Meet the Machines

Yes, it’s true. We have a lot of machines. That’s because we believe that some things call for perfectionism, and one of those things is a person’s vision. If you want to know why we have invested in the exceptional state-of-the art machinery that we have, just take a look around. Take a look at the faces of your loved ones, the sunrise over the desert, the migrating flocks of birds overhead. We have invested in the most advanced equipment because we believe that your vision isn’t something that you skimp on. You deserve the best, and we’re determined to give it to you.
Want to meet our machines? We’re happy to introduce them to you . . .

Autorefractor

We use this one to get an efficient, close approximation of your current refractive error. A beam of infrared light and a sophisticated computer are used to measure and evaluate the amount and type of defocus in the eye while you look at an image. Simple, non-invasive, and safe.

Phoropter

Cycloplegic Refraction. We can get an even better measure of your refractive error when we dilate your eyes with drops and use a phoropter. When we do this, your eye’s focusing mechanism is temporarily relaxed, so it can’t give us false info as it “tries harder” to focus.

Manifest Refraction. This is the test most people who have had their eyes checked are familiar with. A technician swaps out different lenses and asks you which is “better.” The phoropter allows the patient to give us input as to what looks clearer to him or her. When it comes to giving you clear vision, this feedback is just as valuable as what the computer can tell us.

Lensmeter

We need to know the prescription of your glasses, and the computerized lensmeter helps us do that. It measures the spherical power or cylindrical power of the lenses as well as the amount of reading power built into bifocals or progressive lenses.

Pentacam 3D Corneal Mapping

If you are going to use lasers to reshape the cornea, having a 3D map of the structure allows for much more precision than previous technology could offer. The Pentacam is a giant leap forward, giving our surgeons more data points on the corneal map as well as allowing them to measure the cornea’s curvature more accurately.

The “Puff of Air” Test

We don’t do this one, but we put it on the list because so many patients ask about it. Technically known as “non-contact tonometry,” the test was used to measure intraocular pressure. We can get that information now from other tests that do not require us to blow air in your eye.

Retina / Optic Nerve Photography

A fundus camera is used to take high resolution photos of the retina itself– the tissue inside the eye that converts what the eye sees to images the brain can understand. With these images we can see if there are any problems with your retina or optic nerve, and it’s just plain cool to see inside your own head.

Scheimpflug Imaging

With this camera we can produce cross-sectional images of the cornea and the lens inside the eye. These pictures of the lens can help us measure the density and effects of a cataract.

3D Ocular Coherence Tomography

This one is really hard core. Known by the acronym OCT, this imaging allows us to examine the retina microscopic layer by microscopic layer and to build 3D models of the retina itself. Before this technology was available, we could only ever see the retina as one whole structure, but that’s not how it is designed at a cellular level. With OCT, we are now able to very accurately diagnose subtle changes in the retina and analyze nerve fibers in the optic nerve, which are key to helping us follow and treat eye diseases such as glaucoma.

Lasers

Femtosecond Laser

Here at Center For Sight we use “bladeless LASIK,” meaning the blade used in traditional LASIK is replaced by the femtosecond laser. This laser has been proven superior to the microkeratome blade still used in 50% of LASIK surgeries in the U.S. In addition, we use the Intralase FS60, which is 400 percent faster than the original.

Excimer Laser

We use the newest and fastest laser for our LASIK surgery, the 400 Hz Wavelight Allegretto. It is 20 to 65 times faster than its closest competitor, which translates to shorter procedure time and less drying of the cornea. We also like it because it provides better vision to a wider range of LASIK patients and retains the natural 3D curvature of the cornea.

LenSx® Femtosecond Laser

This laser is used during cataract surgery. The LenSx® Laser uses pulses to create incisions in the lens capsule, lens, and cornea. It is dead on in accuracy and includes the capability for astigmatism correction during cataract removal.