubricate dry eyes, but contain a numbing agent so that you shouldn’t feel anything, except some pressure, during your LASIK procedure.

During LASIK Surgery – During surgery, the first step is creating the flap. This may cause you to feel a pressure sensation, but it is more of an odd or uncomfortable feeling than a painful one. Your eyelids will be held open with a special tool during the procedure, and while this may feel a little strange, it is unlikely to cause any pain.

Excimer Laser – The cool beam of the excimer laser used to perform LASIK eye surgery is incredibly precise and guided by a computer which maps the structure of your eyes down to a microscopic level. During the portion of LASIK when your cornea is being reshaped, you actually shouldn’t feel any discomfort at all.

After your LASIK eye surgery is complete, you may notice slight pain, itching or discomfort as your eyes start to heal and your vision stabilizes. These symptoms are common and typically clear up quickly as your eyes go through the healing process. So while no surgery can truly claim to be completely pain-free, LASIK eye surgery is about as close as it gets – both during and after your procedure.To learn more about LASIK or to schedule your LASIK consultation in Victoria, Beeville, Cuero, Hallettsville and Port Lavaca, contact Victoria Eye Center at 800-833-0234 or website.

People who struggle with vision issues often wonder if a laser vision correction procedure such as LASIK might be a better option for them than glasses or contact lenses. For those who take the next step to consider LASIK eye surgery, frequently the first question that comes to mind is: How Safe is LASIK?

By every scientific and clinical standard, LASIK is among the safest elective procedures available today. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any risks and it isn’t necessarily right for every person. A few basic facts that many patients find comforting include:

• LASIK has been around for nearly 20 years.
• The procedure was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1999
• LASIK’s longevity and sustained popularity is due largely to its impressive record for both safety and effectiveness.
• Millions of LASIK procedures have been performed in the U.S. with very high patient satisfaction in visual outcomes. 
• The rate of complications from LASIK eye surgery is estimated to be less than 1% which makes it one of the safest elective surgical procedures available today.

LASIK is a safe and effective option for vision correction. Having concerns about the safety of the surgery and your eyesight is normal. You owe it to yourself and your vision to research the procedure thoroughly, so you fully understand the risks and benefits. 

In addition to independently researching the procedure using credible sources for information, having a thorough evaluation and a thoughtful conversation with Dr. Boozalis in Victoria, Beeville, Cuero, Hallettsville and Port Lavaca is the best way to find out if LASIK is right for you. Contact Victoria Eye Center at 800-833-0234 or website to schedule a LASIK consultation today.

A cataract is the clouding of the eye’s natural lens. As this normally clear lens gets cloudy, it decreases your ability to see well. A cataract can make objects appear blurry. It can also make colors seem less bright. When a cataract first develops, visual aids like contacts or glasses may help improve your vision. However once the cataract begins to interfere with daily tasks such as reading and driving, cataract surgery is the only viable treatment option.

Cataract surgery is a relatively straightforward outpatient procedure performed under local anesthetic, which means you’ll be awake during the procedure and can go home on the same day. During cataract surgery in Victoria, Beeville, Cuero, Hallettsville and Port Lavaca, Dr. Boozalis will make a tiny incision in your eye so that the cloudy lens can be removed. After it’s been removed, it is replaced with a small plastic lens called an intraocular lens.

If you have cataracts in both eyes, you will need two separate surgeries performed a few weeks apart. This gives the first eye time to heal and time for your vision to be restored. 

There are two main types of cataract surgery and the timeframe of the procedure depends on which surgery you have. 

Phaco Surgery: With phacoemulsification, the most common type of cataract surgery performed in the U.S., the procedure can take as little as 10 minutes.

ECCE Surgery: The extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) can take longer than phacoemulsification; ECCE usually takes 30 to 45 minutes to complete.

Recovery Time: If there were no complications with the surgery, the patient will remain in recovery for a short amount of time, often 20 to 30 minutes, and then will be able to go home. 

Cataract surgery is one of the safest and most commonly performed procedures and has helped restore clear vision to thousands of patients. To learn more, contact Victoria Eye Center at 800-833-0234 or website to schedule an appointment.

Following LASIK surgery, it’s important to understand that your eyes are in a recovery process and you need to take special care to ensure they heal properly. Since your eyes are still healing, they will be especially sensitive in the first 24 hours after the LASIK procedure. Because of this, it’s recommended to wait at least 24 hours before watching TV.

Watching TV immediately after the procedure can cause your eyes to strain, and that may negatively affect the healing process. Keeping eyes away from the screen will prevent them from straining, getting tired and drying out. After the first 24 hours, your eyes should be strong enough to handle a little screen time.

Even after the first 24 hours following LASIK, you should take it easy when watching TV. You are still recovering, so it’s a good idea to avoid binge-watching an entire series. Instead, try watching an episode or two throughout the day and monitor how your eyes feel. If you’re noticing any discomfort or straining, take a break and allow your eyes to rest.

You can also follow the 20-20-20 rule. This rule states that for every 20 minutes of screen time, you should look at something that’s about 20 feet away for about 20 seconds. This helps prevent straining and ensures proper healing after your LASIK surgery.

It’s also important to keep your eyes moisturized and lubricated as you heal from LASIK. When you stare at a screen for a prolonged period of time, your eyes don’t blink as often as they should. Because of this, your eyes can strain, get irritated, and dry out. Blinking frequently and using moisturizing eyedrops can help keep your eyes moisturized.

If you decide to watch TV after LASIK, make sure you consider the tips above. To learn more about what you can and can’t do while your eyes heal after LASIK, contact Victoria Eye Center at 800-833-0234 or website.

If you are struggling with vision problems because of a refractive error, LASIK surgery may be the right tool to improve your eyesight. By correcting nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, LASIK can truly change your life.

Some reasons why you may consider LASIK surgery are:

Convenience – One of the most positive reasons to have LASIK is the convenience of life without glasses and contact lenses. Imagine waking up in the morning and being able to read the clock without first searching for glasses or putting contacts in. 

Comfort – Glasses and contact lenses cause many people to experience regular discomfort and sometimes even pain. Contacts can dry out the eyes and cause irritation; ill-fitting glasses can cause pain on the bridge of the nose. LASIK reduces and often eliminates many of these discomforts, so you can feel better in your daily life.

To Further Your Career – People in certain careers, such as first responders or members of our military, require excellent vision and candidates that wear glasses or contact lenses may be turned away. By improving vision, LASIK can help people pursue their occupational dreams and enjoy professional success.

To Save Money – Although the one-time cost of laser vision correction is much higher than a box of contact lenses or a pair of eyeglasses, once you add up the amount of money you spend in just a few years on glasses, frames, contact lenses, solution and routine eye exams, you will realize that LASIK pays for itself over time. As an added benefit, you can use tax-free funds from a flexible spending account or health savings account to pay for all or part of the LASIK cost.

To learn more about why you should have LASIK or to find out if LASIK is right for your vision needs, contact Victoria Eye Center at 800-833-0234 or website to schedule a consultation with Dr. Boozalis.

Cataracts occur when changes in the lens of the eye cause it to become less transparent, resulting in cloudy or blurry vision. 

Cataracts interfere with the passage of light through the lens of the eye. The lens is a crystalline structure that sits just behind the pupil – the black circle in the center of the eye through which light enters. Incoming light is focused by the cornea and the lens on the retina, a layer of light-sensitive cells at the back of the eye which creates an electrical impulse of the image which is transmitted to the brain, enabling us to see.

Cataracts most often start to develop in a person’s lens as they get older. Over time, cataracts become worse and start to interfere with vision. Important skills can be affected, such as driving, therefore loss of vision can affect the overall quality of life in many ways including reading, working, hobbies and sports. If left untreated, cataracts will eventually cause total blindness.

The good news is that cataracts can be easily treated. The primary treatment for cataracts is surgery to remove and replace the cloudy lens. Cataract surgery is a simple procedure that typically takes just about 15 minutes to complete. 

You should consider having your cataracts removed before they significantly affect your vision. If you wait too long, your cataracts can become hyper-mature which makes them more difficult to remove and can cause surgery complications. In general, the best outcomes for cataract surgery take place when surgery is performed soon after visual disturbances develop. The best way to decide how and when to treat your cataracts is to discuss your options with your eye doctor. During an examination in Victoria, Beeville, Cuero, Hallettsville and Port Lavaca, Dr. Boozalis will discuss treatment options with you based on your individual needs. To schedule an appointment at Victoria Eye Center, contact us today by calling 800-833-0234 or visiting website.

LASIK surgeons are eye doctors who are ophthalmologists. When it comes to eye care, the most trained and skilled professionals in the field are ophthalmologists. An ophthalmologist is a physician, either a doctor of medicine (MD) or doctor of osteopathy (DO), who specializes in the medical and surgical care of the eyes and visual system and in the prevention of eye disease and injury. 

Ophthalmologists complete four or more years of college premedical education, four or more years of medical school, one year of internship, and three or more years of specialized medical, surgical and refractive training in eye care. This education and training allows them to handle everything from simple medical exams to advanced surgical needs. Ophthalmologists can handle basic eye care situations including eye exams, providing prescriptions for eye wear and diagnosis and testing for visual disorders. They can perform surgeries such as cataract extraction, lens replacement, cornea reshaping, transplants and retinal detachment repair among others. Their medical knowledge of the entire body gives them additional skills in diagnosis and treatment of conditions that originate in another place in  your body, but affect vision.

Ophthalmologists are qualified to treat patients of all ages and a wide range of conditions, but some will specialize in one or more areas that allow them to focus their work in certain environments. If an ophthalmologist chooses to specialize in a specific area of medical or surgical eye care, this person is called a subspecialist. A subspecialist usually completes one or two years of additional, more in-depth training called a fellowship. This added training and knowledge prepares an ophthalmologist to take care of more complex or specific conditions in certain areas of the eye or in certain groups of patients. 

To learn more about the training and ability of an ophthalmologist or how you can benefit from vision care by such a qualified eye doctor, contact Victoria Eye Center today at 800-833-0234 or website.

With the average cost of LASIK being more than $2,000 per eye in the U.S. and the procedure not being covered by most insurance plans, you might feel that laser vision correction is beyond your financial means. Thankfully, there are a number of LASIK financing options available to make LASIK affordable for people who cannot pay the full price of the procedure up front. Monthly payments for LASIK surgery using a financing plan can be less than $200 per month.

Paying for LASIK Through Finance Companies

Today it’s commonplace to arrange monthly payments for a variety of health-related procedures, including LASIK!

First you should make sure the LASIK surgeon you plan to use approves of the financing company. Because not all LASIK surgeons will work with all financing companies, confirm with your surgeon before you apply for a loan.

Companies that provide LASIK financing offer a range of plans in which you can complete payments within three months, or extend monthly payments for as long as five years. Some companies allow you to spread out payments over time without incurring any extra cost.

Some short-term payment plans charge no interest at all. For longer term payments, interest rates can vary greatly and range as high as 22.99%. A deposit also may be required. Interest rates and deposits depend on personal credit ratings and the LASIK financing company used.

How to Apply for LASIK Financing

Applying for credit from a LASIK financing company usually is quick, easy and similar to obtaining other traditional loans. Many LASIK surgeons offer LASIK financing directly through major companies, making the process simple for you.

How much does LASIK cost?We want to help all our patients experience a life free from the hassle of glasses and contacts. During your free LASIK consultation in Victoria, Beeville, Cuero, Hallettsville or Port Lavaca, Dr. Boozalis will perform a series of vision tests and ask you questions about your vision and lifestyle in order to provide you with a customized treatment plan and price to best correct your unique vision correction needs. To learn more about LASIK financing or schedule your consultation, contact Victoria Eye Center at 800-833-0234 or website.

A cataract is a painless, cloudy area in the lens of the eye. The lens is enclosed in a lining called the lens capsule. During cataract surgery in Victoria, Beeville, Cuero, Hallettsville or Port Lavaca, Dr. Boozalis separates the cataract from the lens capsule. In most cases, the lens is replaced with an intraocular lens implant (IOL). In most instances, with certain limitations, cataract surgery costs are covered under both private insurance plans and Medicare.

Private Insurance 

Private insurance for cataract surgery is usually quite comprehensive but also quite variable. In most instances, private insurances cover a portion, if not all, of the Cataract Surgeon Fee, the Facility Fee, the cost of a Monofocal Lens Implant and the necessary follow up care after your Cataract Surgery. Private insurances vary in the deductible that they may require, the co-pay you might be responsible for and the percentage of each allowable expense that they might reimburse.

Medicare Insurance

Medicare for cataract surgery is also quite comprehensive. Medicare generally covers a portion of the Cataract Surgeon Fee, the Facility Fee, the cost of a Monofocal Lens Implant and the necessary follow up care after your cataract surgery. It is likely that you will be responsible for a co-pay or a deductible for the pre-surgery office examination, consultation and measurements for your cataract surgery. If you need a pre-surgery physical with your medical doctor, you may also be responsible for that physician’s co-pay as well. In addition, if you require anesthesia, while your insurance will cover the allowable anesthesia expense, you may be responsible for the anesthesia co-pay and/or deductible.

It is important to note that insurance may not cover the cost of advanced technology lens implants. The amount of coverage, deductibles and any co-pays are uniquely individual to each patient’s specific health insurance policy. 

To find out if your insurance plan will cover the cost of cataract surgery in Victoria, beeville, Cuero, Hallettsville or Port Lavaca, contact Victoria Eye Center at 800-833-0234 or website.

LASIK is a popular and advanced treatment for improving vision. LASIK is used to treat refractive errors of the eye. In most cases, these errors happen because the shape of the eye isn’t quite right and, as a result, light doesn’t focus on the retina the way it should. In some cases, refractive errors are corrected with eyeglasses or contacts, but LASIK provides a long-term solution that often results in clearer vision. Common refractive errors include:

• Hyperopia: Hyperopia is commonly referred to as farsightedness. People with this condition may have trouble clearly focusing on nearby objects while they can see things that are far away quite clearly. In this case, light focuses behind the retina instead of on the retina.
• Myopia: Myopia is also known as nearsightedness. In this case, people can usually see nearby objects clearly, but far away objects are blurry or hard to focus on. In this situation, light is being focused in front of the retina.
• Astigmatism: If someone has an astigmatism, the shape of the cornea prevents light from focusing evenly on the retina. Objects at various distances may appear blurry or distorted.

There are multiple types of LASIK available. Some patients will be best suited for traditional LASIK while others may be a candidate for Custom LASIK. Custom LASIK, also called wavefront-guided LASIK, is one of the most advanced and successful treatments available for refractive errors. This type of treatment provides more detailed information and can be used to treat a wide range of pupil diameters. At Victoria Eye Center in Victoria, beeville, Cuero, Hallettsville or Port Lavaca , Dr. Boozalis provides custom LASIK treatment that is suited to your vision and your health.

If you’re looking for a way to improve your eyesight and make your day-to-day tasks a bit easier, LASIK may be a good solution. Contact Victoria Eye Center at 800-833-0234 or website to schedule an appointment and learn more about your options.