Dr. Kerry Solomon, a pioneer in LASIK surgery based in Charleston, SC, recently became the first ophthalmologist in the nation to offer topo-guided LASIK.

Online PR News � 15-March-2016 � Dr. Kerry Solomon (www.drkerrysolomon.com), the first eye surgeon in the U.S. to perform topography-guided LASIK after FDA approval, is now offering the procedure at his Charleston, SC, practice. Topo-guided LASIK is the latest innovation in LASIK, and produces the most customized results to date. Using innovative technology from Alcon branded as Contoura Vision -- topo-guided LASIK enables surgeons to produce results that are measurably superior to traditional LASIK.

The technology that sets topo-guided LASIK apart from wavefront-guided and wavefront-optimized procedures is called the Wavelight Topolyzer Vario. This device, which maps the topography of the cornea with unprecedented precision, is what enables the surgeon to produce better visual acuity than ever before.

This technology, approved by the FDA in 2013, has just been made commercially available. Dr. Solomon was the first ophthalmologist in the nation, and one of only a handful of LASIK surgeons in the country, to perform the topo-guided LASIK procedures after FDA approval, long before the technology and training were made available to the ophthalmology community, due to his national position as a key opinion leader, his involvement in research and his proven surgical outcomes.

I am honored to have been given the opportunity to evaluate topography-guided LASIK before it became commercially available in the United States," Dr. Solomon says. "The FDA clinical trial data for topography guided LASIK has shown some of the best visual outcomes ever reported while minimizing the side effects occasionally associated with traditional LASIK, such as night vision symptoms of glare, halos or starbursts. Over the past 8 months, I have been very pleased with the outcomes of topography-guided LASIK. Most importantly, my patients have been thrilled with their visual outcomes and the quality of their vision. As a LASIK surgeon, we are always trying to find ways to improve an already incredibly successful surgical procedure. It appears topography-guided LASIK will do just that.

The LASIK procedure is performed in the same manner as other LASIK procedures, but the Contoura system allows for more precise preoperative measurements using the Topolyzer Vario diagnostic equipment. The laser reshaping of the cornea is then customized to the precise topography of the cornea.

In the clinical trial, 92.6% of eyes treated with topo-guided LASIK experienced 20/20 vision or better. To break it down further, 64.8% had 20/16 or better, and 34.4% measured at 20/12.5 or better 12 months after surgery. Patients also experienced significantly reduced incidence of light sensitivity, glare, and difficulty driving at night than those having traditional LASIK.

Dr. Solomon expects demand for topo-guided LASIK to be high, as it is the first FDA-approved advancement in LASIK in over a decade, and has the highest satisfaction rate of any LASIK procedure to date.

"For my patients with nearsightedness, with or without astigmatism, topo-guided LASIK has been a game-changer. I am really excited to have the technology and experience to offer what is truly the most customized vision correction available," Dr. Solomon says.

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Dr. Kerry Solomon (www.drkerrysolomon.com) is a board-certified ophthalmologist in Charleston, SC, specializing in LASIK and refractive cataract surgery. He was the first surgeon in the United States to perform topography-guided LASIK after FDA approval. He also performed South Carolina's first PRK, LASIK, and iLASIK procedures. He was also the first in that state to perform laser assisted cataract surgery using femtosecond technology. He is the 2016 President of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) and a co-founder of Operation Sight. He has also served as an executive board member for the American/European Congress of Ophthalmic Surgery, and chairman of the ASCRS FDA committee.