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Gary Foster, M.D., Eye Center of Northern Colorado

Our eyesight is one of our most cherished senses. A weakness in our sight can easily be improved with eyeglasses or contact lenses, but they still hold many back from the active lifestyle they desire.

Taking back their precious sight through LASIK eye surgery, millions today have been able to gain perfect or near-perfect vision. The Eye Center of Northern Colorado has teamed up with Poudre Valley Health System to form the Eye Laser Center of Northern Colorado. Together they have taken LASIK surgery to the next level with a new technology, iLASIK. This technology makes LASIK bladeless, safer, and completely custom-fit to your eyes’ specifications.

“The procedure is a marriage of the accuracy of a custom fit and the safety of bladeless surgery,” according to Gary Foster, M.D. Foster is one of the four doctors at The Eye Center of Northern Colorado who perform the iLASIK procedure. He is passionate about the advantages of the new technology. “The iLASIK procedure offers a higher standard and level of care,” says Dr. Foster. In fact, the iLASIK procedure is so effective that it has been approved for NASA astronauts. According to clinical trials, 98 percent of patients who undergo the procedure can see 20/20 or better after the treatment. Doctors Matthew Robinson, Randall Smith, and Karl Olsen also perform iLASIK at the Eye Laser Center of Northern Colorado.

The iLASIK vision correction procedure specifically refers to a three-fold technology. The first step is a machine that creates a custom map of the eye, the next is the bladeless creation of a treatment flap, and the final step is a laser that reshapes the cornea to correct the imperfections in the eye, fixing those defects that make you nearsighted or farsighted.

The process begins with a complete diagnosis of the eye. The Wavefront machine bounces light through the eye, measuring the eye in a hundred different ways. This technology creates a “blueprint” of the eye, determining what is wrong and enabling the LASIK laser to make a custom focusing correction for the eye.

Traditional LASIK procedures use a general eye glass machine to create the treatment. Though great for glasses, the machine does not have the precision of the Wavefront machine. “Sometimes we will use this Wavefront machine to measure patients that are hard to fit with glasses, who aren’t even planning laser correction, because it is so accurate. They end up with an amazingly refined glasses prescription,” says Dr. Foster.

Dr. Gary Foster takes a scan of patient Dr. Peter Smith's eyes.

This extensive examination is the first step in the iLASIK process. Next is the Intralase laser, which creates a thin flap in the cornea that enables the doctor to make corrections to the vision. To ensure accuracy, the room that houses the laser is given very careful attention. The air is scrubbed clean of any particles and the temperature and humidity are monitored and kept steady. Both actions ensure that nothing disturbs the laser as it works. Two battery packs in the room and another backup generator outside the building ensure that if the power does go down for any reason the delicate process with the laser is uninterrupted. “Everything is done for the greatest laser precision,” says Dr. Foster.

What a laser can accomplish over bladed surgery, says Dr. Foster, is to create a better flap. “The laser creates a thinner, smaller flap that is more consistent and the procedure is overall safer.” Another benefit is that the flap fits more tightly over the eye, creating greater security and strength during the healing phase. “The flap is much more secure to trauma and, because it is thinner, the procedure leaves more of the natural strength and resilience of the eye.” The final step, laser vision correction, is driven by the blueprint made by the Wavefront machine.

The iLASIK procedure is quick, as little as ten minutes per eye. During the procedure patients are awake, but are given medication to help them relax and feel only a slight pressure during the surgery. After the procedure, it is not uncommon for patients to have 20/20 vision almost immediately.

While there is a little sensitivity immediately following the procedure, the discomfort generally disappears within a few hours. Bladeless LASIK takes longer than the standard LASIK procedure, “but one of the beauties of the Intralase is that if you don’t believe you have the ideal flap, you can recreate it with the laser. It is a very forgiving process with a high safety profile.”

Both the bladeless and bladed procedures have quick recovery times for patients. Dr. Foster recommends a patient wear a protective eye covering while sleeping for the first week after surgery, but they can resume normal activities and exercise. Almost immediately, most are free to enjoy the benefits of better vision. Regular check-ups are scheduled the first week after the procedure, a month after, three months after, then nine months after to monitor the health of the eyes with the patient’s preferred eye doctor.

One such patient who has been enjoying greatly enhanced vision since his procedure is Peter Smith, M.D., a doctor of internal medicine with Big Thompson Internal Medicine in Loveland. Dr. Smith’s eyesight before the procedure was not good. “I couldn’t read my digital clock in the mornings,” he says. Dr. Foster adds, “Smith’s preoperative vision was 20/400 without his glasses, twice as bad as legally blind.”

Dr. Gary Foster works with the Interlase laser to create a custom-fit flap over the cornea.

As Smith’s children reached an age where they could participate in sports activities and outdoor recreation, Smith made the decision to look into LASIK vision correction. “The kids got old enough to do beach vacations and we started to spend a lot of time in the water. It was hard to be in the water with my kids and not be able to see well. For me, it was a lifestyle quality issue.”

Dr. Smith contacted The Eye Center of Northern Colorado and came into contact with Dr. Foster, who recommended the iLASIK procedure. Smith says the entire process was surprisingly simple. “I had to do eye drops a couple weeks before the procedure to prepare my eyes, but the procedure itself seemed to take less than ten minutes per eye.” After the surgery, which occurred in February, recovery was pleasantly hassle-free for Smith. “I was a little uncomfortable for a couple hours after the procedure. The feeling was something like getting soap in the eye, but I went home and went to sleep and was fine.” After a week with an eye protector worn at night, Smith was fully recovered.

“I was a little nervous before the procedure, but the doctor did a great job of talking me through it. My vision now is spectacular. It is slightly better than what I had with glasses. The visual acuity is impressive.” Smith officially “tested” his new eyesight during spring break when he took his two children, ages six and eight, to the ocean. “I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.”

There are patients who do not qualify for LASIK procedures. Generally, these are persons who have a naturally weak cornea or who have a prescription too big to allow for an elective procedure. However, some patients who could not have the bladed LASIK do qualify for iLASIK because the Intralase laser can make a much thinner flap.

“The Eye Center of Northern Colorado and Poudre Valley Health System are pleased to be able to work together to provide the latest, safest, and best technology available,” says Dr. Foster. “We are the only organization to offer the iLASIK procedure, with the Wavefront blueprinting system and the Intralase laser, in Northern Colorado.”

“If you love high tech toys, then you would love being an eye doctor,” jokes Dr. Foster. One very special machine used by Dr. Foster in a recent clinical study gives “CAT scan type” images of the cornea. They also have two different types of machines that can give topographical maps of the cornea prior to iLASIK. “Patients often have no idea how much effort we are putting into their safety,” he adds. The next frontier in optical health, predicts Dr. Foster, will be using a laser to correct the vision of those who need reading glasses.

The Eye Center of Northern Colorado is home to a large staff of eye experts and specialists. “The collegial, teamwork approach that comes from having specialists for each area of the eye under one roof allows us to provide the best possible service to the community. Our practice in Northern Colorado has roots that go back to 1935. We have been here and will be here for our patients throughout their lives. They are our neighbors. We are the largest eye center in the region and provide the best LASIK technology available. We are proud of what we do here,” concludes Dr. Foster. +