Glossary of Terms

Acuity 

The capacity of the eye to see fine detail. 

 

Affiliated TLC Doctors

TLC has a large network of affiliated optometrist who specialize in LASIK laser vision correction. These doctors are able to collaborate with the TLC Laser Eye Center's surgeon in determining your candidacy for the LASIK procedure and can provide pre and post operative LASIK care.

 

Anaesthesia

A drug that provides a loss of feeling or numbness with a certain area of the body.

 

Anesthetic Drops

Numbing drops placed within the eye prior to the LASIK procedure to help minimize any discomfort during the procedure.   

 

Astigmatism

Astigmatism is blurry vision produced by football-shaped cornea that is too steep in one place and too flat in another. Astigmatic corneas focus light in two different places in the eye, making both near and distance vision a problem. For more information on astigmatism please visit The TLC Blog.

Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA)

The best possible vision a person can achieve with corrective lenses measured in terms of Snellen lines on an eye chart.

 

Bilateral LASIK

Surgery performed on both eyes.

 

Bladeless LASIK

In the LASIK and Custom LASIK procedures, a flap of corneal tissue must be created and then folded back. With Bladeless LASIK, the surgeon uses the IntraLase laser to create the corneal flap. This technology enables the surgeon the ability to customize the corneal flap for every individual patient.

 

Cataract

When the natural lens if eye begins to cloud creating a cloudy spot or visual impairment in your vision. Usually caused by age or other risk factors. 

 

Cataract Surgery

Involves removing the clouded lens and replaces it with a intraocular lens implant. For more information on cataract surgery please visit The TLC Blog.

 

Cornea

The cornea is sometimes referred to as the 'window of the eye.' It provides most of the focusing power when light enters the eye. The cornea is composed of five layers of tissue. This is the part of the eye reshaped by laser vision correction.

 

Corneal Epithelium

This is epithelial tissue and it covers the front of the cornea and acts as the barrier to help protect the cornea, resisting the flow of fluids from the tears, to prevent bacteria from entering the epithelium and corneal stroma.

 

Corneal Flap

The first step in the LASIK procedure, is creating and pulling back the flap of the cornea.

 

Custom LASIK

Custom LASIK is a procedure that enables your surgeon to further customize the conventional LASIK procedure to your individual eyes. CustomLASIK uses a tool called a wavefront analyzer to measure the way light travels through your eye. The wavefront analyzer creates a 3-D map of your eye, this data is then programmed into the laser to customize your treatment.

 

Diopter

A measurement of the optical power (whole numbers) of your prescription in a + or – format. Myopic would be considered a - measurement and hyperopic would be considered a + measurement. 

 

Dry Eyes

A deficiency in the production of tears. The main notable symptom is the feeling of sandpaper in the eye (foreign body feeling). 

 

Excimer Laser

A laser using cool beams of ultraviolet light, used to perform LASIK procedures. 

 

Farsightedness (Hyperopia)

A refractive error in which you see better from a distance than close up. Hyperopia is caused by an eyeball that is too short to focus light on the retina.

 

Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

An FSA account is an employer-provided health savings account (available in the United States only). it allows employees specific tax advantages when setting aside funds for qualified medical procedures. LASIK is a qualified FSA expenditure. 

 

Health Savings Account (HSA) 

Not to be confused with an FSA, and HSA is an account created for people who are currently covered under a high deductible health plan. This account allows individuals to save for medical expenses that HDHP's do not cover. The contributions made into this account are made by the individual and/or their employer and are limited to a certain yearly amount. For more information please visit the TLC LASIK Blog.

 

Higher-Order Aberrations

Irregularities, other than refractive errors, that can cause such problems as decreased contrast sensitivity or night vision, glare and halos. Higher-order aberrations do not always affect vision.

 

Health Reimbursement Account (HRA)

This type of account is an employer-funded plan that will reimburse employees for out-of-pocket medical expenses that are not covered by the company's standard insurance plan. Reimbursement dollars received by the employee are generally tax free. For more information please visit the TLC LASIK Blog.

 

Intraocular

Within the eye.

 

Intraocular Lens

A lens implanted within the eye to replace the existing crystalline lens. This lens helps to refract light which is focused on the retina.

 

IOL (Intraocular Lens Implant)

Implanted lens used to replace the crystalline lens of the eye due to cataract clouding or as a form of refractive vision correction. For more information on IOL please visit The TLC Blog.

 

Iris

Is the thin, circular portion of you eye that creates the color (green, brown, blue). It controls the size of your pupil allowing certain amounts of light to reach the retina to focus. 

 

Keratectomy

To remove the corneal tissue, this is done to complete the LASIK procedure.

 

LASIK

LASIK (Laser-In-Situ Keratomileusis) is currently one of the most frequently performed elective procedures in North America. It is a highly effective outpatient procedure that is suitable for low, moderate and higher prescriptions. In LASIK, a protective hinged flap is created and gently lifted by the surgeon. Then, a computercontrolled cool beam of light from the excimer laser is used to gently reshape the front surface (cornea) of your eye.

 

LASIK Candidate

A LASIK candidate is a patient who meets a series of criteria that make them an ideal candidate for the LASIK procedure.

 

LASIK Consultation

A LASIK consultation is used to determine whether a person is a good candidate for LASIK laser vision correction. During a LASIK consultation, the patient meets with their doctor to have a comprehensive eye exam, and discuss different LASIK correction options available, as well as which LASIK procedure will yield the best post-op vision results based on their prescription.

 

LASEK (laser epithelial keratomileusis)

LASEK also know as "Epi-LASEK" is similar to traditional LASIK but differs in how the corneal flap is created. In LASEK the flap is created by using an alcohol based solution to lift the cornea instead of using a surgical intrument called a microkeratome (which is used to surgically create the flap in traditional LASIK). This procedure is often used when patients have thin corneas that are not suitable for tradition LASIK. For more information please visit the TLC LASIK Blog.

 

Lens

The lens is the clear structure located behind the pupil. Its primary function is to provide fine-tuning for focusing and reading, which it accomplishes by altering its shape.

 

Lid Speculum

An instrument, placed in the eye before surgery, to gently hold the lids apart, eliminating possibility of blinking.

 

Lower-Order Aberrations

Also called refractive errors; includes myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism.

 

Microkeratome

The blade which is used to make the corneal flaps during the beginning stages of a LASIK procedure.

 

Monofocal Lens

An intraocular lens implant which allows clear vision at one specific distance.

 

Monovision

When, with vision correction, one eye is intentionally left slightly nearsighted. This allows you to maintain your ability to read after presbyopia begins. Gaining this near vision means giving up some distance sharpness.

 

Multifocal Lens

An intraocular lens implant, similar to a bifocal or trifocal lens, which allows vision at many different distances.

 

Nearsightedness (Myopia)

A refractive error in which you see better close up than from a distance. Myopia is caused by an eyeball that is too long to focus light on the retina or a cornea which is too steeply curved. 

Ophthalmologist

The anatomy, physiology and study of eye diseases. These are considered both surgical and medical professionals.

 

Optician

Makes vision correction lenses and performs necessary adjustments, 

 

Optometrists

The visual system and information processing profession. Able to diagnose certain diseases and help regulate sight by lens prescription. Considered a medical and non surgical professional. 

 

Over-Correction

A potential side effect of laser vision correction, over-correction happens when the healing of the eye is over anticipated. Your eyes can heal better or less than the surgeon expected, thereby determining whether the final prescription is more or less than what the surgeon had originally intended for correction.

 

Presbyopia

Presbyopia develops as the lens of the eye loses some of the flexibility that characterizes a younger eye. Everyone experiences the effects of presbyopia, typically between the ages of 40 and 50. For more information on presbyopia please visit The TLC Blog.

 

Post-Operative

Describes the healing period after your LASIK procedure, and comes with certain requirements for a healthy and successful LASIK recovery.

 

PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy)

Prior to LASIK, PRK was the most common laser vision correction procedure. For the PRK procedure, the surgeon first removes the eye's protective first layer of cells, or epithelium, to reveal the next layer of corneal tissue. The surgeon will apply computer-controlled pulses of cool light from the excimer laser to reshape the curvature of the eye. PRK patients require about three days for the epithelium to heal and allow clearer vision. For more information on PRK please visit The TLC Blog.

 

Pupil

The pupil is the "black circle" in your eye. The primary function of the pupil is to control the amount of light entering your eye. When you are in a bright environment, the pupil becomes smaller to allow less light to pass through. When it is dark, the pupil expands to allow more light to reach the back of your eye.

 

Retina

The retina consists of fine nerve tissue that lines the inside wall of the eye and acts like the film in a camera. Its primary function is to capture and transmit images.

 

TLC Advantage Program

We at TLC strive to make LASIK affordable for every patient by offering special savings. TLC partners with many of the major vision and health care companies offering employee benefit programs. TLC also partners with individual employer groups. TLC's partners receive a special savings when their members have laser vision correction performed at a TLC Advantage Program Network location.

 

Toric Lens

An intraocular lens implant which is design to correct astigmatism.

 

Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA)

The best possible vision a person can achieve without corrective lenses measured in terms of Snellen lines on an eye chart.

 

Visual Acuity

Acuteness or clearness of vision. For more information on visual acuity please visit The TLC Blog.

 

Wavefront Analyzer

Originally developed for use in high-powered telescopes to reduce distortions in space, now adapted for eyecare. A single beam of infrared laser light is passed into the eye and focused on the retina. The light is then reflected off the retina, passed back through the eye, through a lenslet array to a sensor, and then analyzed from 200 different aspects to create a map of the eye - or fingerprint of vision. This technology uncovers unique characteristics of the eye never measured before using standard methods for glasses and contact lenses.