Wayne State University School of Medicine Alumni Magazine

Feature Article

 

Near-perfect technologies, proven success provide impetus for vision correction surgery

William Goldstein, MD said he only offers patients procedures that he also recommends to his own family and friends. The fact that he personally performed LASIK for several family members, soccer parents from his childrens' teams, and other close friends is a testament to his confidence in the highly advanced vision correction procedures now available. "The technology is so great that, unless you have some physical reason that prohibits you from getting LASIK, there is just no reason to wait," he said.

A '90 graduate of the Wayne State University School of Medicine, Dr. Goldstein completed his internal medicine and ophthalmology training at Sinai Hospital, and has been performing cataracts and other eye surgeries since 1992. He was in the first group of surgeons certified to perform LASIK in Michigan, and has now performed over 4,000 LASIK procedures. He has been named one of "America's Top Ophthalmologists" by the Consumers' Research Council of America.

"I have great confidence in the tools and technology that are available," Dr. Goldstein said. "A decade ago, many people were interested in LASIK, but took a wait-an-see approach. The technology is so sophisticated now and the results are so fantastic, that any new advances will be miniscule at this point. There may be some tweaking that makes some procedures slightly more user-friendly for the surgeon, but for the patient, the technology and results are already unbelievable."

For patients who are not LASIK candidates, there is still good news. Dr. Goldstein was the first surgeon in Michigan to use the Visian Implantable Collamer Lens. This surgically implanted, foldable contact lens provides perfect or near-perfect vision for people with high degrees of nearsightedness or abnormalities of the cornea, which would make them poor candidates for traditional LASIK-like procedures. Dr. Goldstein had been working with Staar Surgical Company, creator of the Visian ICL, to improve intraocular lenses for patients with cataract problems. "When I heard about the Visian product in development, I sent letters to 40 of my patients who were potential candidates. I go immediate responses from 20 interested patients, and when the lens was ready for consumers, I had six people ready to go."

Dr. Goldstein implanted the first group of Visian lenses and found great success. He was able to offer 20/20 vision or better to patients with a history of extremely poor vision who had worn thick glasses for many years. "They were thrilled," he said. Dr. Goldstein is anticipating the release of another version of this lens that will also correct astigmatism. He already has patients eagerly awaiting its approval.

Dr. Goldstein has seen great success in his career and feels honored to be a physician. He humbly faces the realtity of needing reading glasses. "I thought it wouldn't happen to me, but my kids put their homework in front of me, and I have to hold it a few inches further away before it comes into focus," he said. Thanks to new tools and readily available technology, the truth doesn't have to hurt.

Copyright © 2007