Dr. Bavand the Cornea Fellow – Contoura™ Vision
One of the things we enjoy most at Gordon Schanzlin New Vision Institute is the ability to lead the way with emerging technologies in the field of vision correction surgery. The latest advancement is an exciting new technology called Contoura™ Vision also known as Topography Guided Lasik, utilizing the Alcon Wavelight Suite. This vision correction procedure takes a detailed mapping of the eye allowing for a new level of precision, especially for those with irregular astigmatism.
We recently had the opportunity to perform the procedure on Dr. Bavand Youssefzadeh, one of our former Fellows and Surgeons. We spoke to him about the new technology, how it has improved his professional and personal life, and why he choose GSNVI to have his procedure.
Q&A With Dr. Bavand
How did you get into the field of vision surgery?
In medical school I had the privilege of doing rotations with essentially every single specialty within the field of medicine, and ophthalmology is probably one of the hardest fields to get into. I was lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time and was able to pursue ophthalmology initially in Miami, Florida.
What initially interested you in working specifically in vision as opposed to another medical profession?
Working with eyesight is really gratifying as the eye is the most complex organ in the body. It is in close proximity to the brain, and it’s continually evolving. It’s a very exciting field for any medical student to pursue their residency in.
What’s your specialty within the field?
While finishing my residency, I started to become interested in the field of cornea refractive surgery. Cornea refractive surgery is very exciting, because I perform an operation and by the next day the patients can see and they are happy. I get to restore patients vision and that’s what led me into wanting to continue working in the vision correction field.
How did you initially meet Dr. Gordon and Dr. Schanzlin?
I have known of Dr. Gordon for a long time because he is a leader in this field, and he has been for a number of years, so I really wanted to train under Dr. Gordon and Dr. Schanzlin. It’s been amazing to observe how they operate, learn from them, and see how well they treat every patient.
What was it about Dr. Gordon and GSNVI that made you want to have your procedure there?
Being here and seeing the quality of care they provide to every patient is amazing, and I believe that it is superior to any other practice in the country. Also, to have one of your mentors perform your procedure is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Contoura™ Vision is a new procedure, what about this particular procedure inspired you to move forward with having LASIK?
It’s extremely precise, it finds all of the crevices, valleys, and hills that your cornea has, regardless of whether or not you have a regular or irregular astigmatism and it adds another level of precision to existing LASIK. It takes a detailed map of your eye and can really pinpoint the areas that need to be corrected to maximize results. Being with Dr. Gordon and Dr. Schanzlin I was able to witness all of the amazing results that the patients were having and felt like the Topography Guided Lasik was the best choice for me.
Is this new technology going to replace traditional LASIK?
I don’t know if it will replace it, but it is definitely the next level of precision, especially for patients who have irregular astigmatisms.
How does it feel to be free of contacts and glasses?
It’s so liberating, and I was able to go back to work the next day and not have to worry about contacts or glasses. You really don’t become aware of how much time you spend dealing with glasses and contacts until you have vision correction surgery. It’s great to be free of having to deal with that.
Has it had any significant impact on your work or personal life?
Well a lot of my work is done in a microscope and with contacts your eyes tend to get really dry and with glasses they can get foggy, so it’s nice to no longer have to worry about that. In my personal life there is just really no limits to what I can do now, which is really liberating.
If you could share one message with people thinking about having LASIK what would it be?
I really never knew how much of an impact it would have on my personal life, even though I witnessed patients happiness with their results on daily basis. If I knew what I know now, I probably would have had it sooner, all though I’m happy to be a recipient of this new technology. I wouldn’t wait any longer, that’s for sure!
*Results May Vary
The doctors at Gordon Schanzlin New Vision Institute have either authored or reviewed and approved this content.
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