Dr. Howard M. Levin has worked closely with the Cleveland Clinic and Saint Vincent Surgery Center since the introduction of the excimer laser, helping LASIK and PRK become the life-changing procedures we know today. If your vision is becoming compromised in any way, Drs. Levin, Vincent M. Imbrogno, Ravinder Sabherwal, and Emily Washek can provide the precise diagnostics and sophisticated services you deserve.
Eye pressure is affected by the amount of fluid in the eye. Aqueous humor is a clear fluid that fills the space between the clear cornea at the front of the eye and the eye's intraocular lens. If too much fluid is produced or if the fluid does not properly drain from the eye, intraocular pressure (IOP) builds. If there is no reduction in the eye pressure, the optic nerve can be damaged. When this happens, you may get blind spots or tunnel vision that reduces your field of view. The vision loss typically occurs slowly, so it is barely noticed until the damage becomes quite severe. If untreated, glaucoma leads to blindness.
Cataracts cause your eyes' lenses to become cloudy, causing blurry vision, glares, and other uncomfortable symptoms. A cataract is a clouding of the eye's lens. The condition causes blurry vision, dulling your ability to see bright colors and decreasing your ability to see well at night. Although glasses and contacts can offset the effects to some degree, the only way to treat cataracts is through surgery. Using advanced technology, Drs. Howard M. Levin, Vincent M. Imbrogno, Ravinder Sabherwal and Emily Washek can remove the compromised, clouded lens and replace it with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL) that will restore your ability to see clearly and crisply.
LASIK complications are exceptionally rare. According to the American Refractive Surgery Council, less than one percent of LASIK patients experience complications. While you may notice some side effects such as dry eye or halos, they are typically minor and temporary. Our surgeons will thoroughly evaluate your candidacy and educate you about any and all potential complications and side effects of LASIK so that you can make an educated decision about your treatment. However, we usually highly recommend LASIK because of the procedure's reputation for safety and effectiveness.
Emily Washek, DO, is a cornea fellowship-trained doctor, giving her a trained eye to detect and treat corneal diseases. Ravinder Sabherwal, OD, specializes in the fitting of contact lenses for keratoconus. They work alongside Howard M. Levin, MD, and Vincent M. Imbrogno, DO, who are board-certified ophthalmologists in the Erie area who specialize in diagnosing and treating a range of eye conditions.
Myopia is a condition in which your eyes focus light in front of the retina, instead of directly onto it. This refractive error is usually due to the shape of the lens or cornea. If our doctors determine that you are nearsighted, we can usually manage the condition through conservative treatments at our practice serving Northwest Pennsylvania. Even severe cases are treatable when detected early.
If your eyes do not produce a sufficient amount of tears, you may have what is known as aqueous tear-deficient dry eye. Your tears lubricate and protect your eyes, so if your lacrimal glands aren't producing enough tears, you may experience pain every time your eyelid moves across the surface of your eye. While healthy tears contain a balanced amount of oil, water, and mucus, poor-quality tears do not contain the correct proportions of these substances, causing them to evaporate too quickly from the surface of the eye.
PRK is designed to correct your vision and reduce your dependence on glasses or contacts. Similar to LASIK eye surgery, PRK is a surgical procedure in which the surgeon permanently changes the shape and curvature of the cornea to improve your vision. The difference lies in how the underlying corneal tissue is accessed. During PRK eye surgery, the protective outer layer of the cornea is completely removed. During the healing period, during which special contact lenses are worn, the epithelium will grow back naturally and protect the newly reshaped cornea.