Eye Health and Diseases

Machine-driven and manual devices such as auto refracto keratometer, air puff and applanation tonometer (for the measurement of intraocular pressure), direct and indirect ophthalmoscope are being used in our center; and patient records are saved in our computer database.

Every single ophthalmology is performed by experienced surgeons using the latest technology and devices. Almost 100% of the cataract surgeries are being performed under drop anesthesia using the Phacoemulsification Technique that does not require stitches. All kinds of complicated vitreoretinal surgeries are successfully performed including pars plana vitrectomy ( to treat vision loss due to diabetes), internal limitan membrane peeling, foveal translocation surgery for macula degeneration due to senor age are being performed with great success.

Cornea transplants are performed using donor corneas attained from Eye Banks.

Glaucoma (eye tension), cross-eye vision and retina decollement surgeries are carried out using the most appropriate methods.

Excimer Laser applications performed for correction of myopic, astigmatic and hypermetropic vision are being carried out using LASIK method and drop anesthesia.

Cornea Transplant

What is a Cornea Transplant?

Your cornea is the transparent, dome-shaped most outer layer of your eye that accounts for a large part of your eye's focusing power. A cornea transplant (also known as a keratoplasty) is a surgical procedure in which the surgeon replaces part of your cornea with corneal tissue from a donor. This tissue can be obtained from eye banks within Turkey or from abroad.

Why is Cornea Transplantation performed?

A cornea transplant is most often performed to restore vision to a person who has a damaged cornea. A cornea transplant can restore vision, reduce pain and improve the appearance of a damaged or diseased cornea.

Which conditions are treated with a Cornea Transplant?

A number of conditions can be treated with a cornea transplant, including:

• Corneal ulcers, including those caused by infection
• Cornea scarring, caused by infection or injury
• Fuchs' dystrophy
• Thinning of the cornea
• A cornea that bulges outward (keratoconus)
• Clouding of the cornea
• Swelling of the cornea
• Complications caused by previous eye surgery

Things to know about your Operation:

Considering your condition (age, general health condition, the type of your eye disease etc.) you may be given general or local anesthetic. You will be asked to not have breakfast and take your regular medication with minimum amount of water. Drugs such as Aspirin which thins the blood will be asked to stop one week prior to the operation. Your doctor will explain all the details of the procedure that are spesific to your eye before the Operation.

After the Transplant:

To prevent infection and red reaction, patients will be asked to use eye drops for a while after the operation. Apart from limiting heavy exercise and protecting your eye from direct impact (you may wear an eye patch) your daily activitis will not be impacted. Usual recovery time from the Operation is 1 week on average. You will have control examinations 1 day, 1 week, 1 month and 6 months after the operation to ensure the success of the treatment.

Excimer Laser

25 years ago, the idea of treating the refractive errors by changing the declivity of the cornea, improved the scratch surgeries of Fyodorov. The procedure to treat myopia was relying on flattening the cornea by scratching it with diamond blades. Comparative satisfaction achieved with this technique forced scientists to search for better techniques.

20 years ago, researchers found out that excimer laser can create an ablation (destruction of the tissue by so to say vaporizing it) of 0,25 micron thickness. Thanks to improvements of the technique; excimer laser is now very consistent and reliable. For about 15 years refractive errors are being treated with excimer laser all over the world as well as in our country.

Every single laser pulse embraces the ligaments between the corneal cells. The sensitivity of this procedure is up to 0,25 micron thickness. In excimer laser technology, the laser beam ablates (in desired thickness and width) the targeted tissue. Thus, refractivity of the eye changes as desired. This technique does not scratch the eye, therefore pressure alterations do not jeopardize the integrity of the eye. Since the laser only influences some specific areas of the cornea, it does not harm the optic center.

Operations were used to be performed using a technique called PRK; however today’s medical sciences prefer Lasik or Lasek depending on the condition of the eye

Lasik

This technique is being used since 1994. Lasik excimer laser is used for cutting a flap in the cornea and folding it back. Thanks to this technique, pain after the surgery decreased a lot. The patients reach an adequate vision level the very next day. Even high refractive errors might be treated with lasik. No distinctive stain occurs in the cornea. It is very rare for the refractive error to redevelop after the lasik surgery. The stabilization is completed within a month. If the patient still needs glasses after a month, a second lasik surgery might be performed by simply folding the existent flap. In suitable eyes, lasik surgery shows satisfactory results with up to +6,00 hypermetropia and up to -12,00 myopia treatment.

The purpose of refractive surgery is to minimize or to exterminate the refractive error if possible. If the patient can see without eyeglasses ( as good as he/she sees with them) after the surgery then it is considered a successful result. Excimer laser is a FDA approved technology and millions of people were treated with it. Lasik is performed under drop anesthesia. Eye lids are wide open with the aid of a tool, so that the patient does not blink. After marking the center of the cornea, a microkeratom that will create the flop is disposed into the eye. While preparing the flap, the sensation of light disappears for 3 to 4 seconds because of the pressure which was created by the keraton. Laser treatment does not last more than a minute.  The procedure ends with an antibiotic drop after the eye is carefully cleaned and the flop is folded back. The first day, the eye may burns, itches or feels like there is something in it, but it should not give any discomfort the next day. It is very important that no wrinkle occurs on the flap after the surgery. Therefore the eye should not be rubbed for a month (most importantly the first days). If wrinkle occurs, the flap should be folded back by the physician.

Lasek

It is performed on patients whom corneas are not thick enough for the lasik. This procedure is also performed under drop anesthesia. The patient does not feel any pain during the laser procedure. The front layer of the cornea is lifted then the laser is performed. After the laser is performed, the layer of the cornea is folded back and a contact lens is disposed on the top of it. The contact lens stays on until this layer heals it self. The first couple days, the eye may burns, itches or feels like there is something in it. With this technique, the vision starts improving the next day however it takes longer to recover (3 to 4 weeks) then the lasik.

Some of the devices we have in our ophthalmology

Topcon Compu vision eye examination systems

• Zeiss Visu200 and Visu210 Ophtalmic microsurgery microscopes
• Alcon Legacy2000 facoemulsification devices
• Allergan Diplomax facoemulsification device
• Alcon Acurus Vitrektomi+facoemulsification device
• Optikon Asistan facoemulsification device
• Schwind Esiris Excimer Laser
• Argon Laser
• YAG Laser
• Zeiss IOLMaster
• Zeiss OCT
• HRII Digital FF+ICG Angiograph
• Oculus computed perimeter
• Corneal Topograph
• Wavefront Analyser
• Bausch&Lomb Orbscan IIz
• A-B Scan Eye Ultrasonography