Many people turn to LASIK as a dependable way to sharpen their vision and move away from glasses or contact lenses. At Maehara Eye Surgery & Laser, patients benefit from over 30 years of experience led by Dr. Dennis Maehara and his son, Dr. Jeffrey Maehara, a board-certified ophthalmologist and fellowship-trained anterior segment and glaucoma specialist. Dr. Jeffrey Maehara also brings expertise in preventive and integrative medicine. 

As technology has advanced, bladeless LASIK has become a more precise and comfortable alternative to traditional methods. Learning how these options compare can guide you toward the best choice for your vision.

What is Traditional LASIK?

Traditional LASIK uses a small mechanical blade, called a microkeratome, to create a flap in the cornea. This flap is lifted so the surgeon can reshape the underlying corneal tissue with a laser, correcting common vision problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.

While effective, the blade introduces more variation and may increase the risk of certain complications or prolong recovery time for some patients.

What is Bladeless LASIK?

Bladeless LASIK, or all-laser LASIK, replaces the blade with a femtosecond laser to create the corneal flap. At Maehara Eye Surgery & Laser in Honolulu, we use the advanced IntraLase™ FS laser in combination with the Allegretto Wave® laser system to deliver outstanding precision and speed.

This combination offers key benefits:

• Greater safety through bladeless precision
• Customization based on your unique eye structure
• Faster healing and improved comfort
• More consistent outcomes with reduced flap-related risks

Comparing the Two Techniques

Both traditional and bladeless LASIK offer excellent results, but there are some key differences:

• Technology used: Traditional relies on a blade; bladeless uses lasers exclusively
• Precision: Bladeless offers more consistent flap creation
• Comfort: Patients often report greater comfort with bladeless procedures
• Recovery: Bladeless LASIK may offer faster visual recovery for some patients

Is Bladeless LASIK Right for You?

If you are considering laser LASIK and want the most advanced technology available, bladeless LASIK may be the ideal solution. This method offers a gentler and more precise experience, which can be reassuring if you are uneasy about the use of a blade. Along with greater comfort, bladeless LASIK often provides improved accuracy and faster recovery.

At Maehara Eye Surgery & Laser, excellent outcomes begin with a careful and personalized evaluation. Every LASIK candidate receives a thorough screening to determine if the procedure suits their vision needs. Safety is always our highest priority.

We also understand the importance of value. Our pricing is highly competitive, and we provide physician-only care. From consultation to post-operative visits, Dr. Maehara handles each stage of your treatment, ensuring consistent and expert care.

Setting the Standard for LASIK in Honolulu, HI

If you are considering laser LASIK and want a safe, effective, bladeless option, we invite you to schedule a consultation. Discover how Maehara Eye Surgery & Laser in Honolulu, HI, can help you achieve clearer vision with advanced care you can trust at 808-955-3937.

Light and lenses in your eyes must work perfectly together for you to see properly. The cornea and lens allow light to travel through and land on the retina. This refraction of light is what ideally formulates good eyesight.

However, refractive errors might limit or prevent light from bending properly. This might lead to blurry visions, which might affect your overall eyesight. In this case, you can use LASIK surgery to correct these errors and reduce your dependence on eyeglasses or contact lenses.

The Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis, simply known as LASIK, is a common surgery that’s designed to improve your vision by ‘tweaking’ the cornea to correct conditions, including farsightedness (hyperopia), near-sightedness (myopia), and astigmatism. Patients of different ages and backgrounds experience vision issues as a result of abnormalities in the cornea.

The main aim of this surgery is to correct the shape of your cornea to allow the retina to focus on images better. This is achieved through special lasers. After testing your eyes, a doctor performing this procedure will apply numbing eye drops in both your eyes. The surgeon will also use eye holders to keep your eyes from blinking.

A suction ring will also be used to keep your eye from moving. The doctor will then use a special laser (microkeratome) to flap the cornea tissue. You’ll then be asked to stare at a target light to prevent eye movement. The doctor will then reshape your cornea using a laser programmed with your eye measurements.

There are a couple of risks associated with LASIK. There is a risk of other complications such as halos and night glare, infection risk, and worsening vision. For such reasons, it would be in your best interest to talk to professionals with experience handling such procedures.

At Maehara Eye Surgery and Laser, we are happy to go over all the risks during your LASIK consultation at our offices in Honolulu. Dr. Jeffrey Maehara, an experienced ophthalmologist with practices in preventive and integrative medicine, will go over what you need to know for this procedure. Give us a call at 808-955-3937 or click www.maeharaeyes.com for more information about correcting your vision with LASIK.

If you have been considering LASIK surgery to help reduce or remove the need for wearing glasses or contacts, there are several things you should know. Read on for eight things you should know about LASIK.

1. Your eyes must be healthy to undergo LASIK surgery. If you have severe dry eye syndrome, conjunctivitis or pink eye, or any type of eye injury where you are still recovering, you will need to wait until those conditions are resolved before you can undergo LASIK.
2. If you have cataracts or uncontrolled glaucoma, you may not be a candidate for LASIK.
3. You must be in good health to be considered for LASIK. Uncontrolled degenerative conditions or autoimmune diseases may prevent you from having LASIK done. Certain medications may also interfere with post-operative healing and contribute to dry eye syndrome. You will want to share your complete list of medications and vitamins and supplements with your doctor during your consultation.
4. Your corneas cannot be too thin. LASIK works by reshaping the front surface of the eye known as the cornea. The cornea must have enough tissue thickness in order for you to have surgery. Other surgical options may be better suited for you.
5. You must be at least 18 or older to have LASIK. When you are a teenager, and even a young adult, your eyes continue to change.
6. If you have a prescription, it’s important that your prescription is stable for at least a year before you are able to proceed with LASIK.
7. Women who are pregnant or nursing are not good candidates for LASIK as hormonal changes can alter the shape of the cornea. You will want to wait until a few months after you have finished nursing before getting LASIK done.
8. It’s important to have a positive frame of mind and realistic expectations for the outcome of surgery. Be sure to discuss all potential risks and possible side effects before you decide to undergo LASIK surgery.

To learn whether you are a candidate for LASIK, call 808.955.3937 for a consultation.

Laser vision correction, or LASIK, is a type of refractive surgery that can help patients get rid of eyeglasses and contact lenses, but the surgery may not be right for everybody. If you’ve been considering LASIK, read on to learn whether you would be a candidate and what you need to consider as you weight your decision to undergo surgery.

• You are 18 years old or older. Your vision can change throughout your youth and doesn’t stabilize until you reach adult age. LASIK is FDA-approved for people age 18 and older who have achieved ocular maturity.
• You have a stable prescription, which means your prescription hasn’t changed for at least two consecutive years.
• You should be generally healthy, free of diseases, injuries and infections.
• You do not have pink eye, dry eye or another eye condition. These will need to be resolved prior to LASIK surgery.
• You are not pregnant or nursing. Hormonal fluctuations can affect vision stability, so it’s important to wait at least three months after you’ve stopped nursing before considering surgery.
• If you have a condition such as cataracts, diabetes, autoimmune diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, LASIK may not be a good choice for you.
• Certain medications such as corticosteroids and acne medications can affect the healing process, so you will need to share what medications you’re taking when you consult with your doctor.
• If your cornea is too thin or misshapen, or if you have glaucoma or corneal scarring, you may not be a candidate for surgery.
• If you have a positive outlook and realistic expectations for vision correction, then you may be a good candidate for LASIK.
• You understand and you are OK with the fact that you may need to wear glasses when reading or driving at night.

If you want to learn more about laser vision correction and see if it’s right for you, schedule a consultation by calling Maehara Eye Surgery & Laser at 808.955.3937.

While laser-assisted-in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) is the most popular procedure to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) was the first and most common type of laser surgery for vision correction and is still performed frequently today. So what are the differences? Here, we break down them down: 

 

Both LASIK and PRK reshape the cornea to correct refractive errors. With LASIK, a corneal flap is created using a laser or blade. A computer-controlled surgical laser reshapes the layers of the cornea to correct distorted vision. The flap is then put back into place over the cornea and heals over the next few days. With PRK, the outer layer of the cornea called the epithelium is removed to gain access to the cornea for the laser to reshape it. After surgery, the epithelium grows back over time. 

 

Because PRK doesn’t create a flap, it could be a better procedure for patients with thin or irregular corneas. PRK is also a good option for patients who have large pupils or concerns about complications related to the flap created during the LASIK procedure. 

 

PRK recovery is somewhat more involved than with LASIK. This is because the epithelium is removed with PRK. Recovery can vary from a few days to a few weeks as the epithelium grows back. In most cases, you can drive a car in one to three weeks, but it can take up to six months for your final results to stabilize. With LASIK, the flap that’s created in the corneal stroma has to heal, which happens more quickly. Most patients see normally within several hours after surgery, and it takes only a few days to return to functional vision after LASIK. 

 

The “Wavefront” technology with LASIK improves not only how much you can see but also how well you can see. This state-of-the-art technology creates a three-dimensional corneal map to guide the laser to treat your specific visual irregularities rather than a “one size fits all” approach to patients with the same prescription. This reduces the risk of post-surgery complications such as glare, halos, and problems with night vision. 

 

Both LASIK and PRK are safe and effective surgeries. Your consultation with Dr. Jeffrey Maehara will help you determine which option is best for you. To learn more about your options for permanent vision correction, call 808.955.3937 today.