Archive for February, 2012
LASIK: WAVEFRONT GUIDED VS. OPTIMIZED TREATMENTS by Dr. Martha Jay, Ophthalmologist at Lakeshore Eye Care Professionals in Mequon and Saukville, Wisconsin
Monday, February 27th, 2012
If you have looked into LASIK vision correction lately, you may have become confused about the difference between wavefront guided versus wavefront optimized treatments. Wavefront treatments correct not just near-sightedness and astigmatism but also for other aspects of your vision called higher order aberrations. This is a physics term to describe the complexities of exactly how light enters your eye and is different for every person and every eye.
The VISX Star S4 laser that we use for LASIK vision correction is a wavefront guided system. That means that it allows us to individually measure the higher order aberrations of each and every patient and then customize their treatment to allow better vision after the procedure. Less advanced laser systems, while cheaper, are wavefront optimized meaning that they apply the same higher order aberration correction to each treatment – not individualizing the correction to the specific patient.
Martha F. Jay, Ph.D., M.D.
Most of the attention lately has been around how we generate the flap at the beginning of the LASIK procedure, whether with a laser or a blade, but the second part of the procedure is equally important. We provide blade-free iLASIK vision correction with wavefront guided corrections for all of our patients so they can benefit from this advanced technology. Just another reason to call for your free, no-pressure LASIK screening exam to see if iLASIK is an option for you!
Dr. Martha Jay is a Board Certified Ophthalmologist (Eye Physician and Surgeon) practicing at Lakeshore Eye Care Professionals with offices in Mequon & Saukville, Wisconsin. She has been exclusively been offering blade-free iLASIK vision correction since 2005 so has extensive experience in this more advanced procedure.
Call 262-241-1919 for more information or visit www.LakeShoreVision.com.
GIANT CELL ARTERITIS (GCA) by Dr. Josephine-Liezl Cueto, M.D., Ophthalmologist at Lakeshore Eye Care Professionals in Mequon & Saukville, Wisconsin
Monday, February 20th, 2012
My job as an Ophthalmologist is to preserve people’s vision. Part of that job is educating others so they know what symptoms are truly eye emergencies. One of these emergencies is Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA). It is a disease that can cause sudden, painless loss of vision loss. However, if identified early and treated appropriately, vision loss can be avoided.
GCA is a type of vasculitis (an inflammation of blood vessels). The typical patient is a White female, 50 years and older. 5-15% of patients with GCA also have polymyalgia rheumatic (PMR) and have muscle and joint pain.
What symptoms should to be aware of? The most common symptom is a new headache, usually in the area of the temples. There also may be tenderness in this temporal area or while combing your hair. Some also experience jaw pain while chewing or have flu-like symptoms (fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, weight loss).
If this vasculitis affects the blood vessels of the eye, it can cause blurred vision, double vision, or actual blindness. Unfortunately, irreversible loss of vision in GCA can occur suddenly. However, if symptoms are identified early, then this complication can be prevented if treatment is quickly and appropriately started.
Again, the key to avoiding irreversible vision loss is identifying the symptoms early. If you experience any of these symptoms, please let us help you at Lakeshore Eye Care so an appropriate evaluation can be done!
Dr. Josephine-Liezl Cueto
Dr. Josephine-Liezl Cueto in a M.D./Ophthalmologist practicing with Dr. Martha Jay and Dr. Mark German at Lakeshore Eye Care Professionals. They provide comprehensive medical and surgical eye care for patients of all ages. Offices in Mequon and Saukville, Wisconsin.
Visit www.LakeShoreVision.com for more information about related eye care topics.
Call 262-241-1919 to schedule an appointment or for more information.
OPTOMETRIST OR OPHTHALMOLOGIST? WHICH IS BEST FOR YOU? by Dr. Mark German, Lakeshore Eye Care Professionals, Mequon & Saukville, Wisconsin
Tuesday, February 14th, 2012
There are two types of eye doctors: Optometrists and Ophthalmologists. Both do comprehensive eye examinations, prescribe glasses and screen for eye diseases such as glaucoma or cataracts. The difference is that an ophthalmologist is a medical doctor and a surgeon. If you have a medical or surgical eye problem, then you should schedule with one of our ophthalmologists (Dr. Martha Jay or Dr. Josephine-Liezl Cueto). If you have relatively healthy eyes and want to be sure you are seeing as well as possible, then our optometrist (me) is a better choice.
I have been practicing optometry for 25 years. In that time, I have seen just about every eye problem out there. While I specialize in contact lens fitting and general eye examinations, I also do annual screenings for diabetic eye disease and other medical eye problems. I joined Lakeshore Eye Care in 2000.
Why see me instead of Dr. Jay or Cueto? The main reason is convenience, especially if you wear contact lenses. You can usually schedule an appointment with me relatively quickly and you spend less time in the office. This is because our ophthalmologists’ patients generally are here for surgery or complex medical problems.
So not everyone needs to see an eye surgeon for their care. By scheduling with me, you will be seen faster and still benefit from the excellent quality of care provided at Lakeshore Eye Care.
Dr. Mark German is an optometrist practicing at Lakeshore Eye Care Professionals in Mequon and Saukville, Wisconsin. He specializes in hard-to-fit contact lens patients and comprehensive eye care. Dr. German welcomes patients of all ages into his practice.
For more information about eye care topics, visit www.LakeShoreVision.com or call 262-241-1919.
“FORGIVE” YOUR CO-PAYMENT? by Dr. Martha Jay, Ophthalmologist at Lakeshore Eye Care Professionals in Mequon & Saukville, Wisconsin
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
At the beginning of every year we get calls requesting that we “forgive” insurance co-payments. Some ask nicely, others are pretty insistent. Just to save our billing staff from another call on this subject, let me explain what co-payments are and how they function as part of your health insurance plan.
Co-payments are designed to decrease usage of health care services by giving the patient some ownership of the cost of the visit. Often patients are given the option of lower premiums at the cost of higher co-payments. Every time co-payments go up, the amount paid to the doctor directly by the insurance company goes down.
If we ‘forgive” a co-payment, it is actually insurance fraud. We have contracts with most major insurance companies stating what our compensation will be for specific examinations, testing and surgical procedures. If the patient is required to pay 20% of that or a certain dollar amount and we “forgive’ it, there are several consequences.
Martha F. Jay, Ph.D., M.D.
First, we are not receiving that portion of our fees that the co-payment represents. Second, the fraud part is because the insurance company assumes the co-payment was made so reduces the patient’s remaining amount for the rest of the year. Third, if reported to the insurance company then we are stating that our fees are less than the contracted amount so further payments are reduced.
So as much as we would like to “forgive and forget”, it is not so simple!
Dr. Martha Jay is a Board Certified Ophthalmologist (Eye Physician Surgeon) who stared Lakeshore Eye Care Professionals in 1992 after completing her Ophthalmology training at Northwestern University in Chicago. She and her colleagues, Dr. Mark German and Dr. Josephine-Liezl Cueto, are proud to be providing the latest in medical and surgical eye care in an independent medical practice.
Specializing in small incision cataract surgery with premium lens implants; blade-free iLASIK Vision Correction; Glaucoma care; Macular degeneration treatment; dry eye options and much more.
Call 262-241-1919 for more information or appointments.
Visit www.LakeShoreVision.com to find our Eye Care Blog and sections on many common eye conditions.
