Dr William Boothe Surgeon

YAG Laser - YAG is an acronym for neodymium Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet, which is the material used to create this laser. It’s a short pulsed and high-energy infrared light with a wavelength of 1064 nm. It’s used after cataract surgery to vaporize tissue. The crystalline lens is inside a capsular bag, which holds it in place. Cataract surgery fragments and removes the clouded lens but not the bag. Afterwards, many patients develop clouding in that bag tissue. The YAG laser vaporizes it in a post-operative out-patient procedure.

Dr Boothe

Stroma - The central layer of cells in the cornea, thicker than the other layers. A LASIK or similar procedure targets this layer in correcting the shape of the cornea to improve vision.

Stromal Dystrophies - A group of hereditary dystrophies affecting the stroma, the middle layer of the cornea (where LASIK surgery is done). There are three main ones: Macular Dystrophy, Granular Dystrophy, and Lattice Dystrophy.

Dr William Boothe

: Epikeratome - A surgical tool similar to a microkeratome, used to make the corneal flap in an Epi-LASIK procedure. It has a blunt separator where the microkeratome, used in LASIK procedures, has a very thin and sharp blade. It’s another way of making the corneal flap and does not involve the use of alcohol, as LASEK procedures do. Each way of making the corneal flap has its advantages and disadvantages and consultation with an experienced eye surgeon will determine which would be best for you.
Anterior Basement Membrane Dystrophy - The most common corneal dystrophy. An eye condition where the membrane that lies beneath the epithelial cells (surface cells) of the cornea is uneven and traps cells below it which should normally rise above it. It impairs vision, is usually hereditary, and fluctuates in severity over the person’s lifetime. It’s also called Map-Dot-Fingerprint Dystrophy (a name based on how it looks microscopically), and Epithelial Basement Membrane Dystrophy
Dr William Boothe