The Doctor, Technology, The Service You Deserve:

A Life-Changing Decision

LASIK, or Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis, is the method of using a cool gentle beam to reshape the cornea to eliminate or reduce the need for glasses or contacts. Since approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) LASIK has become the predominant Refractive Surgical procedure of choice. To date over 2 million LASIK procedures have been performed in the United States. LASIK’s popularity has grown so much that a recent report in Ophthalmology Times indicates that LASIK will soon eclipse cataract surgery as the most common surgical procedure in the United States. For many, changing their vision has literally changed their life; giving them freedom to live without glasses and experience a clear new world. So whether you are a firefighter looking to improve your job performance or an artist making sure you have the right art supplies before you start painting, Lasik can help you experience life to its fullest.

Since LASIK is such a life-altering decision, it is one that should be carefully made. For those who are considering it, selecting where to have their procedure is sometimes the hardest choice of all. With a concentration of surgeons in the Boston area, picking the right one can become confusing. Many centers purport to be “the best,” and boast of having the most experienced doctor and advanced technology. However, fancy advertisements and messaging about a particular laser center can be misleading. Decisions should be carefully made based on the qualifications of the doctor, the technology used, and the reputation of the center. LASIK is a common and very successful procedure, but the doctor performing it and the technology used can affect your outcome. When considering a particular center, make sure to find out who the doctor is that will be performing your surgery, because some centers have more than one surgeon, whom you may not even meet until the day of surgery. Ask about their qualifications, how long they have been doing surgery, and how many procedures they have done. It is best to choose a doctor who has completed at least 3,000 LASIK surgeries, since studies have shown that the complication rate diminishes with the increased numbers of surgery a doctor has performed. Also make sure to choose a surgeon who is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Fellows must pass a rigorous board certification exam and conform to a strict code of ethics. In addition, get referrals from other doctors or from patients who have had LASIK. If a doctor will not give you names of his past LASIK patients you may want to look elsewhere for a practice that has plenty of happy patients willing to give testimonials. Lastly, when considering a center and surgeon, remember to beware of advertisements for “low cost” surgery. As you know, you often get what you pay for. The potential savings are not worth the risk of receiving less than expert care with older technology.


Even after considering the surgeon, many people still question why they should choose one LASIK practice over another. In addition to the level of skill and experience of the surgeon, other factors that help differentiate between LASIK centers are the technology and level of service. Many prospective LASIK candidates are apprehensive about the procedure itself; especially the idea of someone operating on their eye. Working with a friendly and informative staff and finding out about the technology can help alleviate fear and clarify any misconceptions. First, it helps to find out if the surgery will be performed with a blade. The idea of a blade cutting into the cornea can be unnerving. If the center is offering the procedure with the Intralase blade-free laser, you may feel much more comfortable about having it done. It is important to know that not every center is offering blade-free LASIK either; many doctors still perform the traditional version of the procedure with a handheld microkeratome blade. Inquiring candidates should also ask about the doctor’s surgical complication rate. For top surgeons, the figure should be under one half of one percent.

An Easy Choice

At The Nielsen Eye Center we try to make LASIK an easy decision for you by providing an experienced doctor, the most advanced and safest technology available, and exemplary service. We call this The Nielsen Advantage: “The Doctor, The Techonology, The Service You Deserve.” The advantage of having Dr. Nielsen as your surgeon is clear: he is experienced and highly skilled and trained in the care of all areas of the eye. He is a board certified ophthalmologist who did his residency at the world renowned Doheny Institute. In practice since 1992, he has nearly 20 years of experience and even participated in the early FDA Trials for Lasik. Dr. Nielsen has completed over 25,000 surgeries and was the first surgeon in the New England region to do bi-lateral LASIK, which is now the industry standard. He is not just a LASIK surgeon; he is a Cataract, Refractive and LASIK specialist and is the most-experienced multi-focal Intraocular Lens Implantation surgeon North of New York. Dr. Nielsen is so confident with the procedure, the technology he uses, and his skill, that he has performed the surgery on his wife, adult children, brother and various other relatives.

Dr. Nielsen utilizes the most advanced technological platform available for his LASIK procedures: the Intralase Blade-free laser coupled with the Allegretto Eye-Q WaveLight Excimer laser. With wavefront principles and Pure Pulse technology, the Allegretto Eye-Q ensures safe and precise work at a high speed. Furthermore, the Allegretto WaveLight is the only laser approved by the FDA to reduce halo and glare. Dr. Nielsen can even use it to correct astigmatism during the LASIK procedure. It is the fastest Excimer laser system available in the U.S.; the faster the treatment, the less dehydration to the cornea. Treatment is usually less than 15 seconds and is always customized to each individual’s prescription and cornea. Other lasers on the market use the same treatment for each person. In addition, the Allegretto is the only laser to keep the cornea as round as possible, unlike others that flatten the cornea and contribute to higher order aberrations such as halo, glare and problems with night vision. The Allegretto Eye-Q also tracks the eyes movement 400K times per second, and if the eye moves too much the laser stops. The Nielsen Eye Center always trades up to the newest model of the laser. Other practices may keep the lasers around for 10-20 years and many still use the Visx laser, which is more likely to be affected by temperature and humidity. The Nielsen Eye Center only offers Blade-free custom Intralase LASIK; we do not have a la carte options that include purchasing traditional LASIK using the microkeratome blade at a lower price. One price covers everything: it is an “all inclusive package,” if you will, with 0% financing available. Our patients’ preoperative evaluation and testing, medication for the day of surgery, facility fees, and post operative eye exams for the next year are all covered. At The Nielsen Eye Center we stand by our results: we have never had a case of infection in over 25,000 surgeries, and as long as patients come to all of their post-operative appointments, we will do any necessary enhancements for free.

Another thing that sets The Nielsen Eye Center apart is our service. We are a full service vision center that offers everything from routine care, contact lens evaluations, special testing and treatment of diseases of the eye, and cosmetic services such as eyelid surgery and Botox. We are not just a LASIK center; we specialize in care for all areas of the eye and offer a comprehensive roster of services to provide our patients with the best overall eye care plan possible. The Nielsen Eye Center provides each and every interested LASIK candidate with the opportunity to have a FREE VIP consultation with Dr. Nielsen. These free comprehensive evaluations include a full eye exam and testing to determine whether or not you are a candidate, and a one on one meeting with Dr. Nielsen. In addition, we assign a personalized Patient Advocate to each and every one of our refractive patients to answer their questions, and assist with scheduling, financing and all the other details that are involved in preparing for a surgical procedure. We will never recommend LASIK to someone who is not an ideal candidate. Dr. Nielsen will only do LASIK on someone if he expects them to have excellent results, and if they are not medically a LASIK candidate, he will offer them the option of having an alternative procedure such as Visian ICL permanent contact lenses or a refractive lens exchange with intraocular lenses that offer different ranges of vision. The Nielsen Eye Center also offers concierge level service that includes complementary coffee, education about refractive surgery via flat screen TVs in our patient education and internet café stations, and a spa-like setting with three different waiting areas to accommodate our patients. In addition, we offer a complimentary van service for our refractive patients who need rides to and from surgery and post-operative appointments. Lastly, we will refer any LASIK candidate to our patients who have already had refractive surgery, so that if they are undecided they can call and ask questions.

The Next Step

There are many things to consider when choosing a LASIK center. Remember to carefully take into account all the factors, and do your background research when considering one center over another. The best way to really find out who is best for you is to go in for a consultation and meet the doctor. Then find out about the technology and assess whether or not the level of service meets your expectations. Make sure your evaluation is free and that you will not have to come back and pay for testing. At the Nielsen Eye Center we understand that this can be an intimidating decision-making process, so we try to make the choice to have your procedure with us easy. We believe that you deserve the very best in care, and will never settle when it comes to providing you with an experienced doctor, the best technology and the service that you deserve.

The Nielsen Eye Center was established in 1991 and has two convenient locations on the South Shore: 300 Congress Street, Quincy and 99 Derby Street, Hingham. To learn more about LASIK and The Nielsen Eye Center, or to schedule your free LASIK consultation, please visit www.golasik.com, or call: 877-373-2020.

The Nielsen Eye Center Hosts Live LASIK Seminar with Special Guest Glen Ordway of WEEI Sports Radio

This October The Nielsen Eye Center held a very special Live LASIK Seminar featuring WEEI Sport’s Radio’s Glen Ordway. Interested LASIK candidates came to The Nielsen Eye Center’s office in Quincy to meet the Doctor, view a live LASIK surgery, and talk with past LASIK patient Glen Ordway. In addition to enjoy food and tours of The Nielsen Eye Center’s state of the art facilities and surgical center, attendees received free LASIK eye screenings and won a number of raffle prizes. Dr. Nielsen also gave an informational presentation on LASIK and allowed the attendees to have a Q&A session with the Live LASIK patient, Marie, before and after her surgery. After having her LASIK procedure, which took less than 10 minutes, Marie walked out of surgery and spent about 10 minutes talking with Dr. Nielsen and the attendees about her amazing new vision!

Live LASIK Seminar’s are always free and open to the public. If you or a loved one are interested in LASIK or want to find out more about our Live LASIK Seminars at The Nielsen Eye Center call 877-373-2020, or visit us at http://www.golasik.net/.

The Nielsen Eye Center Named National Center of Excellence

The Nielsen Eye Center has been named a National Center of Excellence by Bausch & Lomb and Alcon Worldwide Laboratories. Representatives from both Bausch & Lomb and Alcon have presented Dr. Steven A. Nielsen of The Nielsen Eye Center with separate National Center of Excellence Awards for his exceptional work with multifocal intraocular lens implants for cataract patients. Multifocal lenses help cataract patients to see up close, intermediate and far away without the use of glasses.

The Nielsen Eye Center is a full service ophthalmic practice serving the Greater Boston area, specializing in LASIK, Refractive & Cataract surgery. Dr. Steven A. Nielsen is a Board Certified Ophthalmologist who completed his residency at the world renowned Doheny Eye Institute. Dr. Nielsen was involved in the original FDA LASIK trials and has since performed over 20,000 refractive surgeries. Dr. Nielsen is the most experienced multi-focal lens surgeon north of New York. The Nielsen Eye Center offers the most advanced technological available and strives to provide each and every patient with compassionate, individualized care.

To learn more about obtaining freedom from glasses for both distance and reading vision through multi-focal lenses, visit http://www.golasik.net/ or call 877-373-2020.

Do you or someone you know have diabetes? November is Diabetic Eye Disease Month so now is the time to get proactive and schedule your dilated eye exam. To learn more about diabetes and eye care please visit www.golasik.net. To find out more about Diabetic Eye Disease Month visit http://www.preventblindness.org/news/observe.html#November.

What You Should Know About Dry Eyes

Overview

Dry eyes are a common problem that many people experience. Dry eyes result from insufficient amount of tears, which provide nutrients and moisture to the eyes. These tears allow a person to achieve clear vision and they also maintain the health of the front structure of the eyes. The tear film also provides nutrients to fight off infection and wash away dirt and debris that enters the eye. The tear film consists of three layers: the top lipid layer, middle aqueous layer, and bottom mucin layer. A deficiently in any or all of these layers can cause a person to have blurred vision and dry eye symptoms.


Symptoms

Some of the typical symptoms of dry eyes are redness, burning, inflammation and watering eyes. When the eyes are not moist, the body can overcompensate and produce too many tears. Another symptom that some patients may experience is having a sensation of sand within the eye. When the tear film is abnormal, the underlying epithelium can become pitted. This pitted layer does not give the eyelid a smooth layer to blink against. So a patient feel like there is something within the eye based on this irregularity.


Causes

There are multiple causes of dry eyes. The main causes are as follows:

- Age: As we get older our eyes produce fewer tears. This is more common in females secondary to fluctuations in hormone levels and menopause.

- Environment: Air conditioning, hot air heat, dust, and dry climates can cause dry eyes.

- Smoke: Specifically, cigarette smokes dries out ones eyes.

- Medications: Anti-histamines, anti-depressants, decongestants, birth control pills and some hypertension medications can cause dryness.

- Contact lens wear: contacts can dry the eyes out by decreasing the normal wetting ability of the eyes.


Treatment

The first line of treatment for dry eyes is starting a moisturizing drop. The patient will begin administering one drop of moisturizer to each eye up to six times a day. If there is a moderate level of dryness a more viscous gel or ointment may be used before bedtime.
Dryness can also be relieved when adding an omega-3 supplement or flaxseed oil. This helps in rebuilding the lipid layer of the tear film.

If a patient does not improve with the about treatment they will be started on Restasis or have punctal plugs placed within their eyelids. Restasis is a drop that is administered twice a day. It helps the patient produce more of their natural tears and decreased inflammation. Restasis can take up to sixty days to begin working effectively. Punctal plugs come in a collagen form and a permanent silicone form. These plugs block the tears from draining off the eye. The process itself takes less then a minute an eye is done within the office.

Please contact your eye care provider to find out if you have dry eyes and what treatment will work best for you. To find out more about dry eye treatment at The Nielsen Eye Center or to schedule an appointment, please call 877-373-2020 or go to www.golasik.net.

Seasonal Allergies: what to expect and how to cope with Fall symptoms

Fall Allergies

Seasonal allergies are the most common cause for allergic conjunctivitis. During the late summer and early fall weed pollen is released into the air and carried by the wind to pollinate like plants for reproduction. These microscopic pollen particles will also make their way into our nose, eyes and throats causing allergic reactions. The most common weeds during the fall season include grasses, ragweed, sagebrush, pigweed tumbleweed and cocklebur and some trees also pollinate during the fall season as well.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms are itchy eyes, watery eyes and burning eyes. As the pollen allergens settle into the moist mucous membrane of the eye they will cause your eyes to become irritated. They will begin to itch and tear. Most patients will begin to rub their eyes unknowingly making the condition worse. The eyes then will become red and inflamed. If you are a contact wearer allergy season can become a nightmare. Most patients have to stop wearing their contacts and return to their glasses for a period of time. Hopefully your glasses have an updated prescription.

Treatments

Many suggest that when the pollen count is at its highest remain indoors with the windows closed. Avoidance would be the best solution, but not always possible. Try to keep your hands away from your eyes, instead use a cold compress for relief of itching and burning. There are many over the counter decongestant allergy drops and artificial tears that work well for some patients and are less expensive. But if your condition worsens it would be best to seek treatment from an ophthalmologist who can prescribe a prescription for an anti-inflammatory or corticosteroid drop. Your ophthalmologist can monitor your progress and keep you on your drops for a safe amount of time.

If you are a contact wearer and cannot tolerate going through another allergy season we recommend having a free consultation with Dr. Nielsen to see if you are a LASIK candidate. Just imagine better vision and a life without the hassle and irritation of contacts and glasses. Please call 1-877-373-2020 today for your free V.I.P. consultation.

UV Eye Safety

The sun is at its highest point of the year, making for longer, hotter days for us all to enjoy. This also means more exposure to UV rays which are three times more powerful than in the winter months. Luckily, thanks to years of public education campaigns since sunscreen was first introduced to the American market in the late 1960’s, many beachgoers and sun-lovers are now wearing SPF lotions to protect their skin from these dangerous rays. However, skin-protection is not enough, and people need to be aware of how important it is to protect their eyes as well.

UV rays are responsible for a bevy of sun-related medical eye issues: Photokeratitis (sunburn to the cornea), snow blindness, cataracts, macular degeneration and even eye cancer. Needless to say, consumers should be making their purchasing decisions based on the UV protection the sunglasses offer – not on fashion. However, sunglasses have become an iconic fashion accessory, symbolizing coolness in American pop culture. They come in different styles and can be seen, day and night, on bad-boy actors, fashionistas, and rap stars. Shades can make the common man look suave, but more importantly, they are intended to prevent eye damage. So here’s the big question: are people wearing the right kind of sunglasses, for the right reasons? According to the June 2010 issue of Prevention, the majority of consumers are basing their sunglass purchases on style and price, rather than on the level of UV protection. In addition, many choose darker shades thinking that they will offer better protection. Contrarily, dark lenses without the proper UV protection can be even more harmful than lighter lenses because they cause pupils to dilate and let in more light. Lenses, no matter what shade they are, get their UV protection from adding a chemical to the lens material, or applying a chemical coating to the surface of the lens. Without these special chemicals, they are basically useless – no matter how dark they are.

So what are the right kind of sunglasses to wear? When purchasing, consumers should look for sunglasses with a sticker promising at least 99% UV-A and UV-B protection. They should also choose large specs, such as the celebrity-style shades that have become popular in recent years (i.e., Paris Hilton, the Olsen Twins). When looking for the right size lens make sure the sunglasses span the brow and cheek bones and have wide temple arms (part that rests over ears and wraps side of head). These broad arms will protect from stray rays that can enter from the sides of glasses. Glasses that fit close to the face will also help deter stray light. Lastly, don’t evaluate the effectiveness of the sunglasses on price. Many lower priced sunglasses provide the same protection as expensive ones (just follow the above criteria when evaluating). Remember, with high priced sunglasses you may be paying for the label (designer name), style and frame quality, but none of this equates to protective UV ray blocking ability.

Cataract Awareness Month

August is cataract awareness month so now is an excellent time to start getting educated about this common condition which could be affecting you or a loved one. Cataracts are a leading source of decreased vision in older adults, and according to the World Health Organization, approximately one in every six Americans, age 40 or older, are affected by them.

Cataracts cause a clouding of the lens inside the eye and blurred vision. They develop with age, as the eye’s lens thickens and loses both flexibility and transparency. Cataracts are a natural part of aging, but can also occur earlier in life due to eye injuries, specific medications, and certain diseases. Surgery is the only way to treat the condition: there are no glasses, drops or medications that will cure cataracts.

The most advanced form of surgery is micro-incision cataract surgery which utilizes ultrasonic technology. During this procedure the cataract is broken up with ultrasound technology and then removed through a micro-surgical incision. It is then replaced with a permanent artificial lens implant or intraocular lens (IOL). There are different types of IOLs; including single focus and multi focus lenses (also known as premium or lifestyle IOLs). The single focus lens corrects patients’ distance vision but they will still need reading glasses to see up close. In contrast, multi-focus lenses give patients a range of vision to see near, far and in between, without the aid of glasses for most of their daily tasks.

Generally, if someone has a cataract that is restricting their vision and they are in good health, they will be an excellent candidate for micro-incision cataract surgery. A surgeon’s extensive training and experience reduces the probability of risks. At the Nielsen Eye Center, South of Boston, MA, micro-incision cataract surgery is performed by Steven A. Nielsen, MD. He is a board certified ophthalmologist who had performed over 20,000 refractive surgeries, and is the most experienced multi focus lens implanter north of New York. His cataract procedures are done on an outpatient basis and usually take about five minutes. The majority of his patients are able to drive the next day.

Call 877-373-2020 or visit http://www.golasik.net/ to find out more about cataract surgery.