According to Dr. Jaime Dinglasan, who heads the Makati Eye Laser Center, state-of-the art technology called "Zyoptix" is available "here and now" in the Philippines, that’s capable of treating nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism with Wavefront technology.
"We also do cataracts but they are now treated by laser. It is the modern sutureless, painless technique known as ‘phaco,’ " he says.
"You don’t have to go abroad to avail yourself of cutting-edge technology in laser eye surgery," adds Dinglasan. "On the contrary, many people come from abroad to have their treatments here because not only is it less expensive but the quality of our facilities and ophthalmologists are at par with the world’s best."
The facility is comparable to those in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and Australia, to name just a few. The cost in the Philippines is "about one-third of Singapore’s, roughly one-fourth of the United States’," Dinglasan estimates.
The word "surgery" attached to the term should not be a cause for alarm, adds Dinglasan, because the laser eye surgery procedure itself only takes as little time as one would spend for a coffee break – 10 to 15 minutes, typically. The "patient" can go home after the procedure is completed, and resume routine activities the very next day.
Dinglasan discloses that the modern facility at Makati Eye Laser Center is utilized by over 70 ophthalmologists to perform laser-assisted vision correction procedures.
The system deployed at the center is called "Lasik with Zyoptix," short for Laser in-Situ Keratomileusis with Wavefront technology. Stripped of all the technical mumbo-jumbo, it simply refers to a process where a thin flap of corneal tissue is lifted. Then, gentle pulses from a precisely calibrated, computer-controlled excimer laser remove layers of the cornea. Then the flap is returned. By reshaping the curve of the cornea accordingly, light is more sharply focused directly on the retina and images become clearer.
The diagnosis is greatly enhanced by a highly accurate aberrometer that maps and analyzes the image produced by the cornea, and sends appropriate instructions to the laser machine to perform precise sculpting of the surface of the cornea and correct aberrations in its shape, thus optimizing the focusing power of the eye.
Dinglasan explains that because vision is so intertwined with a large part of the human brain’s processing of information, it follows that we should take good care of our eyes. And any problem should ideally be diagnosed early enough so that proper remedies may be instituted.
"The most common refractive problems are myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism," explains Dinglasan. "Astigmatism can be myopic, hyperopic or mixed. The Makati Eye Laser Center is equipped to correct mild to high myopia, hyperopia and all forms of astigmatism."
Considering all factors such as cost, the state of the technology available, and the high degree of precision and results obtainable using the Lasik system, Dinglasan reckons there is no better time to avail oneself of laser-assisted eye surgery than now.
Freedom from eyeglasses is probably the least of the advantages that laser eye surgery offers, because in many cases, the results from laser eye treatment far surpass the correction that prescription glasses can achieve. The ultimate benefit is the recovery of normal, clear vision, and having a better quality of life.