October 22, 2001
New Eye Laser Improves Safety and Accuracy of LASIK Procedure

October 17, 2001
Emergencies Underscore Advantages Of Laser Vision Correction

March 5, 2001
Dr. Horsley is first Massachusetts Ophtalmologist to be board-certified in Refractive Surgery (LASIK)

October 22, 2001

New Eye Laser Improves Safety and Accuracy of LASIK Procedure

If you are a candidate for LASIK eye surgery and have been waiting for improved technology before proceeding, "Now is the time," according to local eye surgeon Dr. Will Horsley. "I know it's easy for patients to get confused and overwhelmed by all of the options that are available for laser vision correction," says Dr. Horsley, "but with the introduction of the new VISX Star S3 ActiveTrak Excimer laser system, we can now offer patients a procedure that is far superior to other options."

Laser Vision correction procedures, including the popular LASIK, use an excimer laser to gently reshape the front surface of the eye (the cornea) in order to correct vision disorders such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. The new ActiveTrak system incorporates a unique 3-D eye-tracker that tracks the patient's eye and moves the laser beam to compensate for eye movements. According to Dr. Horsley, this results in both greater precision and enhanced safety. Unlike other eye tracking systems, ActiveTrak's 3-D capabilities allow it to track both left/right and up/down movements of the eye. The laser pauses completely if eye movements are large enough to affect treatment, then moves back to position and automatically resumes treatment. Eye position and speed are checked at least six times before every laser pulse as compared to only 1.7 times per pulse with radar tracking lasers.

Another advantage of the new system is that patients are not required to have their pupil's dilated, making the procedure more comfortable and vision recovery faster. Some other lasers require a widely dilated pupil in order to track the eye, resulting in discomfort and extreme light sensitivity for a time following surgery.

According to VISX, "ActiveTrak gives the eye surgeon the ability to customize the procedure for every patient, resulting in an even higher quality of laser vision correction."

Viewpoint Vision Correction Laser Center in Medford was the first eye care facility north of Boston and just the third in New England to have the VISC Star 3 eye tracking system. Viewpoint was founded by Dr. Horsley and Dr. Michael Price, and is the first freestanding laser vision center on the North Shore. Prior to opening the center, both physicians were affiliated with the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston. Dr. Horsley has been performing refractive surgery for more than ten years and together the doctors have done several thousand vision correction procedures. The Viewpoint Laser Center is located at 101 Main Street in Medford, off of Routes 93 and 16.

Emergencies Underscore Advantages Of Laser Vision Correction

Firemen, policemen and others involved in hazardous duty have long understood the disadvantages of wearing glasses and contact lenses in emergency situations. Glasses can be broken, lost or get in the way of special equipment, while contact lenses may not be functional due to smoke, chemical or ash in the air.

According to Stoneham and Medford ophthalmic surgeon Dr. Will Horsley, firemen often choose laser vision surgery because glasses are cumbersome under their helmets and contact lenses can become totally dysfunctional in situations with heavy smoke and ash. Refractive surgery is also approved for pilots by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Dr. Horsley says refractive surgery is also common in the military where wearing glasses or contact lenses can actually be hazardous in combat situations. In fact, he says, the U.S. military services have several Excimer laser facilities, including one in San Diego where the Navy treats members of its Navy Seals unit. "They feel that in a combat situation, glasses and contact lenses would be less safe and practical than having a laser treated eye that does not require an optical crutch or prosthesis," says Dr. Horsley.

"In an emergency situation where vision may be critical for safety or even survival, it's very important that a person retain their ability to see clearly. The failure of eyeglasses or contact lenses can leave some people virtually blind," according to Dr. Horsley.

Not everyone is a good candidate for refractive eye surgery and anyone who is interested should be carefully screened by an experienced ophthalmic surgeon. Dr. Horsley suggests that anyone interested in refractive vision correction select a practice where the physician is involved in every aspect of patient care from the initial examination through post-operative care, and will be there if follow-up care is needed. "Too many times," says Dr. Horsley, "the only time a patient sees the doctor is in a masked face at the time of surgery. In many of the so-called 'discount centers' the doctor comes from another state and even the equipment and laser are trucked in from out-of-state. Post-operative care is often carried out by technician level personnel."

Of course, to many patients price can be an important consideration when selecting a center for laser vision correction. Dr. Horsley suggests that a patient select a full-service center even if the price is somewhat higher. "Most full-service centers offer payment plans that make it easy to pay for refractive surgery and, if you prefer not to have payments, I suggest you save a bit longer and select the best surgeon available," says Dr. Horsley, "after all, you only have one pair of eyes."

"At Viewpoint Vision Correction Laser Center, we follow the standard of care that is recommended by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Patients are seen pre-operatively and evaluated by me or another LASIK or Board Certified ophthalmologist. The patients are talked through the procedure step by step so they feel assured and comfortable and their post-operative visits are each with me."

Viewpoint Vision Correction Laser Center was founded by Dr. Horsley and Dr. Michael Price, and is the first freestanding laser vision center on the North Shore. Prior to opening the center, both physicians were affiliated with the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston. Dr. Horsley has been performing refractive surgery for more than ten years and together the doctors have done several thousand vision correction procedures. The Viewpoint Laser Center is located at 101 Main Street in Medford, off of Routes 93 and 16.

Reprinted from Middlesex East Supplement

March 5, 2001

Dr. Horsley is first Massachusetts Ophtalmologist to be board-certified in Refractive Surgery (LASIK)

Dr. Wilson Horsley of Stoneham has become the first eye surgeon in Massachusetts to be board-certified in the field of LASIK and Refractive Surgery by the American Board of Eye Surgery (ABES), Dr. Horsley received the certification after meeting rigorous standards set by the ABES in conjunction with the Professional Examination Service of New York City. The certification program is a means of identifying those ophthalmic surgeons who maintain a high level of surgical excellence as measured by their fellow eye surgeons.

To gain board certification. Dr. Horsley was required to submit a detailed record of 50 consecutive refractive surgical procedures. This allows examiners to review the quality of the surgical procedures, the frequency of complications and the visual outcome and improvement after surgery. An onsite observer then monitors five consecutive surgical procedures and provides a videotape of each procedure to the American Board of Eye Surgery. These tapes, in turn, are reviewed by a select panel of surgical examiners to eliminate any possible bias in the evaluation and to ensure confidentiality and anonymity of the certification process.

According to the American College of Eye Surgeons, the certification process is a means of ensuring high quality surgical services during a time when there has been an explosion in technology and advances in ophthalmic surgery. At the same time, the attention of government regulators, insurers, HMOs. and the public have too often ignored the need to maintain high standards of quality in the provision of ophthalmic surgical services.

During refractive surgery, a surgeon reshapes the front surface of the eye to compensate for irregularities that have traditionally been corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses. The highest percentage of those surgeries are performed with LASIK, an acronym for Laser In-situ Keratomileusis, a procedure in which an Excimer laser is used to reshape the front of the eye by removing microscopic layers of the cornea. Because most vision problems are caused by a cornea that is less than perfect in shape, the surgery can be used to correct various degrees of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. According to Dr. Horsley, as many as two million people in the United States will have some type of vision correction surgery this year.