PHOTOS BY CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Beatrix Kamakahi underwent the LADARVision procedure last week.
The patient couldn't have been more thrilled: "The letters, the colors, it's so clear. Everything is so green," said Beatrix Kamakahi. Laser surgery
is eye-openerA woman who had the
procedure says it’s better
than using contacts or glassesBy Helen Altonn
haltonn@starbulletin.com"When I go, like at Kmart right now, I can see everything so clear, even better than glasses or contacts."
The 37-year-old mother of three had laser eye surgery Aug. 6 with the LADARVision system at the Queen's Medical Center's Laser Eye Center.
Developed by NASA to track satellites and missiles, the laser radar tracker locks onto the eye and tells the laser where the eye will be every second.
The tracker follows the eye's movements 4,000 times per second -- 30 times faster than any other laser vision correction system, says Dr. Jon Portis, Queen's ophthalmologist.
"It checks the position of the eye, and there's a feedback loop that adjusts the laser beam position before the laser actually fires. ... The results we are getting are fantastic."
The Food and Drug Administration has approved LADARVision for nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and mixed astigmatism. However, it may not be suitable for everyone.
Queen's was the first to bring the technology to Hawaii last October, and, as a community hospital, it is available to physicians on staff to treat their patients, Portis said.
Tripler Army Medical Center and two private clinics, Aloha Laser Vision and Pan Pacific Laser Vision Center, also acquired the state-of-the-art system soon after Queen's.
"We've been superhappy with the technology because it offers such accurate tracking," said Dr. Alan Faulkner at Aloha Laser Vision. "It's the only laser that will track involuntary rapid eye movements."
Also, he said, "Studies show that LADARVision does the smoothest ablation (removal of corneal tissue) of all the lasers" because it is a small-beam laser.
"The analogy the company uses is that it's like a painter using a small brush vs. a large brush. You can do much finer detail with a smaller brush," Faulkner said.
The small beam gradually reshapes the cornea, moving randomly all over it, he said, explaining it allows a treated spot to relax and return to normal before it treats next to it. "It is more accurate and smoother."
Kamakahi of Kapolei said she wanted laser eye surgery "for convenience" so she could shed contacts and glasses.
Unaided, she could barely see the big E on the eye chart before the surgery, Portis said. The day after it was done, her vision was 20-20.
Portis said all LASIK systems are good, but other lasers are not fast enough to compensate for blinking eyes. With LADARVision, he said, patients do not have to worry as much about holding still during surgery and can relax.
PHOTOS BY CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Dr. Jon Portis of Queen's Medical Center performed the surgery.
Besides improved accuracy, the LADARVision tracker creates a wider zone on the cornea, the ophthalmologists pointed out.
Night-vision problems with glare and halos occurred with older lasers because the enlarged pupils exceeded the treated zone, Portis said.
With LADARVision he said, "If a person has very large pupils in darkness, and we measure this before surgery, we can treat a larger zone on the cornea, and this has reduced or close to eliminated night-vision glare and haloing problems. That's a huge advance."
The beam is curved in shape, rather than square-topped, he said, which adds to the smoothness of the corrected corneal surface.
Portis made reference marks on Kamakahi's eyes to align with the laser and numbed them with drops for the surgery, which took about 10 to 15 minutes per eye. The left eye took a little longer because of astigmatism, as well as myopia.
"The surgery went perfect in both eyes," he told his patient when he finished. "You did great."
"It was easy," Kamakahi said. "It's incredible technology, to give someone normal vision."
No stitches or patches were needed after the surgery, just a bandage to cover the eyes for a few hours. Portis advised her to go home and take a nap. "When you wake up, the surface area will be mostly healed." He provided clear shields to protect her eyes at night.
Kamakahi waited two days to return to her job at the Honolulu Airport Hotel, but patients generally are able to go to work the next day, Portis said.
Costs vary depending on the correction involved, ranging from $1,300 to $1,400 an eye at Queen's, Portis said.
"It's really worth it being able to see," said Kamakahi, who paid $2,700. Elective surgery usually is not covered by insurance, but her husband's health plan will pay 80 percent of her costs, she said.
