Looking for proven LASIK expertise in the Triangle area? Dr. Dean Dornic, founder and Medical Director of the Laser Eye Center of Carolina, brings over 15 years of surgical experience and thousands of successful procedures to patients seeking freedom from glasses and contacts. As the first Raleigh/Durham specialist to perform blade-free LASIK with IntraLase® technology, he combines cutting-edge innovation with personalized care at our state-of-the-art facilities in Cary and Smithfield.
Using the Latest in LASIK Technology
At Dr. Dornic’s state-of-the-art LASIK Raleigh & Durham offices, patients are offered advanced treatments designed to reduce or eliminate their dependence on glasses and contact lenses. To deliver the best possible vision correction results, Dr. Dornic conducts thorough evaluations and uses the latest laser eye surgery technologies. Our IntraLase laser is the safest available, and our CustomVue technology has been proven to deliver the highest success rate.
Approved for Astronauts
Did you know that LASIK surgery is approved by NASA? Having 20/20 vision is required to be an astronaut. See how our “best of the best” technology became approved for the most demanding job there is.
What is LASIK?
LASIK is an acronym for Laser-Assisted in situ Keratomileusis, a procedure that uses a laser to reshape the cornea and correct refractive error, the failure of the eye to properly focus light on the retina.
There are three common types of refractive error that can be treated with LASIK eye surgery:
Refractive Errors Treatable with LASIK
Nearsightedness
Also known as “myopia”, nearsightedness occurs as a result of the eye growing too long from front to back, or from the cornea being too curved. This causes the light entering the eye to be incorrectly focused and results in blurry vision.
Patients with nearsightedness can see close objects well but have difficulty seeing distant objects.
Nearsightedness is very common, and more than 3 million cases are reported each year.
Farsightedness
Hyperopia, also referred to as “farsightedness” occurs when the eye is too short, or the cornea develops improperly, and lacks curvature. This flat cornea causes incoming light to be bent improperly, resulting in nearby objects appearing blurry, while distant objects look normal.
Farsightedness is also very common, with around 3 million new cases reported each year.
Astigmatism
Astigmatism is also a result of a defect in the eye or shape of the lens. Astigmatism often occurs in conjunction with either nearsightedness or farsightedness. Patients with astigmatism have an eye that is slightly football-shaped, which prevents the incoming light from being focused. This results in vision being blurred at all distances.
How Does LASIK Work?
LASIK eye surgery corrects vision by reshaping the cornea, so that light rays focus more precisely on the retina, thereby reducing or eliminating refractive errors. There is typically little or no post-operative discomfort after LASIK surgery. Recovery is fast, and complications are rare if your procedure is performed by an experienced LASIK surgeon utilizing the best available technology.
The LASIK Procedure
The first step in LASIK eye surgery is to create a corneal flap. A very fine layer of the outer corneal surface is incised with a laser or microkeratome and folded back to expose the stroma, the middle layer of the cornea. The second step of LASIK surgery is to use a laser to remove microscopic amounts of tissue, reshaping the cornea. Lastly, the flap is returned to its original position and reseals itself.
What is iLasik?
Traditionally, the LASIK flap had been made with an instrument with an oscillating blade. Vision correction was achieved by the surgeon manually entering prescription information into an excimer laser and delivering the treatment under the LASIK flap. Two major advances in technology: the IntraLase laser to create a blade-free flap and CustomVue technology to correct higher order aberrations, so revolutionized the LASIK procedure that the combination has been designated iLASIK. iLASIK still maintains the two basic steps of the older LASIK procedure, but is the manifestation of major improvements in both steps. The evolution of LASIK into the iLASIK procedure, utilizing a wavefront analyzer and two separate lasers: one to make the flap and one to perform the vision correction, has made a good procedure even better and safer.
LASIK Technology
LASIK technology has evolved over the years. iLasik™ is a new brand of LASIK eye surgery pioneered and perfected by AMO/VISX and IntraLase technology. All branches of the U.S. military and NASA recently approved LASIK for all their servicemen and women, thanks to studies using the iLasik™ technology. NASA approved the LASIK procedure for its astronauts following review of extensive military clinical data, which showed the use of the two lasers (IntraLase and Wavefront) provides superior safety and vision as compared to earlier forms of the procedure.
Our LASIK Durham/Raleigh facility offers the latest LASIK technology available. Learn more about Wavefront® LASIK, custom LASIK with CustomVue™ and VISX® technology, and all-laser LASIK with the IntraLase® laser.
WaveScan™ Wavefront® Technology
By using the VISX® WaveScan™ Wavefront® System during LASIK eye surgery at our practice, Dr. Dornic creates a WavePrint® map that reveals how your entire optical system processes light. This creates a personalized “fingerprint” of your vision that was previously unavailable, allowing both eyes to be treated for their unique imperfections during LASIK eye surgery.
VISX® Star S4-IR™
Dr. Dornic performs your LASIK vision correction with the VISX® Star S4-IR™ laser. The Star S4-IR™ offers a new level of accuracy by combining two systems: Variable Spot Scanning and 3D ActiveTrak®. This laser is accurate to 0.25 microns – an amazing figure when you consider a human hair is about 70 microns thick.
CustomVue™
CustomVue™ matches the “fingerprint” of your vision to that of a perfect optical system and transfers this information directly to the VISX® Star S4-IR™ laser for precise, personalized LASIK eye surgery for our patients. For those LASIK patients who qualify, CustomVue™ can enable Dr. Dornic to correct minute details in your vision that glasses and contacts cannot.
IntraLase
The IntraLase® laser is the latest technology available for creating the corneal flap for LASIK. Used instead of the standard metal blade, the laser provides a much more precise flap. IntraLase LASIK is proven to be the safest LASIK and delivers, overall, the best results. Dr. Dornic is the first LASIK surgeon in the area who is trained and experienced in IntraLase LASIK technology. If your surgeon doesn’t perform IntraLase®, you won’t be offered IntraLase®.
Why Choose Dr. Dornic for Your LASIK Surgery
Dr. Dean Dornic is a board-certified, fellowship-trained vision correction specialist dedicated to maintaining the highest standards in ophthalmic surgery. With more than 15 years of surgical experience and thousands of successful LASIK procedures, he has earned recognition as one of “America’s Top Ophthalmologists” and was named a LASIK Gold surgeon—an honor bestowed upon the top 50 LASIK surgeons nationwide. As the first Raleigh/Durham surgeon to perform blade-free LASIK with IntraLase® and to offer implantable contact lenses, Dr. Dornic combines pioneering expertise with personalized care. Many doctors and healthcare providers have trusted him for their own vision correction, and you can be confident in our commitment to make your LASIK experience comfortable and, above all, successful.
Contact Our Raleigh Area LASIK Practice Today
Ready to explore life without glasses or contacts? Contact the Laser Eye Center of Carolina to schedule your LASIK consultation with Dr. Dornic. We proudly serve patients at our Cary location at (919) 467-9955 and our Smithfield location at (919) 938-2010. Dr. Dornic also specializes in cataract surgery and is regarded as one of the most talented surgeons in the Raleigh area.
