Tuesday, October 29, 2013

LASIK Was for Me!

I have been wearing glasses since I was about 17 years old.  I always thought it was such a pain to have to wear glasses but I was afraid to wear contacts.  I mainly wore them for driving at first which was even MORE of a pain, having to have a bulky case bouncing around my car. My prescription wasn’t too bad comparing it to other people now but it was annoying enough for me. 

When I turned 21 or 22, I decided that I wanted to try contacts. I did a good job with them, took care of my eyes, didn’t sleep in them, soaked them properly, etc. but I never seemed to have enough time in the mornings to put them in so I ended up just going  back to my glasses full time.  I did alright for a couple years, I just got used to wearing them all the time instead of keeping them in the car and only wearing them while driving.  

I realized that my next step would be to get LASIK. I had heard that D’Ambrosio Eye Care was fantastic with this procedure so I decided this year to start the process. Every step of the way, the staff was great, always making me feel comfortable and reassured.  I got the procedure done on February 13 of this year and I couldn’t be happier with my results!  

I was so nervous for the procedure but the girls kept telling me to just relax and breathe and it was very helpful. The procedure is very quick and every step of the way, the doctor was coaching me and telling me I was doing a great job, and before I knew it, I was ready to go.  I just went back for one of my follow up visits and got the news that I’m not only seeing 20/20 but I’m actually seeing 20/15! 

I couldn’t wait to tell my sister (who also wears glasses) and rub it in.  I’m still getting used to being able to see someone walking towards me clearly without my glasses, or driving, or even watching a movie… but hands down this was the best choice I’ve made for myself yet!

Guest blogger:  Kari L.

D'Ambrosio Eye Care is a leading eye and LASIK care practice with office locations at
479 Old Union Turnpike, Lancaster, Massachusetts 01523, 100 Powder Mill Road, Acton, Massachusetts 01720, 413 Main Street, Athol, Massachusetts 01331 and 74 Main Street, Gardner, Massachusetts 01440 that serve the greater Boston and central Massachusetts area.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Massachusetts Eye Doctor on Contact Lenses & Halloween

Massachusetts eye doctor Francis D’Ambrosio, Jr., M.D. provided some words of caution about contact lenses, Halloween and your eyes. “Halloween, decorative contact lenses and your eyes may not be a great combination,” stated Dr. D’Ambrosio of D’Ambrosio Eye Care with offices in Athol, Lancaster, Acton & Gardner. “About this time each year we see the result of the Halloween participants who wish to turn their eyes from blue to some far out appearance or ghoulish look by using over-the-counter, decorative contact lenses. While this can be a good source of Halloween fun, it can also lead to serious vision-threatening problems,” explained Dr. D’Ambrosio, Jr.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, all contact lenses are regulated medical devices that require a prescription and proper fitting by an eye-care professional. Even someone with perfect vision would still require an eye exam and a prescription in order to wear any kind of contacts, including cosmetic lenses. Some websites advertise decorative contacts as if they were fashion accessories or toys with fanciful, playful packaging in order to attract teens and young adults, especially girls. The problem is not that people use decorative, noncorrosive lenses-sometimes called Plano-or zero-powered lenses, but that they buy the devices without a prescription through unlicensed vendors on the Internet or at flea markets and specialty shops.

The buyer of these over-the-counter contact lenses faces a huge risk including scratched corneas, pink eye and more serious types of blinding infection as a result of a corneal ulcer

In 2005, a federal law was passed that classified all contact lenses as medical devices and restricted their distribution to licensed eye-care professionals. Illegal sale of contacts can result in civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation.
The safe and effective use of contact lenses-whether decorative or not-requires proper fitting and education about their care to prevent the potential for serious eye  problems from becoming a reality. If you or a friend would like to learn more about contact lenses of any type including decorative contacts please contact D’Ambrosio Eye Care by calling us at 800-325-3937, visiting D’Ambrosio Eye Care or facebook.com/dambrosioeyecare.

D'Ambrosio Eye Care is a leading eye and LASIK care practice with office locations at 479 Old Union Turnpike, Lancaster, Massachusetts 01523, 100 Powder Mill Road, Acton, Massachusetts 01720, 413 Main Street, Athol, Massachusetts 01331 and 74 Main Street,Gardner, Massachusetts 01440 that serve the greater Boston and central Massachusetts area.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Hidden Costs of LASIK at Discount Centers

Massachusetts LASIK Surgeon Francis D’Ambrosio, Jr., M.D. cautioned patients to beware of low LASIK prices with hidden costs you don’t know about at many discount LASIK centers. “LASIK costs are affordable for almost anyone who wishes to minimize their dependence on or even eliminate the need for eyeglasses and contact lenses to see at distance. BUT-there are many patients who shop for the best price for LASIK and end up getting an unpleasant surprise,” noted Dr. D’Ambrosio of D’Ambrosio Eye Care with offices in Athol, Lancaster, Acton & Gardner. “Reputable and trusted LASIK surgeons tend to quote fees for LASIK that are comprehensive fees-that is they include everything you need to have LASIK and its associated evaluations and follow up care-regardless of your prescription”, continued Dr. D’Ambrosio.

Discount LASIK centers that offer the lure of the best price for LASIK often quote a price for LASIK that is right on the edge of being deceptive in that it uses the lowest price to draw you in for an evaluation and get you excited about the possibility of having LASIK but then presenting you with hidden costs and fees. These hidden costs and fees can include an additional fee for your prescription that was not within the advertised range, it can include an extra hidden cost of LASIK for astigmatism, it can include an additional hidden cost for follow up care, it may include an extra hidden cost for custom wavefront LASIK or an add on hidden cost for enhancements-and on and on. Hidden costs and fees for LASIK are somewhat typical of the sales and marketing practices of certain discount centers. LASIK is surgery. “You should choose a LASIK surgeon based on their reputation as recommended by friends and relatives and NOT based on the best price. Choosing a LASIK surgeon based on the best price alone could set you up for a number of hidden costs you can’t even understand and end up costing you more in the long run,” summarized Dr. D’Ambrosio.

If you or someone you know has a question about LASIK or would like to schedule a Free LASIK Consultation please feel free to contact us to schedule a Free Consultation at D’Ambrosio Eye Care by calling us at 800-325-3937, visiting D’Ambrosio Eye Care or facebook.com/dambrosioeyecare so that we can help determine whether you are a good candidate.

D'Ambrosio Eye Care is a leading eye and LASIK care practice with office locations at 479 Old Union Turnpike, Lancaster, Massachusetts 01523, 100 Powder Mill Road, Acton, Massachusetts 01720, 413 Main Street, Athol, Massachusetts 01331 and 74 Main Street,Gardner, Massachusetts 01440 that serve the greater Boston and central Massachusetts area.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Boston LASIK Surgeon on Contact Lenses & Dry Eyes

Boston LASIK Surgeon Francis D’Ambrosio, Jr., M.D. cited some important information about contact lenses and dry eyes for contact lens wearers considering LASIK. “Dry eyes can be a very real problem for both rigid and soft contact lens wearers. Researchers reporting in the Eye & Contact Lens: Science & Clinical Practice demonstrated that both rigid and soft contact lenses negatively impacted the tear film surface quality. This research is important to keep in mind when contact lens wearers present for LASIK consultations since the evaluation of the tear film quality and quantity is a critical consideration of determining the patient’s candidacy for any type of Laser Vision Correction-but especially for LASIK surgery,” commented Dr. D’Ambrosio of D’Ambrosio Eye Care with offices in Athol, Lancaster, Acton & Gardner. “Given that a significant number of our patients electing to have LASIK today are indeed contact lens wearers and that dry eye is probably the most common side effect of LASIK that we see with our patients, we need to be aware that some of the pre LASIK tear film abnormalities that we find are actually due to their contact lens wear and that with a sufficient amount of time without contact lens wear many contact lens wearers who want LASIK will recover a normal tear film surface quality and be able to proceed with Laser Vision Correction,” noted Dr. D’Ambrosio.

Contact lens patients considering LASIK or any type of Laser Eye Surgery for vision correction are encouraged to find the best LASIK Surgeons in their area and have a thorough evaluation, examination and consultation in order to find out if they are good candidates. 

If you or someone you know has a question about LASIK, contact lenses, dry eyes or would like to schedule a Free LASIK Consultation they are encouraged to schedule Free Consultation at D’Ambrosio Eye Care by calling us at 800-325-3937, visiting D’Ambrosio Eye Care or facebook.com/dambrosioeyecare so that we can help determine whether you are a good candidate. 

Staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, care for diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear and optical services.

D'Ambrosio Eye Care is a leading eye and LASIK care practice with office locations at 479 Old Union Turnpike, Lancaster, Massachusetts 01523, 100 Powder Mill Road, Acton, Massachusetts 01720, 413 Main Street, Athol, Massachusetts 01331 and 74 Main Street,Gardner, Massachusetts 01440 that serve the greater Boston and central Massachusetts area.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Boston Surgeon on Cataract Risk & Smoking

Boston Cataract Surgeon Francis D’Ambrosio, Jr., M.D. commented on the relationship between smoking and risk of cataracts. “Most patients I speak to today are well aware of the vascular risks of smoking. Current research shows that smokers are also at increased risk of glaucoma and age related macular degeneration among smokers. What may be news to those who smoke is that they are also at increased risk of cataracts,” stated Dr. D’Ambrosio, Jr. of D’Ambrosio Eye Care with offices in Athol, Lancaster, Acton & Gardner.

Patients who are current smokers or who have any history of smoking are at increased risk of getting a cataract according to researchers reporting in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. The researchers found that the overall current literature suggests that smoking was associated with increased risk of age related cataract, especially nuclear cataract and to some extent posterior sub capsular cataract. They further recommended that additional efforts should be made to confirm these findings and clarify the underlying biological mechanisms. A healthy lifestyle and diet are meaningful ways of maintaining eye health and vision-whether lowering your risk of cataracts, keeping the tiny blood vessels in the eye functioning properly or minimizing the associated risks of glaucoma-it’s important to avoid smoking as a lifestyle choice.

If you or someone you know feels they are at risk for cataract development, has a question about cataracts, cataract surgery or lens implants please feel free to schedule an eye examination at D’Ambrosio Eye Care by calling us at 800-325-3937, visiting D’Ambrosio Eye Care or facebook.com/dambrosioeyecare so that we can help recommend an appropriate plan.

Staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, care for diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration (AMD) and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear  and optical services.

D'Ambrosio Eye Care is a leading eye and LASIK care practice with office locations at 479 Old Union Turnpike, Lancaster, Massachusetts 01523, 100 Powder Mill Road, Acton, Massachusetts 01720, 413 Main Street, Athol, Massachusetts 01331 and 74 Main Street,Gardner, Massachusetts 01440 that serve the greater Boston and central Massachusetts area.