New ‘All Laser’ Bladeless Z-Lasik At The Braverman Eye Center in Hallandale Beach

By Lynne Peterson - South Florida Sun-Times

There’s more to 20/20 vision than meets the eye. The Braverman Eye Center is the first South Florida eye center to get the high tech Ziemer LDV Femtosecond Surgical Laser for refractive surgery. Now, Stanley Braverman MD FACS is offering “all laser” Z-LASIK in addition to a full array of other refractive procedures.

This new, ultra-fast femtosecond laser is the product of Swiss engineering. Ziemer Group AG, which makes the laser, is based in Port, Switzerland, a small town in the heart of the Swiss “Land of three Lakes,” an area which is renowned for its traditional watch-making and s t a t e - o f - t h e - a r t microtechnology industry. The laser is used to create exquisitely smooth flaps, the first step in “Bladeless All-Laser Z-LASIK” eye surgery.

The LDV’s unique hand-held laser delivery system is much easier for surgeons to use – and much nicer for patients, who don’t have to be moved during the surgery between the table where the flap is created and the operating table where the LASIK vision correction is performed. Dr. Braverman doesn’t have to shift positions or change microscopes either; he can perform and control the entire procedure from a single working position.

This second-generation femtosecond laser’s revolutionary design concept provides several other major benefits to the patient: • Short overall procedure time with the efficient LASIK work-flow.• Rapid healing and faster visual recovery.• Overall patient comfort. • A safer, bladeless procedure.

“We are excited to be the first center in Florida to offer to patients this outstanding laser system,” Dr. Stanley Braverman said. “I believe it will help the Braverman Eye Center improve on our already safe and effective LASIK procedures and give us another option to offer OUR patients.”

The Ziemer LDV is a s e c o n d - g e n e r a t i o n femtosecond laser. It is 1,000 times faster than the first-generation Intralase femtosecond laser, and the LDV has a much smaller two micron laser spot size that creates less tissue disruption and smoother treatment areas. This laser works on a

sub-cellular basis that creates much less inflammation than the first-generation Intralase laser, which translates into better vision and faster healing times for the patient with less post-op inflammation.

As one of the first surgeons in South Florida to start performing laser vision correction surgery, Dr. Braverman has many years of experience. Although he is certified to use five different laser platforms, Dr. Braverman believes the LADARVision with CustomCornea by ALCON provides the best results. It uses ground-breaking CustomCornea wavefront technology that allows eye surgeons, for the first time, to address visual problems that were undetectable before. Wavefront technology customizes laser eye surgery, personalizing it for each patient and making an already good surgery, LASIK, even better.

The Braverman Eye Center in Hallandale Beach has the only excimer laser with CustomCornea wavefront technology within a 360 square mile area. “Together the bladeless Ziemer Femto LDV femtosecond laser and the LADARVision excimer laser lets me offer my patients the best state-of-the-art all-laser vision correction surgery available,” Dr. Braverman said.

“With this combination, there is no reason to go anywhere else for your LASIK procedure,” he said. “Many more of my patients are seeing 20/20 following a CustomCornea procedure, and studies show that about 70% of patients treated with CustomCornea wavefront technology see better without glasses after the procedure than they ever saw with glasses or contacts before the surgery was done.

One recent study showed that at one month after surgery, 80% of eyes were seeing better than 20/20 without glasses! And 100% could pass a driving test!

Wavefront technology is delivering on its promise,” Dr. Braverman said CustomCornea has really proven its worth, “I’ve never seen results like this in the 11 years I’ve been performing refractive laser eye surgeries. The majority of our patients are thrilled with their outcomes. It’s often life-changing for them. Bladeless all-laser Z-LASIK flap technology will make these

results even better.”LASIK is a virtually painless

procedure, but fears about side effects, such as glare, halos, and night vision problems, were a significant concern in the past. With CustomCornea wavefront-guided LASIK, Dr. Braverman said visual outcomes have become more predictable and these side effects now occur

in fewer than 1% of patients.”Using a wavefront-guided

laser with all laser bladeless technology costs slightly more than conventional LASIK, but there are some unique ways to pay for laser eye surgery today, including some help from the IRS. Recent changes in tax laws allow patients to utilize their medical flex spending dollars

to pay for the procedure, which can save them as much as 40%, depending on their tax bracket. A flex spending account (FSA) is an employer-sponsored benefit that allows employees to pay for eligible medical expenses on a pre-tax basis. If an employer does not offer an FSA, LASIK now also qualifies as a tax deductible medical expense.

To learn more about the Ziemer FEMTO LDV Femtosecond Surgical Laser, the LADARVison excimer laser, CustomCornea wavefront treatments, or any refractive procedure, please call Rosemary

at the Braverman Eye Center at 1-800-92-EYES (3937)-1, (954) 458-2112 or visit their

website at www.bravermaneyecenter.com.

AS SEEN IN THE SOUTH FLORIDA SUN TIMES 01/24/08

Dr. Braverman is a Voluntary Assistant Clinical Professor at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

A LASIK consultation with Dr. Stanley Braverman can be arranged by calling Rosemary at the Braverman Eye Center,1-800-92-EYES (3937)1 or (954) 458-2112.

LASIK is a virtually painless procedure, but fears about side effects, such as glare, halos, and night vision problems, were a significant concern in the past, but virtually gone using CustomCornea.