Top Doctors: Laser surgery - the eyes have it
There's no one-size-fits-all in laser eye surgery.
"Ophthalmologists use different lasers of different wavelengths to treat different problems," explained Dr. Philip Ferrone, attending physician and a retinal specialist in the Great Neck office of Long Island Vitreoretinal Consultants.
A laser is a concentrated beam of light that can be used to treat eye diseases and improve vision problems. Some lasers cut or sculpt tissue like a knife, and others produce heat to seal blood vessels, destroy abnormal tissue, repair torn tissue or create an opening in the eye, according to EyeCare America, a public service foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
TYPES OF LASERS AND SURGERY
Lasers have significantly advanced many eye surgeries, but most people know very little about the various lasers that ophthalmologists use or the procedures they perform, Ferrone said.
Red, yellow and blue-green lasers are thermal lasers that convert light into heat. An argon laser, which emits a blue-green light, is one type of laser used to treat open-angle glaucoma, a potentially blinding condition. The laser creates an opening to drain excess fluid from the eye, relieving eye pressure.
Either a blue-green (argon) or yellow (krypton) laser may be used to repair a torn or detached retina, Ferrone said.
After cataract surgery, some people develop cloudiness in the eye tissue behind the lens. When that occurs, a YAG, or yttrium aluminum garnet, laser may be used to make a tiny hole in the tissue to allow light to pass into the eye, according to the U.S. National Eye Institute.
An excimer laser emits pulses of ultraviolet light, allowing the surgeon to reshape the cornea. Two popular vision-correction procedures - photorefractive keratectomy, known as PRK, and laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis, or LASIK - use excimer lasers to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.
BENEFITS AND RISKS
Laser eye surgery has several advantages. For one, laser light does not cause infection, according to EyeCare America. Laser surgery can be done in an outpatient setting, speeding the return home. And lasers give the surgeon great precision and control, it says.
The two-step LASIK procedure traditionally involves making a flap in the cornea with a blade device and then using a laser to vaporize tiny amounts of corneal tissue. At North Shore Eye Care in Smithtown, both steps are performed using lasers, and that has resulted in improved precision and fewer complications, said Dr. Jeffrey Martin, managing partner of the practice.
Not that there aren't risks. Martin, an assistant clinical professor of ophthalmology at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, cautions patients that they might have dry eyes for a short time after LASIK surgery. There's also a small possibility that the procedure will not produce the desired results, requiring retreatment at some future date, he said.
In addition, some people are not good candidates for certain types of laser procedures. People with eye diseases or thin corneas, for example, should not have LASIK, Martin noted.
CURRENT THINKING
"The hottest thing now is called a femtosecond laser, which gives a very controlled cut for corneal surgery and for some cataract surgery," Ferrone said.
This type of laser generates light pulses at the speed of one-quadrillionth of a second, allowing for greater accuracy.
The first such laser, for use in LASIK, cleared the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2001. In August 2009, another manufacturer received clearance for the first femtosecond laser for use in cataract surgery.
Ophthalmologists at North Shore Eye Care use a procedure that combines two laser treatments: a femtosecond laser to create a thin flap in the cornea and an excimer laser to perform LASIK vision correction.
THE LONG ISLAND SCENE
The American Academy of Ophthalmology has an online tool to help you find a local doctor who specializes in eye and vision care. Go to aao.org and click on "Find an Eye M.D."
For more detail on eye conditions and treatments, check the website of the National Eye Institute (www.nei.nih.gov).
Who's who
This is the 23rd installment of a 26-week series in which Newsday presents Castle Connolly's list of top L.I. doctors. Today: ophthalmologists
Dr. Philip Aries
375 E. Main St.
631-665-1330
Dr. Stanley Berke
360 Merrick Rd.
516-593-7709
Dr. Stanley Bogaty
251 E. Oakland Ave.
631-473-5329
Dr. Vivien Boniuk
600 Northern Blvd.
Great Neck
516-470-2020
Dr. Robert Broderick
585 Plandome Rd.
516-627-3232
Dr. Jack Cook
305 Hillside Ave.
516-747-4011
Dr. Alfred Cossari
311 Barnum Ave.
631-928-6400
Dr. Gerard D'Aversa
65 Roosevelt Ave.
516-374-4199
Dr. Frank Di Leo
365 County Rd. 39A
631-283-3677
Dr. Fadi Elbaba
33 Research Way
631-444-4090
Dr. David Fastenberg
600 Northern Blvd.
Great Neck
516-466-0390
Dr. Philip Ferrone
600 Northern Blvd.
Great Neck
516-466-0390
Dr. Perry Garber
800 Community Dr.
516-627-6630
Dr. Anthony Girardi
8 Medical Plaza, Bldg. 8
516-676-4596
Dr. Leslie Goldberg
2110 Northern Blvd.
516-627-5113
Dr. Alexander Hatsis
2 Lincoln Ave.
516-763-4106
Dr. William Kasper
520 Franklin Ave.
516-742-3937
Dr. Alan Marks
2110 Northern Blvd.
516-627-5113
Dr. Jeffrey Martin
260 Middle Country Rd.
631-265-8780
Dr. Peter Michalos
365 County Road 39-A, Ste. 14
631-283-8604
Dr. Robert Morris
222 E. Main St.
631-724-4488
Dr. Richard Nattis
150 East Sunrise Hwy.
631-957-3355
Dr. David Nelson
2000 N. Village Ave.
516-766-2519
Dr. Grace O'Malley
186 Old Towne Rd.
631-283-3533
Dr. Samuel Packer
600 Northern Blvd.
Great Neck
516-465-8400
Dr. Henry Perry
2000 N. Village Ave.
516-766-2519
Dr. Louis Pizzarello
137 Hampton Rd.
631-283-5152
Dr. Arnold Prywes
4212 Hempstead Tpke.
Bethpage, 516-731-4800
Dr. John Romanelli
222 E. Main St.
631-724-4488
Dr. Kenneth Rosenthal
310 E. Shore Rd.
Great Neck
516-466-8989
Dr. Charles Rothberg
331 East Main St.
631-758-5300
Dr. Laurence Rubin
4277 Hempstead Tpke.
516-796-4030
Dr. Steven Rubin
600 Northern Blvd.
Great Neck
516-465-8444
Dr. Gideon Schneck
2500 Rt. 347 17B
631-246-9140
Dr. Patrick Sibony
Stony Brook Ophthalmology
33 Research Way
631-444-4090
Dr. Gerald Stoller
251 E. Oakland Ave.
631-473-5329
Dr. Richard Sturm
360 Merrick Rd., Fl. 3
516-593-7709
Dr. Paul Svitra
3003 New Hyde Park Rd.
516-327-0505
Dr. Ira Udell
LI Jewish Med. Ctr.
Dept. Ophthalmology
600 Northern Blvd.
Great Neck
516-470-2020
Dr. Pamela Weber
1500 William Floyd Pkwy.
631-924-4300
Dr. Joseph Weinstein
Eye Care Assoc.
4212 Hempstead Tpke.
516-731-4800
Dr. Lawrence Zweibel
260 Middle Country Rd.
Smithtown
631-265-8780
How they were picked
Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. is a health care research and information company founded in 1991 by a former medical college board chairman and president to help guide consumers to America's top doctors and hospitals. Castle Connolly's established survey and research process, under the direction of a doctor, involves tens of thousands of doctors and the medical leadership of leading hospitals.
Castle Connolly's team of researchers follows a rigorous screening process to select doctors on national and regional levels. Using mail and telephone surveys, and electronic ballots, they ask physicians and the leadership of top hospitals to identify exceptional doctors. Careful screening of doctors' educational and professional experience is essential to the committee. Newsday is not part of the selection process.
Doctors do not and cannot pay to be selected and profiled as Castle Connolly Top Doctors.
To see the whole list . . .
Who else is on the list of Top Doctors? More than 6,000 listings are in the New York Metro Area edition of "Top Doctors," published by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. The soft-cover list price is $34.95. For more information, go to castleconnolly.com, or call 800-399-DOCS.
Gilgo-related search expands ... Father faces child abuse charges ... Islip school threat ... Back to the future at these LI businesses
Gilgo-related search expands ... Father faces child abuse charges ... Islip school threat ... Back to the future at these LI businesses
