The Evolution of Comprehensive Refractive Surgery

November 26th, 2008

Since the boom of LASIK eye surgery into the main stream market some 17 years ago, many consumers have experienced the freedom of seeing without eyeglasses.  As popular as this procedure has been, approximately 20% of people who wear glasses cannot improve their eyesight with LASIK.  Dr. Daniel Goldberg of the Atlantic Laser Vision Center is pleased to educate consumers who have been turned down for LASIK that seeing without eyeglasses is possible.

The evolution of comprehensive refractive surgery is opening new doors to those who were once told that better vision through LASIK surgery was not an option for them.  A comprehensive refractive surgeon can perform all aspects of vision correction including cornea remodeling and cataract surgery.  These procedures may help provide relief and enhanced vision under circumstances when LASIK cannot.

A Comprehensive Refractive Surgeon has skilled expertise in advanced Cataract and Corneal surgery and can offer alternative solutions for vision correction when LASIK has been ruled out.  Vision correction through refractive surgery can be achieved through:

• Laser Vision Correction
• Refractive Cataract Surgery
• Implantable Contact Lens (Visian ICL)
• Multifocal and Accommodating IOLs (ReStor and Crystalens)
• Monovision with IOLs or Laser Vision Correction
• Advanced Astigmatism Options (Toric IOLs and Corneal Relaxing Incisions)
• INTACS for Keratoconus

Consumers considering vision correction through surgery should consult with a comprehensive refractive surgeon who is skilled in the broad spectrum of refractive surgery.  There are many options available for individuals with thin corneas, cataracts and severe astigmatism.  A comprehensive refractive surgeon can help decide which procedure is best.

New Jersey residents who are not candidates for LASIK vision correction are encouraged to visit the office of Dr. Daniel Goldberg, a Comprehensive Refractive Surgeon who is also is one of the top corneal and cataract surgeons in New Jersey. 

Dr. Daniel Goldberg specializes in comprehensive refractive surgery including LASIK eye surgery and refractive intraocular lens and cataract surgery.  As a member of the elite team of doctors who performed clinical trials of LASIK in its early stages, Dr Goldberg was named by other eye physicians as one of the best doctors in America.  His initial research and findings led to the FDA approval of LASIK. Dr Goldberg has 25 years of experience in refractive surgery and has performed over 10,000 LASIK surgery procedures.  He recently became the first New Jersey eye surgeon to use the implantable contact lens (ICL) – a new technology to correct nearsightedness in individuals with extremely high prescriptions.

Top Reasons to Choose The Atlantic Laser Vision Center in NJ

October 3rd, 2008

When it comes to your eyes and laser eye surgery, you want to feel confident and safe that your vision is resting in the hands of an expertly trained and highly seasoned LASIK eye surgeon. Wouldn’t you feel better knowing your surgeon is named by other eye physicians as one of the best doctors in America, and recognized as one of the best doctors in New Jersey by NJ Monthly and the NY Metro area? How confident would you be if your LASIK surgeon was an original member of the elite team of doctors who were called upon to perform initial research and clinical trials of LASIK in its early stages. The same research that prompted the FDA to grant approval of LASIK. If you agree that choosing a LASIK surgeon would be made easier if that LASIK surgeon met the criteria above, welcome to reason #1 to choose Dr. Daniel Goldberg of the Atlantic Laser Vision Center.

Reason #1: Dr. Daniel Goldberg

Dr. Daniel B Goldberg is a comprehensive refractive surgeon – both a pioneer of LASIK surgery in the U.S. and an accomplished corneal and cataract surgeon. Dr. Daniel Goldberg is one of less than 10 LASIK eye surgeons to hold a rare dual certification from both the Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance (CRSQA) and the ABES (American Board of Eye Surgeons).

Reason #2: Practice Makes Perfect

When it comes to perfection, no one scores higher then Dr. Goldberg. With over 30 years of experience and more than 10,000 LASIK eye surgery procedures performed, Dr. Goldberg is setting the standard for expertise in LASIK eye surgery in the US. He feels that surgical certification of actual surgical results and not just knowledge is vital to a patient’s safety and quality of results. Although it is not mandatory, Dr. Goldberg voluntarily validates the results of his surgeries through ABES and CRSQA as part of a service to his patients to demonstrate his expertise and commitment to safety in laser eye surgery.

Reason #3: The Most Advanced Technology

The Atlantic Laser Vision Center in Little Silver is committed to providing the best environment and the best technology for laser vision correction. The center continues to upgrade its lasers to provide the latest technologies and the best results. The Atlantic Laser Vision Center is the first in New Jersey, and one of the first in the US, to combine the Intralase femtosecond all-laser, no-blade flap with the VISX customized excimer laser platform. The center also uses the WaveScan Wavefront analyzer. The WaveScan is estimated to be 25X more accurate than measurements with lenses used in eyeglasses and contact lenses. All of these technology advances result in safer, more accurate laser vision correction results for patients at the Atlantic Laser Center in Little Silver.

Reason #4: You’re In Good Company

The staff at the Atlantic Laser Vision Center is there for one reason only; YOU! Our professional and caring staff members are here to assist you in any way possible. You won’t find abrupt or discourteous staff members here. Our staff’s time is dedicated to ensuring you receive the best treatment and have the most enjoyable experience possible. Our time is devoted to you.

Reason #5: The Facility

Your comfort and satisfaction is our top priority. You can be sure that you are walking into a clean, comfortable and informative environment. To that end, we spare no expense in staff, equipment, or physical plant. We have two spacious waiting rooms for you and your family. Family members can watch the procedure exactly as the doctor sees it with powerful direct link technology equipped especially for them. It brings solace to those waiting for your procedure to be completed. This is just one of the many special touches we have added with your comfort in mind.

About Dr. Goldberg

Dr. Daniel B Goldberg is a comprehensive refractive surgeon – both a pioneer of LASIK surgery in the U.S. and an accomplished corneal and cataract surgeon. Dr. Goldberg specializes in comprehensive refractive surgery including LASIK eye surgery and refractive intraocular lens and cataract surgery. Based in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Dr. Goldberg has performed LASIK on patients worldwide and was a member of the elite team of doctors who performed clinical trials of LASIK in its early stages.

Research From NJ LASIK Surgeon Leads to FDA Approval

September 7th, 2008

Earlier this year, the FDA approved Mono-vision LASIK with the VISX CustomVueExcimer Laser.  Mono-vision is a strategy to correct presbyopia without having to wear reading glasses.  Presbyopia is the aging process which reduces accommodation (adjusting the focusing power of the eye for near vision and reading).   The approval confirmed what New Jersey LASIK Surgeon, Dr. Daniel Goldberg, has known for years.

As we age, our ability to change focus for near vision diminishes because the crystalline lens inside the eye becomes less flexible.  If the eye is nearsighted it may still be possible to read without glasses as we get older, but if the eye is not nearsighted or if vision is corrected for distance with glasses, contact lenses or LASIK, then we generally begin to need reading glasses after 40 years of age.

Eyeglasses, bifocals or progressive lenses provide clear focus for both near and distance vision.   With contact lenses there are several options for reading including bifocal contact lenses or mono-vision fitting of contact lenses.  Mono-vision is a strategy to correct both distance and near vision without wearing glasses, and it can be achieved with contact lenses or with Laser Vision Correction such as LASIK . 

With mono-vision, the dominant eye is generally corrected for distance vision and the non-dominant eye is corrected for near vision creating 2 eyes with different focus.

Despite nearly 40 years of experience with contact lens mono-vision, Dr. Goldberg recalls that in the 1990’s “when refractive surgery evolved with excimer laser vision correction, such as LASIK, into a safe and accurate surgical alternative to glasses or contact lenses, there was great skepticism about mono-vision amongst both eye surgeons and patients.”  This is because mono-vision breaks our concept of binocular vision with both eyes having similar focusing power.  Patients wondered if mono-vision would cause headaches and dizziness, and eye surgeons doubted the success and viability of surgical mono-vision.

Daniel B Goldberg MD at the Atlantic Laser Vision Center in Little Silver New Jersey was one of the pioneers in New Jersey laser vision correction, and developed a successful practice in refractive eye surgery in the 1990’s.  As he recalls: “Most of the research in refractive surgery at that time related to the development of the laser technology. Prior to my clinical research on mono-vision there were very few reports on surgical mono-vision and no reports on LASIK mono-vision at all.” 

In Dr. Goldberg’s practice, the patients over 40 years of age were seeking answers about correcting their reading vision without glasses.  In his practice, up to 50% of the patients over 40 chose mono-vision and the level of success and satisfaction was even higher that patients with contact lens mono-vision.

In 2000, at the ASCRS(American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons) national meeting, the first large scale study of LASIK mono-vision was presented by Goldberg and the published paper appeared in 2001 in the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.  Further research by Goldberg resulted in another large study of LASIK mono-vision which was published in 2003—this work compared results in far-sighted eyes as well as near-sighted eyes.  Based on this research, Goldberg made presentations at national meetings on “Succeeding with LASIK Mono-vision” and taught courses at the ASCRS meetings on “Surgical correction of Presbyopia.”

Since 2003, there have been several additional studies by other experts on LASIK mono-vision which have confirmed the success previously reported by Goldberg.  Several months ago, the FDA approved the use of the VISX CustomVueExcimer Laser for LASIK mono-vision.  The VISX CustomVueexcimer laser is part of the advanced iLASIK surgical platform distributed by American Medical Optics, and CustomVueMono-vision is part of the iLASIK program.  NASA and the US Navy and Air Force have recently chosen this technology for LASIK on their pilots.  The Atlantic Laser Vision Center in Little Silver New Jersey is one of several centers in New Jersey offering iLASIK.

In April, at the inaugural training sesseion for CustomVueMonovison in Chicago, Goldberg was honored to be recognized for helping to set the stage for the FDA approval of LASIK mono-vision.  Goldberg feels that it was an opportunity of a lifetime to make a substantial contribution to his field:  “It is gratifying to see that LASIK mono-vision is now an accepted option for the surgical correction of presbyopia, and the FDA approval will enable more of our patients to safely enjoy greater freedom from glasses.”