Because no single refractive procedure is a one size fits all solution. Dr. Bowden stays on the cutting edge of available LASIK and refractive technologies by bringing to bear the expertise he gained during his Fellowship training in cornea/external disease at one of the world’s most prestigious eye hospitals, Wills Eye in Philadelphia, PA.

Implantable Collamer Lenses or Visian ICL

At Bowden Eye & Associates, we believe in providing our patients with the most advanced technology available and we consider our practice a full service vision correction facility. If you have been considering vision correction surgery in Jacksonville, FL, the time has never been better. Implantable Collamer Lens procedure is often referred to as Implantable Contact Lenses, or ICL. An ICL allows patients the ability to see near and far without the dependence of glasses and contact lenses. Before patients were often told that they were not a LASIK candidiate and the patient was left with no other option. Now the ICL procedure is helping these patients live without the dependency of glasses or contact lenses.

The Visian ICL, which was FDA approved in 2005, has been implanted in over 250,000 patients worldwide. Many happy patients, including our military, have been fortunate to learn about and ultimately benefit from Visian ICL surgery and are now enjoying high definition vision without the hassle of contacts or glasses, a dream they never thought would come true. Dr. Bowden is one of the few doctors in Florida who is certified to perform Visian ICL Surgery and has been routinely offering this procedure to his patients.

The Visian ICL is an implantable Collamer lens that works with the eye to correct vision and block harmful UVA and UVB rays. Unlike LASIK or PRK, there is no tissue removed from the cornea, which is the clear surface of the eye. Dr. Bowden, implants the lens through a tiny incision that takes only minutes to complete and remains between the iris and natural lens of the eye . This lens is undetectable with the naked eye so nobody can see it after implantation and you cannot feel it in your eye.

The product is indicated for use in patients who are between 21-45 years of age who are nearsighted and demand the highest quality of vision for their active lifestyles. In fact, the US Military has embraced this technology and the Visian ICL has been improving the vision of the bravest people in our nation under the harshest conditions imaginable. The results are nothing short of heroic.

Conductive Keratoplasty

Conductive Keratoplasty, or “CK” is a minimally invasive procedure designed to treat near vision by the controlled release of radiofrequency energy to reshape the cornea. Because CK does not involve cutting or lasers, the procedure can be performed in an office setting using anesthetic drops to numb the eye. During the procedure, a tiny probe is used to direct the radio frequency in a circular pattern, causing small areas of cornea to shrink in a constrictive band. As this constrictive band tightens, much like the tightening of a belt, it creates a mild steepening of the cornea, changes the focus, and allows clearer near vision. The procedure takes just a few minutes and the patient experiences simply a mild foreign body sensation for a day or two after the procedure. When the procedure has been completed, most patients find they can completely eliminate their glasses or contact lenses. While most patients having CK notice an immediate improvement in their near vision, the full effect of the treatment may take several weeks to several months to fully realize and appreciate.

Nearvision CK is tended for people over 40 who want to improve their near vision and reduce their dependency on reading glasses.

You are likely a good candidate for CK if you:

• Are over 40
• Had great vision your whole life
• Require reading glasses to compensate for fading near vision

iLASIK

Imagine life without contacts or glasses. You can see clearly in bright, vibrant color. You no longer have to squint! Activities like hiking, biking, swimming, tennis and golf are more convenient because you don’t have to worry about losing a contact lens or your glasses sliding down your nose. For many, LASIK is helping people become less dependent on contacts and glasses. However, while LASIK can be an amazing procedure, your decision on where to go should not be made lightly. The surgeon you choose can mean the difference between excellent results and real complications. Dr. Bowden is a fellowship trained corneal specialist certified in all refractive procedures. Dr. Bowden offers the most advanced LASIK procedure in the world iLASIK, which includes an integration of the latest vision correction technologies including: Intralase, and CustomVue.

Dr. Bowden is also the only VisionLock surgeon in North Florida and South Georgia. To become a VisionLock surgeon you must meet rigorous medical standards, be a board certified Ophthalmologist, and be approached by VisionLock. A surgeon can not pay for this title or ask to “join”, it is merely a prestigious honor and is invitation only.

Having a VisionLock surgeon means that your surgery has guaranteed results backed with an insurance policy that covers your results. For more information, please visit the VisionLock website at www.VisionLock.com.

Who can have LASIK?

Both nearsighted and farsighted patients can benefit from LASIK. With nearsightedness, the goal is to flatten the too steep cornea; with farsighted patients, a steeper cornea is desired. Excimer laser can also correct astigmatism by smoothing an irregular cornea into a more normal-round shape. Our VISX laser has an iris recognition monitoring system which ensures your astigmatism is treated to your precise degree.

As far as the laser treatment, we offer two options. Conventional laser is a laser treatment where Dr. Bowden treats your myopia or hyperopia and any astigmatism you may have. Dr. Bowden also utilizes the advanced CustomVue laser vision correction treatment which is a personalized treatment specific for your eyes. With a CustomVue treatment, Dr. Bowden will treat your myopia or hyperopia, any astigmatism and your Personal High Order Aberrations (HOA). HOA are the individual high and lows of your cornea (very much like a finger print) which may manifest as glare and/or halos at night. The Advanced CustomVue procedure offers a level of accuracy, safety and customization never before possible in laser vision correction. Special high technology tools allows us to precisely measure and correct the imperfections in each eye, which means a treatment uniquely tailored to our patient.

INTACS

The purpose of the INTACS procedure is to flatten out the cone-like shape in the patient’s cornea enabling them to achieve clearer vision when wearing glasses or comfortably wear contact lenses. This choice is utilized for those patients who are unable to tolerate contact lenses and as a step in preventing or delaying a corneal transplant. INTACS is also a less invasive option for a patient with keratoconus.

Keratoconus is a corneal disease that creates a thinning of the tissue. As the outermost layers of the eye get thinned, normal pressure within the eye causes the tissue to slowly bulge forward into a cone-like shape. This steepening causes a decrease in vision. As this process progresses the vision may further deteriorate. Keratoconus rarely leads to blindness; however, it may cause daily activities to be harder to perform. The cause of keratoconus is unknown, however it is believed to be genetically acquired and environmental factors as allergens and the rubbing of the eyes may exacerbate the situation. In most cases, the changes in the cornea due to keratoconus begin in the teen years and stabilize at about 30 years of age. Patients are almost always left highly nearsighted with astigmatism.

Keratoconus is initially treated with rigid contact lenses. The hard lenses flatten the corneal bulge and consequently, improve the patient’s vision.

How do the Intacs work?

The purpose of this procedure is to improve vision and to allow patients to wear more comfortably contacts or glasses. The implants, which look like a letter C, reshape the tissue thereby adding support to the thinning area thus preventing or decreasing the bulging of the cornea. With the implants in position, a more normal surface of the eye is created allowing the patient to have better vision and easier fit for contacts.

Imagine your cornea as a tent with a curved top. If you push out the sides of the tent, the top flattens. Similarly, when INTACS corneal implants are placed in the sides of the cornea, they flatten it just enough to correct myopia.