Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions About the Practice Regarding LASIK Regarding CK Regarding Medical Eye Diseases General Questions About the Practice How long has Eye Associates been in practice? Eye Associates of San Diego has faithfully been serving the San Diego area since 1989. And hope to do so for a long time to come. What types of insurance do you accept? We accept most PPO's, MediCare, CHAMPUS, and are more than willing to accomodate in any way to get the patient the best care possible. Is financing available for elective surgeries? Eye Associates of San Diego has financing available through CareCredit®, please contact us for more information. ^ back to top Questions Regarding LASIK How long does the procedure take? The procedure itself is very brief. The LASIK procedure takes less than 15 minutes per eye. The total time at the laser center is about one hour. Is the procedure painful? No, the procedure itself is completely painless. How long will the effects of laser vision correction last? Unless significant age-related changes take place in the eye, studies indicate that the new shape of the cornea is stable over the long term. Read More About LASIK ^ back to top Questions Regarding CK What is CK? CK is a procedure that corrects hyperopia (farsightedness) by using the controlled release of low-level radiofrequency (RF) energy, instead of a laser, to reshape the cornea. It is performed in just a few minutes with only topical anesthetic in the form of eye drops. How does CK work? The physician uses a small probe, thinner than a strand of human hair, which releases (RF) energy. The probe is applied in a circular pattern on the outer cornea to shrink small areas of corneal tissue. This circular shrinkage pattern creates a constrictive band–like the tightening of a belt-increasing the overall curvature of the cornea. What are the risks? Because CK is minimally invasive, the procedure has exhibited very minimal risks. You may experience initial slight over-correction of your vision, which stabilizes during the following weeks. However, because CK doesn't cut or remove tissue, many of the side effects associated with other vision treatment procedures have not been observed with CK. Read More About CK ^ back to top Questions Regarding Medical Eye Diseases What Causes a Cataract? The human eye lens is transparent so that light can travel through it easily. It has no blood supply. It is 65% water. Although new cells are being made for the lens continuously throughout our lifetime, many factors combine as we age to cause areas in the lens to become cloudy, hard, and dense. The lens can then no longer transmit a clear picture to the retina where it can be processed and sent through the optic nerve to the brain. How can early signs of macular degeneration be detected? Macular Degeneration can begin in one eye and compensation by the unaffected eye will often mask early symptoms. The first eye may be seriously affected before an individual notices a loss of vision. Even before MD begins affecting vision, it is usually detectable by a thorough eye examination from an eye professional. What are the signs and symptoms of glaucoma? There are usually no signs that you're developing glaucoma until vision loss occurs, which is why it's so important to have regular eye exams. Your eye doctor can diagnose and treat high intraocular pressure before it progresses to optic nerve damage and vision loss. Read More About medical eye diseases ^ back to top