Sharing Success
 | "I had been thinking of Lasik for a few years until a friend brought me by TLC. They gave me an eye exam and told me that I was a candidate. I had a lot of questions naturally, that they were happy to answer. TLC made me very comfortable with my decision and on the day of my surgery I was so relaxed and sure that I wondered why I waited so long to do it. Everyone in the office was very helpful and Dr Machat talked me through every step. A week later and seeing better than I ever have, I am so happy that I chose TLC." |
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 | "I had laser surgery back in 1997. To this date, my vision is still almost 20/20 and I am free of glasses 95% of the time. The freedom of being able to function without glasses is an incredible gift. Along with my surgeon Dr. Jeff Machat, the team at the TLC has done an awesome job providing this. Every penny, and more, was worth it. As an eye care practitioner, I confidently recommend all three surgeons at the TLC for laser correction to my patients. My staff, my mom and my sister-in-law can testify." Dr. Susana Sebestyen, B.Sc., O.D. F.A.A.O. |
" I chose TLC to perfrom my laser vision correction because I was confident they had the best surgeons and leading edge technology to back up their expertise. I was not disappointed. The surgery went smoothly, was pain free, and the staff and surgeons there were professional and friendly.
I know enjoy exceptional vision without glasses or contact lenses. One of the best decisions I have ever made. Thank you TLC! "
Dr. Kevin Tong
"Lasik surgery has always been at the back of my mind and I always knew that I was prepared for the surgery. But for whatever reason I never took the next step to have it done. The turning point for me was when I was vacationing down in Cancun. The salt water and contact lenses didn't mix very well, and I didn't like wearing glasses for excursions.
TLC was my first and only choice for laser correction surgery. I've had friends and some patients go through other surgical sites with less than stellar results. I was confident with TLC from the get go. All the staff and Doctors at TLC treated me with great care. This sentiment is echoed by my own patients whom I send to TLC as well. The first things they usually tell me at their one day post op visit, is how great the staff is at TLC and how quick and painless the surgery is. If given a chance, they would have done the surgery 10 years earlier.
It's been over a year since my surgery and I'm still amazed at how clear things are. Thanks TLC for my excellent vision.
- Dr. Loi Van
 | Like most people who wear glasses, I spent several years debating undergoing LASER vision correction. As an optometrist, I felt I was well informed as to the risks and benefits, however the idea of undergoing the procedure still made me uneasy. After having met with Dr. Machat and the team at TLC much of the anxiety and fear was relieved. The procedure and the ultimate outcome have met and even exceeded my expectations. That all took place 6 years ago, and to this day I still have excellent acuity with no reduction in day or night distance vision at all. Since then I have referred hundreds of patients to TLC and all have had similar results to me. It is TLC's commitment to cutting edge technology combined with their consistency to the highest level of patient care by the doctors and their entire staff, that set them apart from the rest. |
 | I underwent laser vision correction in May 1997 for severe myopia. After having worn glasses for over 20 years, and contacts for over 15 years I wanted to break free. I have not regretted my decision to have laser vision correction, and I'm glad I chose TLC. And so have members of my family, and hundreds of patients I have referred to TLC for over a decade. |
Better sight with a ray of light
Sep. 25, 2003
Provided by: Special to CANOE
Written by: ADAM SWIMMER
TORONTO -- As a firefighter, Scott Parker has had problems with wearing contact lenses on the job. Pieces of debris, he explained, can get into the face piece and into the eye itself so he would often have to fight the fire using only one eye.
"Fire hydrants are 500 metres apart," the 45-year-old added. "If you don't know where the next one is, you have a bit of a problem."
He said he felt a little uncomfortable at the idea of laser eye surgery to correct his vision. But back in February he "took a leap of faith" and underwent CustomLASIK (Laser-In-Situ Keratomileusis) surgery at the TLC Laser Eye Centers.
"It's miraculous," Parker said. "It's unbelievable."
Parker recently attended an open house for the TLC's newly-renovated facility in Toronto. Dr. Dean Smith, a medical director for TLC Toronto, explained this facility combines the amenities of both this clinic, around since 1994 in a different section of the complex, and the former clinic at the BCE Place where Parker had his surgery done. The open house included a presentation of the newer custom IntraLASIK surgery on a cast member from the Toronto production of Mamma Mia!
Dr. Jeffery J. Machat, another medical director for TLC Toronto, explained the operation has two steps. First, the doctor makes a flap by separating the top layer of the cornea away from the inner cornea. Second, performing the laser-corrective surgery on the inner cornea. Afterwards, the doctor replaces the flap to let it heal.
Until recently all LASIK procedures, like Parker's, used a blade to create the flap. But the new IntraLASIK procedure, which Machat said the clinic started doing back in February, uses a laser to make the separation.
He said the laser sends 15,000 light-ray pulses into the cornea, creating little gas bubbles that break away the layer. He said it offers more precision than the blade, which can only make a straight cut.
"We can create whatever size flap we want, whatever thickness flap we want," he added. "We can put the hinge wherever we want and then we can cut around the edges in order to free the flap. If we have any problems with the flap, we can stop, bring the patient back, literally a minute later, a half hour later, a day later, and start all over again."
With IntraLASIK, Machat said, doctors can now perform laser eye surgery on many patients they would have had to turn away in the past, such those with flat or steep corneas.
And the patient, he said, feels only slight pressure and no pain at all. Then after about five minutes of rest, the custom laser surgery, which began here in March 2000, on the inner cornea can begin.
In CustomLASIK, Dr. Smith explained, a device called an aberrometer, sends out a grid of dots into the eye. The dots become slightly displaced by the eye into a pattern called the wavefront.
"And from that pattern we can determine the optical properties of the eye," he added. "It's not just measuring the central point through the cornea, it's measuring several points over the area of the cornea. So not everyone that's say a minus three (prescription) would be minus three all over the cornea. You'll be slightly less in some places and slightly more in other places. " This information is then fed into the laser so that each eye gets a unique vision correction treatment.
The entire operation takes roughly 20 minutes.
The custom pattern obtained through the aberrometer, Machat said, reduces the occurrence of abnormalities such as night glare that appears in about five per cent of conventional LASIK patients.
"Why? Because their pupils got bigger," he said. "Because their peripheral corneas were still focusing light rays poorly. But now with custom we know exactly how much to treat the peripheral cornea so they don't get night glare." Machat added that doctors can use this custom technology to correct problems in patients who previously received conventional LASIK.
Parker said he hasn't experienced any problems with his vision since the operation.
Dr. Machat said patients often feel a slight discomfort in the eyes for the first two hours. Recovery, he added, takes at most only a day or two.
Dr. Smith said a patient's vision can regress back towards its original prescription over time. But up to about three years after surgery, the doctors can touch up the eye by lifting the flap. This treatment is done at no extra charge.
Parker's happy that he no longer has to wear his glasses or contacts when driving the fire truck at night.
"When you get into a real working fire, it's like you close your eyes. You can't see anything. You can't see better in a fire (after laser eye surgery)," the 23-year veteran explained. "But you can do other parts of your job better leading up to getting to that in that fire. Locating fire hydrants, having to spot something, going up on an area ladder, searching, doing something, being covered in water and not having to worry about a Contact lens falling out or debris getting in my eyes."
He added he now has better than 20/20 vision. Similarly, Larry Herbert from the Mamma Mia! cast had 20/15 vision by the following day.
Smith said that the CustomLASIK often creates this "supervision" but they cannot guarantee it and the clinic's doctors refuse to perform the operation on anyone who already has good vision but wants it improved.
LASIK surgery can be used to treat a number of conditions, including astigmatism, myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness).
"But if there's any sort of tendency towards an instability of the corneal shape or thickness," Dr. Smith explained, "then we steer well clear of that because we don't want to precipitate something by thinning it further."
He said they also cancel people with certain medical conditions, such as Lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, often because their ability to heal might be affected.
Smith added that everyone, including those who've had LASIK, eventually require reading glasses because of the natural aging of the eye. He and his colleagues recommend reading implants to treat this condition, called presbyopia..
Dear Dr. Nianiaris, Jennifer and Staff,
This thank you note is far over due. I've been enjoying my life with my new, improved eyesight. And before I could catch my breathe, I was sitting at my eye doctors for my 3 month appointment with 20/20 results.
Jennifer, thanks for answering my thousand and one questions.
Dr. Nick, thanks for holding my hand and making me decide to wait until the spot on my cornea was healed. I truly appreciate your sincere concern.
I am glad to report the surgery was a great success. Staff, thanks for making it a truly pleasant experience.
Best Wishes for 2001.
Odette Sousa
With DR. Nianaris
Sept 2000
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