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Meet Ashley Pochick on this day she is in for follow up eye examination. After
undergoing LASIK surgery,
she says glasses and contacts just weren't working for her. "I moved into contacts
and my eyes
I would always have
my eyes would be really dry, I would always get eye infections
so I just stopped wearing them and started wearing glasses again.
I was a big fan of wearing glasses."
Ashley knew she wanted LASIK surgery so she began screening doctors. "I actually
started to do a lot of research and
Dr. Ashraf was
I mean he had all the credentials I looked at all of his stuff I did a lot of
extensive research and not only on him but on other doctors too
and then I actually got a referral from somebody who'd gotten their LASIK done
and that person actually came in with me and I went and sat for his LASIK
and so
before I took the plunge
I definitely did my research so I felt really comfortable with that."
She ended up here at the Atlanta Vision Institute where Dr. M. Farooq Ashraf
did her surgery.
"Ashley is a typical patient who was considering LASIK surgery she was a
fitness buff that teaches classes in a local gym.
She obviously cannot wear glasses during teaching process and her contacts were
really irritating or so she could no longer tolerate the contact lenses
so she was looking to an alternative and surgery was the alternative." Dr. Ashraf
says the use of a laser means safety and precision.
"The new advances that we have in creation of the
flap instead of using a mechanical device to create a flap we use a laser
that does it for two reasons one is safety instead of using a mechanical device with a metal
blade
the laser no mechanical device touches the eye so that is safety and number two is
precision and that precision affects your results. The number one reason for
people holding off the surgery is fear and
this is natural any surgery no one really likes to have surgery on themselves and
especially of the eyes
so that is the number one barrier that we have
but this surgery is truly seated
and it is a very common thing from every patient I see it
for the last few years every patient when they come in
they're scared and they're nervous the day of the surgery they are very nervous
they're shaky they're anxious which is normal. Right after we're finished the most
common comment that we get
is they finally take a breath and they say that wow that wasn't bad."
Ashley says on the day
of the procedure she was nervous but it was quick easy and painless. "I am a swim
instructor
and said for me he is like okay like we lay down and he explained the procedure
to me what I was going to
be happening and it's like the thirty seconds and he's like thirty
seconds I can cut this flap
and I was like alright when I do a drill in spinning and like I thirty seconds
nds like just sprint for thirty seconds that's it sounds like this is easy
and it didn't hurt so it was fine."
Dr. Ashraf says anyone who checked into LASIK surgery years ago should take
another look. "The basic LASIK procedure is essentially the same for the
first part of the procedure is creating a flap
on the cornea and to get to the middle layer of the cornea
the second part of the procedure is actual refractive effect or the seeing part
of the procedure and that's done with the Excimer laser and this new laser is
amazing."
Ashley says after the surgery she couldn't wait to open her eyes.
"I had my eyes closed and my friend was staying with me
was like hey, hey come upstairs come upstairs and he's like what's going on and I was like I don't want to open my eyes and
just see my room like I actually want to see somebody that
you know for the first time and
sounds like can I open my eyes and he will be the first person to see and he is like you are a geek funny.
Just stand
where you are so it was great when I opened my eyes I couldn't believe it I could already see.
That is just the kind of experience that Dr. Ashraf enjoys hearing from people."
"Doing this particular surgery the results are immediate
so I'm dealing with patients who haven't seen all their life they literally see
two inches in front of them and
in less than ten minutes they can see the clock at the end of the room and to look
at the expression on their face is priceless." Ashley's advise to others
thinking about LASIK don't let
fear stand in your way.
"Don't be scared,
I thought it was the number-one thing because all my friends are like how could you
do how did you have the guts to do it and like it is not about guts I made an educated
decision.
I chose somebody that I trusted somebody that I did
made sure their credentials I checked them out and I
went to other people and I got
its research
the procedure is not what's scary it's
just making sure you're making right decision and once you get in there
you're going to be thrilled with your results and I would totally recommend it to anyone. The Atlanta Vision Institute. 1611 Mount Vernon Road #100 Atlanta, Georgia 30338. (770) 622-2488