After cataract surgery, most patients will need the help of an artificial lens in order to see properly. The problem is that many artificial lenses that are available are mono-focal and can only focus at a certain distance. This means that the patient will sacrifice seeing clearly at one distance if they want to see clearly in another. Our team at ICT Eye in Wichita, KS offers PanOptix as a lens solution that doesn’t require that sacrifice.

How Does PanOptix Work?

A Trifocal Lens Means No Compromise

A PanOptix lens can offer clear, 20/20 near, intermediate, and distance vision. The first way this is done is by maximizing the use of light. At 3mm pupil size, it offers 88% total light utilization. This high percentage means that more light is reaching the retina. When combined with a 4.5mm diffractive zone, which reduces its dependence on pupil size, this trifocal lens offers excellent results in a range of lighting conditions.

The second way this lens offers great results is through its groundbreaking use of focal points. An additional focal point was created at the intermediate vision distance of 120 centimeters, or right around four feet. Then, this focal point’s light energy was redirected, which created near, intermediate, and distant focal points, all in one powerful lens.

Near Vision

Near vision is what allows you to read a book or look down at your cell phone. Mono-focal lenses are usually focused at far distances, which means that you would need to rely on glasses for anything that requires near vision.

A trifocal lens means that you won’t have to worry about scrambling for glasses when you want to read a text or look at something friends or family are trying to show you. You’ll be able to see those fine details on your own, which can offer a greater sense of independence.

Intermediate Vision

Intermediate vision comes into play when you’re doing anything at arm’s length. Things like working on your computer, shaving, or cooking may fall into this category. Intermediate vision plays a key role in our daily lives. Having clear intermediate vision can help you both at work, as well as when you are enjoying your favorite activities.

Distance Vision

Distance vision helps you when it comes to driving, cycling, watching a movie, or enjoying a beautiful view. Having a sharp and clear image at a distance can help you continue to enjoy the world around you to its fullest. Being able to freely drive yourself to your own activities, soak in the scenery on a hike, or play a vigorous game of frisbee without a second thought is an experience we want to help provide for our patients.

It Can Offer Independence From Relying on Glasses for Daily Life

When patients who have never had to wear glasses before are faced with cataract surgery, it can make them feel as though they have lost something. A trifocal lens can make cataract surgery more of a bump along the road than a life-altering event. By using a trifocal lens, the goal is to replicate your vision so you can continue on with your life, instead of having to alter your life around your surgery.

It Can Correct Astigmatism 

Astigmatism is extremely common. In fact, it can affect about one in every three people in the US. It can be caused by having a natural lens that isn’t functioning exactly as it should, either due to shape or how it curves inside of the eye. It is usually a hereditary condition, but it can also be caused by an injury or surgery. It is also something that can change over time.

The most common symptom of astigmatism is blurred vision, which can be present at any or even all distances. It can also cause headaches or some eye discomfort. The good news is that a trifocal lens can offer a safe treatment option for astigmatism. If your pre-existing astigmatism condition is under one diopter, you may be able to pursue a trifocal lens as a treatment option.

It Can Mitigate Presbyopia

Presbyopia is farsightedness caused by the eye losing its ability to focus on objects that are close to it. Someone with presbyopia may notice they have to hold their phone or their book back at an arms-length in order to make out the letters. Previously, reading glasses or bifocals were seen as the best way to handle presbyopia.

What if there was a way to reduce or completely remove your need for reading glasses due to presbyopia? PanOptix is just that. It was designed with presbyopia in mind, making it an appealing treatment option for patients who are tired of relying on reading glasses. In an increasingly digital world, trifocal lenses can help you stay connected with your loved ones and stay on top of work with ease.

Protect Your Eyes With Blue Light and UV Filtering Technology

It’s been known for a while now that sunlight can have a harmful effect on vision over time, especially in cases of heavy, unprotected exposure. There are also some studies that indicate extended blue light exposure could potentially have a damaging effect on the retinal cells of our eyes.

The technology offered by Alcon’s intraocular lens strives to offer protection from both potential sources of damage. With blue light filtering and UV protection, not only does this lens offer a sharper image than much of its competition, but it can help protect the overall welfare of your eyes and your vision at the same time.

FAQ for PanOptix

1. What Are the Alternatives?

Since an artificial lens is very often required after cataract surgery, a mono-focal lens is an available alternative to a trifocal lens. The use of a mono-focal lens has been the norm for a long time, but as lens technology continues to develop, the trifocal lens can offer the same distance vision benefits as a mono-focal lens without compromising near or intermediate vision.

Since mono-focal lens are usually focused on distant vision, they will likely be paired with the use of glasses for near and intermediate vision. A trifocal lens streamlines the process by providing all three focal points in one package, so you won’t need multiple tools to maintain your vision.

2. Who Is an Ideal Candidate?

If you have undergone cataract surgery and you don’t want to rely on glasses, you may be a good candidate for a trifocal lens. Aside from cataracts, your eyes should ideally be in good health to give you the best chance at reducing or eliminating your reliance on glasses. During a consultation, we’ll be able to determine your eligibility and discuss all your options, so you can make a clear, educated decision on what’s right for you.

3. What Can I Expect When I Get a PanOptix Len Replacement?

Just like with any other intraocular lens, this trifocal lens serves as a replacement for the natural lens you were born with. Minor surgery is required to put it in place. This surgery is an outpatient procedure, and can usually be completed within 10 to 20 minutes.

Most patients rest for a couple of hours after surgery. For 24 hours after its placement, it’s recommended that you don’t drive. Make sure you have a means of transportation back to your home.

Before Surgery

Before a lens replacement, you’ll have a consultation to go over all your options and to make sure that a trifocal lens is the right fit for you. During this time, we can answer any of your questions and concerns, to make sure you feel confident and comfortable. Before the procedure begins, your pupils will be dilated, and you will receive an anesthetic.

During Surgery

The incisions involved in this surgery are quite small. This surgery is performed so routinely in the US, that it is considered one of the safest and most effective procedures in medicine. After the lens is implanted and you’ve had time to rest and be monitored, you’ll be good to go. Many patients are surprised by how easy the whole process is.

Recovery Time

Each case is individual, but many patients notice an immediate improvement to their vision. You may be asked to wear a protective shield over your eye for a few days. After your eye has healed from surgery, your vision will continue to clear and improve as you adjust to your new lens. Usually, one eye is done at a time. This gives patients time for their treated eye to adjust before the other eye receives treatment.

4. How Long Does It Last?

One of the reasons we are proud to offer this durable trifocal lens is that they are expected to last a lifetime. The fact that a routine lens replacement can mean better vision for the rest of our patients’ lives is something worth celebrating.

5. Will I Have To Reschedule Travel Plans After Treatment?

If you are planning to go on a trip the day of your treatment, it may be best to hold off. Otherwise, most patients can fly or drive within a few days. Of course, it’s very important to keep in mind that your recovery time will not necessarily follow a certain rule book.

If you have a long-standing trip planned, let us know about it in your consultation, and we can talk about whether it’s better to wait or not.  

6. What About Exercise? 

For the first couple of weeks following your surgery, it’s generally best to avoid strenuous activity, such as heavy lifting. Light activity will be able to be resumed earlier than more strenuous exercise.

As you recover, we will be able to give you the green light to resume those activities when it is safe to do so. When in doubt, please feel free to bring up your favorite activities so we can be on top of helping you establish a timeline for them.

7. Is There Anything Else I Should Avoid After Surgery? 

We recommend that you avoid dust after surgery, to prevent eye irritation. Hold off on swimming so the risk of water getting in your eye is minimized, and don’t rub your eyes as they are healing. Wearing sunglasses while outside will offer additional protection against UV rays, and will help you stay comfortable if your eyes are sensitive to sunlight.

Take Steps to Maintain Your Independence

If you’re ready to pursue all of the benefits a trifocal lens can offer, contact ICT Eye in Wichita, KS, today! During a consultation, we can go over your different options and help you find the right solution for your needs. Our highly qualified and compassionate team looks forward to helping you through this process in any way we can.

How many skin concerns do you have? One or two – possibly more? If you have a lot of skin concerns to contend with, then you’re likely searching for a treatment that can tackle a lot of them at once. At ICT Eye in Wichita, KS, our skilled aestheticians know the solution for multiple skin concerns is an all-in-one treatment with laser skin rejuvenation. The only remaining question is finding the laser treatment that’s right for you.

Which Facial Laser Treatment Is the Best?

In the world of aesthetic treatments, there are dozens of facial laser treatments to choose from and each is just as effective as the last, so it can be hard for you, the patient, to choose the right laser treatment right for you.

But in general, the facial laser treatment that is right for you will depend on your skin needs and your aesthetic goals, as well as what you’re willing to live with in terms of recovery. For some patients, that means IPL laser treatments, and for others, that means Pixel laser treatments.

How Do All Laser Treatments Work?

Laser treatments utilize advanced technology to resurface the skin, healing skin concerns from the inside out. In fact, the entire purpose behind laser treatments is to resurface the skin. For you, this means that after you heal from the treatment, you will have new skin that has not been touched by sun damage or other types of blemishes.

Laser skin resurfacing happens when your skin is exposed to light or thermal energy. Your skin cells each absorb enough of this energy that the existing skin cells are encouraged to escalate skin cell turnover, which helps your body shed the skin that is damaged by your skin concerns. In other words, laser skin resurfacing is the cosmetic treatment equivalent to starting with a fresh canvas – or a fresh face.

Explaining Skin Resurfacing

Skin resurfacing with laser treatments is all about re-writing the history of your skin. It’s sometimes the case that our skin concerns are a little more than skin-deep, with some concerns finding roots in the sub-dermal layers of our skin; when the root problem of our skin concerns is deeper, superficial skin treatments are not usually adequate enough to totally rejuvenate the skin.

Skin resurfacing works off the basic principle that new skin is better than old. This is mainly done through rewriting your natural skin cell turnover, which is the cycle of how quickly your skin sheds and creates new skin cells. When you rewrite the natural pace of this turnover, and when you use a treatment that can reach deeper skin cells, you can more comprehensively refresh the appearance of your skin and turn back the clock.

Ablative vs Non-Ablative

For laser skin resurfacing treatments, there are two main types of laser treatments, so regardless of whether your treatment uses light pulses or lasers, you need to know the difference between ablative and non-ablative and what each type of treatment can do for you.

Ablative treatments are those that injure the skin in a controlled way that reaches deeper skin cells to completely resurface your skin, right down to the deepest skin cell possible. Ablative treatments can be helpful for treating scars, deep and dynamic wrinkles, and many other skin concerns. Non-ablative treatments, on the other hand, do not injure the skin, but they are still powerful enough to encourage quicker skin cell turnover. Non-ablative treatments are friendlier to the skin and generally more versatile, which makes them perfect for handling superficial skin concerns.

What Are Your Facial Laser Treatment Options?

At ICT Eye in Wichita, KS, we have a few laser treatments to offer our patients. Each of these laser treatments is ideal for addressing certain skin concerns, which means there is surely a perfect laser treatment for you. Our laser treatment options include IPL, Pixel, and 180 Laser.

IPL

IPL treatments are the current darlings of laser skin resurfacing treatments due to how customizable the treatment is. IPL treatments use different strengths and wavelengths of colored lights to target specific colors, bacteria, and elements in your skin. When your skin is exposed to the intense pulse lights, it responds by minimizing or erasing your skin concerns.

Advantages of IPL

IPL treatments are incredibly dynamic – these treatments can be used for everything from resurfacing photofacials to laser hair removal. From reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, diminishing blemishes and dark spots, and evening skin tone and texture, IPL treatments are a non-ablative and skin-friendly option for those who have general skin concerns.

IPL treatments are also particularly helpful for patients who struggle with acne. This is because IPL treatments can kill acne-causing bacteria on the surface of the skin, encourage better skin cell turnover so bacteria and oil won’t be caught on the skin, and can also help reduce the appearance of acne scarring – both post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and atrophic acne scars.

Pixel

Pixel is a more classic approach to laser skin resurfacing treatments. Using the power of a fractional laser, this treatment uses genuine laser technology to address every microscopic portion of your skin for an all-over treatment that can be a powerful tool for both general and targeted treatments. The fact that this treatment uses fractional lasers means that it won’t cause any significant damage to your skin – and that the laser energy will certainly touch every problematic skin cell on your face.

Advantages of Pixel

Pixel is a powerful laser treatment that can address a wide range of general and age-related concerns. Pixel’s super-charged approach deftly addresses a wide range of skin concerns, from tightening and smoothing skin texture, to reducing the appearance of scars – or eliminating scars entirely. Pixel is particularly helpful for addressing sun damage, which can both prematurely age skin and create long-lasting damage, such as broken capillaries on the face.

180 Laser

While both IPL and Pixel lasers each have their own niche, it can sometimes be the case that your skin needs a multi-lateral treatment approach to truly resurface and refresh the appearance of your skin. That’s where 180 laser comes in – this is a laser skin resurfacing treatment that combines both IPL and fractional laser technology to deliver a powerful, completely rejuvenating treatment.

Advantages of 180 Laser

The fact that 180 Laser combines two technologies makes it much easier to address multiple skin concerns at once. For example, those who suffer from both acne and deep acne scars may benefit from 180 Laser, since this treatment can kill acne-causing bacteria and resurface acne scarring (even serious scarring) at the same time. Moreover, 180 Laser is comprehensive enough to deal with challenging skin concerns, such as rosacea.

Which One Is Best for You?

The fact of the matter is the right laser treatment for you is something that can only be determined by your skin and your needs. One of the most important considerations for deciding between treatments is the severity of your skin-related concerns. For example, if you only have mild superficial concerns, you wouldn’t need to use the more powerful treatment option; likewise, if you have moderate appearance concerns, then you are better off using laser treatments that are designed for moderate concerns.

Narrow Your Treatment by Treatment Goals

If your level of skin concerns isn’t enough of a guidepost, you can always select your treatment based on your skin goals. For instance, IPL treatments are probably ideal for you if you have mild superficial concerns that center on correcting the tone and overall appearance of the skin. Likewise, you may want to choose Pixel treatments for specific age-related concerns, as this treatment is ideal for addressing texture issues. And of course, 180 Laser is the best choice of all three if you have multi-layered skin concerns that require a combination approach.

How Should You Prepare for Laser Skin Rejuvenation?

Laser skin rejuvenation treatments involve a high amount of energy being exposed directly to your skin, so if you want to achieve your goal results, you will need to adequately prepare for your treatments.

In a practical sense, this means that you need to avoid direct sun exposure for two weeks before your appointment, including the use of tanning beds. If you do have to be outside, be sure you are using enough sun protection. Protecting your skin from sun exposure right before your appointment will ensure that your skin is not damaged from the laser exposure.

Do Laser Skin Treatments Hurt?

A laser is a powerful tool, so you should expect some amount of sensation while your skin is being treated. Depending on the type of laser treatment, patients compare the sensation to cat scratches, heat, or snapping rubber bands. For this reason, we sometimes recommend that patients use over-the-counter pain relievers prior to the start of their appointment. At patient request, we may also apply a topical numbing cream to ensure your comfort for the duration of the treatment.

What Is Recovery Like?

Your recovery time will take about two to three weeks, so during this time, it’s important that you follow the aftercare instructions you are given at the time of your appointment. During your recovery, it’s important that you continue to avoid direct unprotected sunlight, including tanning beds, and to wear adequate sun protection of at least SPF 30 or greater.

Your recovery will involve some skin peeling as your skin cells turnover, so it’s also important that you keep your skin moisturized during this time. Many patients supplement their normal moisturizers with aloe vera to speed up healing.

How Many Treatments Will You Need?

You will likely require multiple treatments to achieve your aesthetic goals. For most patients, this means you will require about four to six treatments, usually spaced four weeks apart, to achieve your final results.

How Do You Maintain Results?

Maintaining your results is as simple as staying on top of your skincare routine to prevent any future aging or other skin concerns from popping up. We can help point you in the right direction of the skincare products that are ideal for your skin concerns and will provide your skin with the tools it needs to prevent aging, acne, and sun damage.

Are You a Good Candidate?

Most people are good candidates for this treatment, particularly if other cosmetic treatments have not produced their desired results. If you have one or more skin concerns to correct, then you are most likely a good candidate for laser skin rejuvenation treatments.

Perfect Your Skin WIth Laser Skin Rejuvenation!

Whether you have one concern or five, the key to perfect skin is in cosmetic treatments that can resurface and rejuvenate your skin. Please contact ICT Eye in Wichita, KS to schedule your consultation for one of our laser skin treatments today!

No one escapes fine lines and wrinkles; they are an unavoidable sign of aging because gravity always wins. However, even though you may not be able to escape the aging process, there is a way to avoid living with it. At ICT Eye, in Wichita, Kansas, we offer Botox treatments as a way to temporarily erase your lines and wrinkles, wherever they may be. After a treatment, you will look and feel younger and your results will last up to four months.

How Long Do Botox Treatments Last?

Once you get injected with Botox, you will enjoy your results for up to four months. Before, after, or around four months, you may start to notice that your results are starting to wear off. At that point, you can schedule another appointment so that you don’t experience any significant change in your smooth, wrinkle-free skin between treatments. The recommended time between appointments is typically at least three months, so if you don’t want an interruption in your results, you can schedule according to that timeline.

Can I Make My Results Last Longer?

Botox treatments work by paralyzing the muscles so that they cannot contract, and therefore cannot continue to further the development of lines and wrinkles in any particular area. Once this effect wears off, your face will return to its pre-Botox state. How quickly the results wear off depends on the rate at which your body metabolizes and naturally flushes the injectable’s ingredients from your body. However, there are some things that you can do to get the most out of your results between appointments.

Consider Taking a Zinc Supplement

Many recent studies have found a link between Botox treatments and zinc supplements. There seems to be a correlation between the body’s zinc levels and the lasting results of Botox. Whatever that connection may be, taking a zinc supplement will ensure that your body isn’t deficient and may help your results last longer than they would if your body remained deficient in zinc.

Move Your Face

You can speed up the time that it takes to see your results by moving your face. Studies have shown that making expressions and moving your facial muscles, especially those that you had treated, can help Botox take effect faster because the movements help to distribute the ingredients evenly. Once Botox sets in, you won’t be able to move your face quite so easily, but until it does, muscle movement may help your results show faster.

Consider Your Exercise Routine

Studies show that exercise enthusiasts seem to metabolize Botox faster than those who work out moderately. If you are a marathon runner or work out all of the time, know that doing so can make your results fade faster than those who exercise only moderately. Knowing this ahead of time will allow you to decide to alter your workouts or to plan ahead of time for your next scheduled appointment, which may be sooner than you originally planned.

Avoid the Sun

Sun damage is the number one cause of premature aging. Botox may freeze the muscles whose movements are contributing to fine lines and wrinkles, but there is no SPF in its ingredient listing. Be diligent and protect your skin from the signs of aging by applying an SPF daily, whether you are spending five minutes outdoors or an hour outside. Protecting your skin from the elements that cause aging will make the results from Botox look even better.

Avoid Smoking

If you are a smoker, try to quit. It is no secret that smoking significantly ages the skin. Botox can help reduce the appearance of the lines and wrinkles that a lifetime of smoking may have helped cause, but the more you smoke, the more damage will continue to be done to your skin. Quitting smoking will help slow the signs of aging and will help your results last longer.

Where Can You Inject Botox?

The most common Botox injection sites are those that cause people the most concern. These sites are the most common areas that show aging, and they include but are not limited to the forehead, crow’s feet, the area between and above the eyebrows, bunny lines, the neck, and the area around the lips.

The Forehead

The forehead is what some might call the OG of Botox injection sites. It was and is the most common location for injections, especially for those with medium to deep-set lines and wrinkles. If you have etched lines across your forehead when your face is at rest, this injectable will temporarily erase those lines and create a smooth, youthful, and wrinkle-free canvas.

Crow’s Feet

Crow’s feet are the lines that look like bird feet that form around the outside corners of your eyes. These are especially prominent when smiling or squinting, and they can appear at rest as well. If you want to smile for photos without feeling like your age is written on your face, this injectable will temporarily remove those lines and smooth the entire area.

The Area Between the Eyebrows

When you squint your eyes in the sunlight or frown, that repetitive movement can lead to the development of frown lines, also known as eleven lines. When these lines develop, they are there to stay and typically don’t go away. Instead, get worse over time. You may look like you are frowning even though your face is at rest. Botox can erase these lines and create a smooth, line-free appearance.

The Upper Eyebrow Area

Drooping skin results from aging, and it can also lead to eyebrows that appear droopy. An injection in the upper eyebrow area will lift the eyebrows, replacing the drooping appearance with an arched one instead. This injection will lift the eye area and give the whole eyebrow a lifted and arched look, which is far more attractive than a dropping, sagging one.

The Vertical Lines Around the Mouth

Smokers lines form as a result of aging and are very hard to treat apart from the use of injectables. These lines are often very noticeable because they frame the mouth and can become a focal point, especially when talking. A small amount of this injectable in this particular area can smooth those lines and help you not to feel self-conscious about them anymore.

Neck Lines

Another sign of aging appears in the formation of neck lines, lines that look like bands that form around the center of your neck. They wrap around from one side of the neck to the other, and they form as a result of sagging muscles in the neck area. Injecting Botox into the neck muscles results in the relaxation of the muscles and the temporary disappearance of these lines. Your necklaces are the only things that belong wrapped around your neck, not lines and wrinkles.

Bunny Lines

Bunny lines are the lines around the nose that appear to scrunch up when you smile. Not everyone has them, but if you do, you know that they are there. Some people don’t mind them and consider them a sign of personality, while others do and want them gone as soon as possible. This treatment can treat these lines by smoothing them and temporarily erasing them.

What Happens During the Treatment?

During your appointment, your injector will discuss your ultimate aesthetic goals with you. You can use this time to discuss your aging concerns and the problem areas that you want to treat. During the injection process, your injector will use an ultra-fine needle to administer the Botox injection to the chosen areas of treatment. Your injector can discuss the total amount of units required in each injection site before the administration of the Botox injection.

How Long Does the Treatment Take?

Your appointment will last anywhere from 15-20 minutes in total. The benefit of Botox is that  you can schedule your maintenance appointments during a lunch hour at work, or on your way to run errands, or before or after school pick-up if you need to. It is a very convenient and quick treatment for those who have limited time in their schedules or are always on the go.

How Long Does It Take To See Results?

Once your treatment is over, it will take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours for you to begin to notice some results. Complete results do not appear until about a week to two weeks after your treatment, and they continue to increase and improve up to a month after treatment. You may notice a change immediately, but if you don’t see your full results the day of, remember that it is normal, and the best is yet to come.

What Are the Benefits of Botox Treatments?

Aside from making you look and feel years younger, Botox has some additional benefits that make it a versatile option for treating the signs of aging in both men and women. You won’t spend hours at appointments, you can have your Botox treatments tailored to your needs, your lines and wrinkles will be gone, and you will love your results.

Treatment Plans Are Fully Customizable

Just because someone you know used this injectable as a way to lift her eyebrows, that doesn’t mean that you need to get an injection in the same area. Everyone ages differently, and everyone’s skin shows the signs of aging in different ways. Therefore, we can customize your treatment plan to what you need based on your areas of concern.

Treatment Sessions Are Quick

Some anti-aging treatments are lengthy and require that you schedule your day or even your week around the appointment. When you schedule a Botox treatment, you won’t have to spend hours in our office at each visit. You can come in for your appointment and leave shortly after.

It Has a High Patient Satisfaction Rate

Patients who choose Botox have a high satisfaction rate. They are happy with their results and continue to come back for more. Many people wonder how they ever lived without it because it makes that big of a difference in their appearance, confidence, and self-worth.

There Is Typically No Downtime

Some anti-aging treatments require downtime following an appointment, but Botox injections typically do not. Many people schedule maintenance appointments during their lunch break and then return to work right after. You can schedule your appointment anytime that works for you and return to your daily activities when you leave our office. When you choose this treatment, you choose one that is easy to maintain and will not negatively impact your schedule or your life.

Schedule Your Botox Appointment Today

Fine lines and wrinkles are going to develop, but Botox can temporarily erase them and allow you to look as young as you feel. You don’t have to live with your lines and wrinkles any longer. Invest in yourself and your appearance; it is a decision that you will never regret. Contact us today at ICT Eye, in Wichita, KS, and schedule an appointment and begin your anti-aging Botox treatments.

Collagen induction therapy is often called microneedling due to the tiny, sterile needles used during treatment. It is designed to promote fresh collagen growth in the skin by creating micro-wounds in the upper layers of the skin. This action jumpstarts the body’s regenerative healing mode and helps smooth and tighten the skin, resulting in a more youthful glow.

Each patient experiences a unique treatment process and varied results based on their skin concerns, age, and other factors. Our doctor will work with you to ensure that your treatment recommendation works for you and that you experience optimal results. In most cases, the results from a microneedling session last for approximately 4-6 weeks.

After this point, the skin’s natural turnover process may result in the reappearance of some progressive skin concerns like acne or signs of aging. In these cases, it is beneficial to have regular treatments to maintain your ideal results over time. For patients who wish to correct scarring, stretch marks, or sun damage, a shorter-term treatment plan may be all you need to achieve permanent results after several treatments.

Are There Other Benefits to This Treatment? 

Beyond its long-lasting results, this treatment can offer several other benefits. It is able to address a number of common skin concerns, including signs of aging such as lines, wrinkles, and loose or sagging skin, without surgical intervention. It is considered safe and effective for repeated treatment and is proven to improve results over time, giving patients an excellent non-invasive treatment option for their skin at any age.

In most cases, your appointment will last less than 45 minutes, making treatment a convenient addition to every schedule. It involves zero downtime and a fairly straightforward recovery process for the majority of our patients. Best of all, you can expect to watch your skin transform as new collagen refreshes your skin and reveals your ideal image throughout your treatment plan.

Why Is Collagen So Important?

Collagen and elastin are the two most important structural proteins in the skin. Collagen helps provide your skin with lift and framework, while elastin keeps your skin soft and elastic. As the aging process progresses, these proteins naturally break down in the skin. In addition, the body’s production levels drop, resulting in common concerns like fine lines, wrinkles, folds, and skin laxity.

Collagen induction therapy helps restore the structural framework of your skin by stimulating new collagen growth in the skin. When the skin is punctured by the professional microneedling device, your body responds by triggering collagen production to rebuild the wounds. The strategic placement of the micro-wounds means that collagen will reinforce the skin in a wide area, resulting in a noticeable tightening effect and a natural lift after healing is complete.

Beyond wound repair and anti-aging benefits, collagen offers the power to improve several other skin-related concerns. It can help keep your skin smooth and address issues of tone, texture, or dullness. It can also help shrink the size of pores, fade scarring, correct sun damage, and promote an overall vitality in the appearance of your skin.

Which Areas Can Be Treated? 

Because this treatment benefits your skin in multiple ways, it can be used in multiple locations with great success. It is most often used on the face, where signs of aging are most noticeable. In addition, we can treat the neck and chest, hands, and various problem areas throughout the body that may benefit from targeted collagen induction therapy.

Which Concerns Can Be Addressed? 

Thanks to its versatility, this treatment can improve or even permanently correct several common skin concerns in patients of all ages.

Signs of Aging

Common signs of aging include lines, wrinkles, skin laxity, and dark spots. These are all natural side effects of the aging process, but you don’t need to let your self-esteem or confidence in your appearance be impacted by these issues. A microneedling session can stimulate collagen production in your areas of concern, firming the skin to smooth away mild to moderate lines and wrinkles.

Collagen can also address mild skin laxity by creating a mini-facelift effect and lifting the skin to combat sagging. Over time, this treatment can even fade dark spots by delivering healing rejuvenation directly to affected areas. With a personalized treatment plan that’s right for you, your skin could be completely transformed as signs of aging diminish.

Tone and Texture

An uneven skin tone or texture is one of the most commonly treated concerns among our patients. These issues can be challenging to conceal in your everyday life and can leave your feeling unsatisfied with the appearance of your skin.

Microneedling treatment can help regulate your skin tone and promote a smooth texture by offering regular regeneration to your areas of concern and opening micro-channels for skincare products to permeate your skin.

Sun Damage

Harmful sun exposure is estimated to cause over 90% of all common skin concerns, even including some signs of aging. In addition, it can cause discoloration, sunburn, or even skin cancer, making it important for every patient to apply sunscreen and limit their time in direct sunlight. This treatment can help correct some sun damage symptoms by delivering collagen induction therapy to affected areas and encouraging long-term healing.

Acne 

Acne is often associated with puberty and the teenage years, but the reality is that many patients struggle with this skin concern throughout their 20s and 30s. While its root causes vary, acne breakouts can be prevented with microneedling treatments. The microneedling process helps clear the skin and opens tiny channels for anti-acne medication and soothing serums to permeate the deeper layers of the skin for inside-out healing and restoration.

Scarring and Stretch Marks 

Scars and stretch marks are sometimes considered permanent additions to your appearance. While this is true in some cases, many similar marks can fade over time and may benefit from the accelerated healing offered by collagen induction therapy. Targeted treatment can promote collagen rebuilding in an area impacted by a scar or stretch marks, ultimately offering a permanent solution to these common concerns for many patients.

Am I an Ideal Candidate?

If you’re an adult man or woman who wishes to improve the appearance of your skin, you could be a good candidate for collagen induction therapy. You should be in generally good health and free from any medical or skin conditions that may interact negatively with treatment. You should also have realistic expectations about the results you could experience after treatment.

This treatment is most often pursued by patients over 40, but it is beneficial for patients of all ages and may even help prevent certain skin concerns later in life. Microneedling may not be ideal for patients with bleeding disorders or severe skin sensitivity.

In addition, this treatment is not recommended for patients with cystic acne or current acne breakouts. If you’re unsure whether this treatment is right for you, our doctor can help you determine your candidacy.

What Can I Expect? 

Consultation

To begin your treatment journey, you will meet with our experienced doctor to discuss your treatment goals. During this appointment, our doctor will examine your areas of concern and review your medical history to determine whether you are an ideal candidate. If you are approved for treatment, you will be provided with a personalized treatment plan and instructions for how to effectively prepare for your first appointment.

Preparation

When preparing for your first microneedling session, it’s important that you keep your skin calm and free from irritation. This means that you should avoid certain skincare products and treatments, including exfoliants, peels, laser resurfacing, and similar treatments, for at least 1-2 weeks before your appointment. You can continue using your normal skincare routine as long as the products used are gentle and non-irritating.

If you take blood-thinning medications regularly, our doctor may ask you to stop taking these medications before your appointment to decrease your chances of bruising during recovery. You should drink plenty of water throughout the day and apply a moisturizer to keep your skin soft and hydrated. Finally, you should protect your skin from sunburn or tanning and alert our doctor if you notice any signs of infection in the target area prior to your treatment.

Treatment

Before your appointment, you should wash the target area thoroughly and remove any makeup. When you arrive at our office, one of our trained staff members will sanitize the target skin and apply a topical numbing agent to keep you comfortable during the treatment process. Once your skin is numb, our staff member will use the handheld microneedling device to move over the target skin, creating dozens of micro-wounds.

Next, our staff member will apply a serum or other skincare product of your choice to your skin while the treatment is still fresh. This allows the product to absorb into your skin and enhance your final results. Once your treatment is complete, our staff member will provide you with instructions for your recovery. You can then return to your normal daily activities without any downtime.

Recovery

Similar to your preparation process, your recovery process is focused on keeping your skin irritation-free while it heals. You should continue to avoid any treatments that could irritate your skin for at least 2 weeks. Applying nourishing skin creams and serums is recommended, but you may want to ask our doctor first to ensure that the products you use are ideal for this healing stage.

After 1-2, weeks, you should notice slight improvements in your areas of concern. These improvements will continue as new collagen is produced and your skin is lifted and smoothed. Any skincare products you use regularly should also help improve your concerns as they permeate deep into the skin through the micro-channels created by the treatment.

Results

After several weeks, your areas of concern should be noticeably improved and your skin should have a new glow. These results will last for 4-6 weeks before beginning to fade. At this time, many patients choose to continue their personalized treatment plan to build on the success of their first treatment.

With ongoing collagen induction therapy sessions, you could achieve long-term or permanent transformation in your areas of concern in a few short months.

Contact Us to Learn More! 

If you’re ready to learn more about this versatile treatment option, contact our team of experts at ICT Eye in Wichita, KS, to schedule your initial consultation today! We look forward to serving you!

Breakthroughs in surgical vision correction are rejuvenating the lives of cataract patients everywhere. Now it is not only possible to recover clear vision after cataract surgery, but it’s also possible to improve it, and for all viewing distances, with no eyeglasses needed ever. The PanOptix trifocal lens is a landmark solution in vision restoration. ICT Eye in Wichita, KS offers extensive expertise with this remarkable vision procedure.

What Is PanOptix?

PanOptix is a trifocal inter-ocular lens (IOL). As the name implies, it is capable of three different areas of focus. An IOL is a clear lens that is surgically implanted to replace the degraded, cloudy eye lens that is the hallmark of the cataract patient. When the damaged natural eye lens has been replaced by an IOL, the patient experiences more light, sharper contrasts, and clearer focus at three different distances: near, far, and the in-between distance many of us use with our computers.

People who are at the age where cataracts begin to occur are often already using vision corrections such as eyeglasses. Many of these people use more than one correction, like a pair of distance glasses, computer glasses, reading glasses, and so on. Progressive lenses are effective solutions for some people but awkward and unwearable for others. The IOL is like having a customized “progressive” eye lens that works at all three distances.  

How Does It Work? 

The two physical components of the eye that focus incoming light and let our brain create “vision” are the cornea and the lens. About a third of our focusing power comes from the lens. When cataracts cloud the lens, it must be replaced. Until recently, the replacement was an implanted monofocal (single focus) lens. A successful result was vision that was just as good as before the operation.

Unfortunately,” just as good’ often isn’t good enough. At the ages where cataracts can become a problem, there are usually vision degradations, either recent or longstanding. Just as a single pair of eyeglasses doesn’t work many people who need vision correction, a monofocal IOL doesn’t make enough vision corrections. A trifocal IOL solves this problem.

What Are the Benefits?

The system IOL is capable of delivering 20/20 vision at three different distances, rather than one or sometimes two. For many years, vision patients understood their eyesight as a matter of near-sightedness (myopia) or far-sightedness (hyperopia). When our world became digital, a third, middle distance between them became important.

When we work on a computer screen, a typical viewing distance is 24 inches. This is further away than reading a book and obviously much closer than far-distance vision needed for driving and other activities. Until recently, cataract patients had to settle on which focal distance would be optimized in the new lens and which distance would still need corrective glasses. With a trifocal IOL, all three distances are corrected in a single procedure.

Correction Scenarios 

By the age of 50, most people’s eyesight suffers from a form of farsightedness called presbyopia. This condition is caused by changes to the lens inside the eye, which becomes stiffer and less elastic with age. This makes it more difficult for the eye to change its effective focal range from close, near, and far. Typical vision scenarios from everyday life that are often in need of correction include:

Far Vision

• Driving a car
• Watching TV at typical viewing distances
• Watching live events like concerts or sports
• Enjoying outdoor activities

Near Vision

• Reading a book
• Reading or writing on a smartphone
• Handicrafts such as needlework or soldering
• Reading medication labels

Middle Vision

• Working on a desktop computer
• Reading a hand-held tablet
• Applying cosmetics
• Shaving and other personal grooming

This third, middle vision is the prime differentiator that PanOptix brings to the table. For many people, life at the computer is not only work but also a pleasure: at this distance, we watch our movies, conduct our social media experiences, and make many of our daily interactions with the world. This is the most advanced IOL solution available that offers lens sections optimized for the patient’s far, near, and intermediate vision.

Why Is It Better?

While trifocal IOLs have been popular in Europe (over 70 countries in total) for years, FDA approval brought this dramatic breakthrough to the US in August of 2019. PanOptix was the first trifocal IOL to be granted this approval in the U.S. and has proven itself the most effective solution available. The advantages of the PanOptix IOL over competing solutions include:

• Filtering that protects the eyes from both ultraviolet light and sunlight 
• Filtering that protects the eyes from blue light damage from digital screens
• Clinically-proven superior image quality over other leading trifocals
• Better close and middle vision compared to other trifocals
• Easier reading without the need for reading glasses

Patient Results

Nothing warms a doctor’s heart more than a patient that has been absolutely delighted with the results of the work. By this measure, PanOptix has been an astounding success story, and patient enthusiasm after the procedure has been virtually unanimous.

For example, in response to questions given in a clinical study of recipients of the PanOptix lens:

• 99% of recipients would choose the same lens again
• 98% of recipients would recommend it to family and friends
• 80.1% of recipients reported that they never used eyeglasses again 
• Another 11.4% of recipients said that they rarely used eyeglasses anymore.

This remarkably positive reception speaks volumes about the procedure’s effectiveness. More than 90% of people who received the treatment never or hardly ever needed to wear glasses after fixing their cataracts.  
 

Life Enhancement Through Better Vision

Vision is the most important of our five senses. It’s estimated that more than 80% of the information that the brain processes during our waking hours are from visual input from the eyes. When our eyes begin to fail us, the world around us changes. We become more withdrawn and less social. We don’t get as much enjoyment from our usual activities. Seniors who are aging in place can become more isolated.

The re-introduction of clear vision has dramatic effects on our emotional well-being, as well as our physical selves. This procedure literally provides a new look at life, and for many recipients, a fresh new look that they haven’t seen in years.  

Who Is It Right For?

The system is recommended as a next-generation solution for patients who are suffering from cataracts. Generally speaking, the trifocal IOL is best suited for patients that spend substantial time with computer screens, but who still want to be able to enjoy other activities without the need for corrective eyewear. This multi-zone corrective ability is unique to the trifocal IOL system.

Many cataract patients who receive a conventional monofocal IOL end up having to wear one or more pairs of eyeglasses after the operation. Recipients of bifocal IOLs often report blurry or streaky vision at middle distances of about an arm’s length, such as computer distance. The trifocal IOL solves both problems — no blurry middle zone and in most cases, no more eyeglasses.

What’s the Preparation Like?

Like progressive eyeglasses, a trifocal IOL is designed to provide multiple optical powers for vision correction. This power is measured in units called a “diopter.” A positive diopter power corrects for far-sightedness, while a negative number corrects near-sighted vision. Prior to the procedure, the surgeon will take extensive vision tests to determine the correct plus and/or minus diopter settings that will be embedded into the IOL lens.

In addition to the conventional tools used for a thorough vision assessment, the surgeon uses ultrasound technology and a sophisticated computer program to painlessly measure specific eyeball dimensions that are critical to determining the correct diopters. These measurements are amazingly precise — accurate down to tenths of a millimeter. The most important of these measurements are the curvature of the cornea and the distance from the cornea to the retina.

What Is Recovery Like?

The surgery is an outpatient procedure, so patients can go home the same day. Because vision will be temporarily impaired by the operation, it’s essential that there be someone to take the patient home. Home is where most of the recovery will take place. It takes the eyes some time to adjust to the artificial lens and the optical zones that have been built into it. Full recovery is achieved in a matter of several weeks for some patients and up to two months for others.

Immediately After Surgery

You may be prescribed medicated eye drops, which you should take as directed. You will also need to be on guard for any excess exposure to sunlight or screen light immediately following the procedure.

Several Days Later

A few days after the procedure, any uncomfortable symptoms should begin to clear up. To ensure a smooth recovery, patients are advised to:

• Keep soaps and shampoos out of the eye when showering
• Avoid face lotions or eye makeup while the eye is healing
• Avoid touching or rubbing the eye whenever possible
• Avoid strenuous activities, such as sports

After several days, any physical discomforts in the eye will usually clear up, and you will see your doctor again for a follow-up.

Several Weeks Later:

Patients are advised to avoid strenuous physical activity in the weeks following IOL surgery, until you’re given the ok by the doctor. Strain and elevated blood pressure can slow the healing process. Follow-up visits monitor both the progress of your physical well-being and your vision recovery. When the physical healing process is complete, you will be given another vision check and if necessary, a final prescription for any needed corrective eyewear.

Will I Need Sunglasses?

There’s no such thing as light-responsive IOLs (yet) that act like “photo gray” eyeglasses that darken in sunlight. While the IOL is permanently coasted to provide protection against the sun’s ultraviolet light, as well as the blue light from computer screens, it’s always a good idea to protect your eyes from excess sun exposure.  

The advantage then, of the PanOptix IOL is twofold. In addition to providing built-in protection against harmful light rays from the sun, the need for separate sunglasses for each vision prescription is eliminated. In fact, for many patients, the need for prescription eyeglasses is no longer necessary at all. Any pair of non-prescription sunglasses will provide appropriate protection.

How Can I Get Started?

The decision to fix cataracts is usually a simple one – people who can’t see well generally want to fix the problem as quickly as possible! The difficulty of the decision lies in the procedure and solution that’s recommended. Call us today at ICT Eye in Wichita, KS, where we can bring back your vision after cataracts, even better than it was before, and provide you with a life no longer dependent on eyeglasses.

As you age, you become increasingly likely to develop wrinkles around your nose and mouth. Although these wrinkles are normal, they can make you look older and more tired. In the past, you might have had to go through an invasive procedure to smooth your skin, but fortunately, those days are over. At ICT Eye in Wichita, Kansas, we can reduce your wrinkles in a minimally invasive manner with Belotero Balance. Read on to learn more about this amazing injectable product and know where to find belotero filler near me.

What Is Belotero Balance Used For?

If you’re looking for an easy way to look younger and fresher, you’re in luck. Belotero Balance is an FDA-approved injectable product that can smooth your wrinkles and rejuvenate your skin. We can use this injectable treatment to minimize the appearance of wrinkles that run from the corners of your mouth to the sides of your nose. Scientists call these wrinkles nasolabial folds.

Once we administer the filler into your target area, it will fill in your wrinkles and smooth your skin. You are likely to feel more confident and beautiful once you see the full effect of your treatment. So when you decide to opt on this treatment start asking where to find belotero filler near me.

Why Have I Developed Wrinkles on My Face?

As you become older, you are increasingly likely to see fine lines and wrinkles when you look in the mirror. There are several reasons why your skin’s appearance can change over time.

The Composition of Your Skin

As you age, your body naturally produces less collagen and elastin. Collagen and elastin are important proteins that help your skin stay strong and firm. In addition to losing elastin and collagen, your skin will also lose hyaluronic acid as you get older. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally-occurring substance that helps your skin look youthful and attractive. As your skin’s composition changes, it becomes weaker and less elastic. As a result, you are more likely to develop fine lines and wrinkles on your face.

Lifestyle Choices

Lifestyle choices can also impact the texture and appearance of your skin. In particular, receiving excessive sun exposure can harm the structural components of your skin. This damage can cause your skin to age more quickly. Similarly, smoking, drinking excessive alcohol, and eating an unhealthy diet can also damage your skin.

Fixing the Damage

In the past, you might have struggled to find an ideal treatment for your wrinkles. Many skincare products will not improve your appearance in a meaningful way.

And although an invasive procedure might dramatically improve your skin, you may not want to select this option for a variety of reasons. For instance, you might not be able to take time off from work or other responsibilities while you recover from your procedure. Alternatively, you might not like the idea of receiving incisions.

A Better Way

Fortunately, you don’t have to rely on ineffective skincare products or difficult cosmetic procedures to change your appearance. This injectable product can smooth your wrinkles in a quick, minimally invasive manner.

How Does This Filler Improve My Wrinkles?

This state-of-the-art product uses hyaluronic acid to fill in your wrinkles and enhance your look. During your appointment, we will inject this filler into your treatment area. This product will integrate into your tissues and fill small gaps underneath the surface of your skin. This process can minimize the prominence of your wrinkles and fine lines.

An Innovative Formula

This product is designed to produce natural-looking results. It is made using a proprietary process called Cohesive Polydensified Matrix. This innovative process creates a flexible, smooth gel that can easily integrate into your skin’s natural structure. As a result, this filler can enhance your appearance in a subtle, attractive manner.

What Will My Treatment Be Like?

Receiving this injectable product is generally a very quick, easy process. Since this treatment is so fast and gentle, you should not need to go to the hospital or receive general anesthesia during your appointment.

We will use a fine-gauge needle to inject the filler into your treatment area. It usually does not take us a long time to administer the product, and you will be comfortable during the injection process.

How Long Will It Take Me to Recover After My Appointment?

This injectable treatment generally has minimal to no downtime. You shouldn’t need to schedule time off from your job after your appointment. Instead, you should be able to return to your work, childcare responsibilities, and other activities immediately. That said, we will give you some simple instructions to follow after you receive your injections.

Aftercare Rules

You should avoid drinking alcohol for about twenty-four hours after you receive your injections. In addition, you should not take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or engage in rigorous exercise during this time. Further, you should not expose your body to intense heat or sunlight. Following these rules can help your skin renew itself after your treatment.

How Much of This Product Do I Need to Use?

We will design a customized treatment that fits your unique goals and preferences. The amount of product that we use during your treatment session will depend on many factors, including the condition of your wrinkles and the number of areas that we are targeting. During your initial consultation, we can provide you with more information about the amount of filler that we anticipate using.

When Will I See Results?

This injectable treatment is an excellent way to quickly and efficiently improve your wrinkles. You are likely to see improvements in your wrinkles immediately after you receive your injections. You may see the full effect of your treatment after about one to two weeks.

How Long Will My Results Last?

If you’ve used other injectable products before, you might be pleasantly surprised by how long this treatment lasts. Since your body is unique, your individual results will vary. The amount of filler that we used will affect the duration of your results.

Further, this product may last longer in facial areas that do not move frequently. In contrast, if you use this product to improve an area that moves as you talk, smile, or eat, your results may wear off more quickly. That said, your results can last for six months or longer.

What Is The Difference Between This Injectable Product and Botox?

Both of these products can improve your wrinkles in a minimally invasive manner. However, they work in different ways and have unique benefits.

Botox

Botox does not fill in your wrinkles. Instead, it improves your appearance by temporarily relaxing the muscles in your treatment area. Relaxing these muscles will prevent you from making the repeated facial movements that cause certain types of wrinkles to develop and deepen. As a result, your face will look smoother and more youthful. Over time, your body will process the product, and your muscles will begin to move again.

Making a Choice

During your initial consultation, we can give you more details about each of these treatments. Depending on the issues that you would like to improve, we may advise you to use a combination of injectable products.

Is This Treatment Safe?

This treatment has an excellent safety profile. Further, people have been using fillers that contain hyaluronic acid for a very long time. This ingredient has helped many people fill in their wrinkles and look younger and fresher.

Will My Face Look Natural After I Receive This Treatment?

You might know people whose faces looked frozen or stiff after they received injectable treatments. Fortunately, you shouldn’t have to deal with this issue when you use this injectable product. Belotero Balance has been specifically formulated to enhance your face in a natural-looking way. This smooth gel improves your wrinkles while allowing your face to remain expressive and mobile.

You should still be able to smile, frown, and move your face after you receive this treatment. As a result, your improvements are likely to appear subtle and natural. In fact, your family and friends might not even realize that you received an injectable treatment. Instead, they might think that you are getting more rest and taking better care of yourself. Now’s the best time to find where a belotero filler near me is located and try it out!

What Is the Difference Between This Injectable Product and Other Dermal Fillers?

At ICT Eye, we can use a wide variety of dermal fillers to enhance your look. These fillers are made using unique manufacturing processes. As a result, each filler can address different skin conditions and imperfections.

Juvederm Fillers

We offer several different products from the Juvederm collection of dermal fillers. Like Belotero Balance, these fillers use hyaluronic acid to improve your skin. These fantastic fillers can make you look younger and fresher. For instance, we can use Juvederm Voluma XC to add volume to your cheeks. We can minimize your wrinkles and folds with Juvederm Ultra Plus XC.

Versa +

This dermal filler can reduce moderate-to-severe folds and wrinkles on your face. You may be pleased by how quickly this minimally invasive filler reduces your wrinkles.

Selecting a Filler

During your initial consultation, we can discuss the benefits of each of these fillers in more depth. We will also talk about the facial features that you would like to improve. We will use this information to suggest a filler that is right for you.

Am I a Good Candidate for This Treatment?

If you’re an adult who wants to improve the appearance of your wrinkles, you are likely to be a good candidate for this treatment. This gentle filler can minimize your wrinkles in a quick, easy manner.

As a result, you might be able to use this treatment even if you are not a suitable candidate for an invasive cosmetic procedure. That said, you should be aware that some health issues may prevent you from using this product.

Allergies

You should not use this product if you suffer from or have a history of multiple allergies or severe allergies. You also cannot use this injectable treatment if you have an allergy to gram-positive bacterial proteins.

Temporary Skin Issues

You should not use this treatment while you have cold sores, pimples, rashes, or other skin issues. You may be able to resume using this product once your skin condition has healed.

Health Conditions

During your initial consultation, we will analyze your skin and discuss your health. At this point, you should tell us about any medications that you are taking. In particular, tell us if you are taking medications that affect your immune system or blood clotting. We will use this information to determine whether you can receive this injectable treatment.

Try It for Yourself and Find out Where are belotero filler near me located?

Are you ready to say goodbye to your fine lines and wrinkles? You can smooth your skin and enhance your appearance with Belotero Balance. To learn more about this fantastic injectable product, contact us at ICT Eye in Wichita, Kansas for an initial consultation today.

ICT Eye, of Wichita, KS offers a range of services that help improve your vision, including lens replacement surgery. This is a corrective procedure that was initially developed to treat cataracts. As the procedure has become more common, doctors have adapted it to fix a variety of vision issues, including astigmatism, short- or long-sidedness, or presbyopia. It is important to know, how long does it take to recover from lens replacement surgery? The procedure can be done on one or both eyes.

Who Can Benefit From Lens Replacement?

Though it might be the original treatment for cataracts, it may also help should you be suffering from other visual issues related to the lens of the eye. As stated, it is now used to repair a number of defects in the eye. It is safe enough that it can be ideal for people over the age of 50 and may work as an acceptable alternative if laser eye surgery is not an option, even if you’ve been turned down for laser eye surgery for your issue.

How Does a Replacement Work?

Since the basic procedure has grown so commonplace, this is often an outpatient procedure. The patient may be offered a sedative to help relax the body and eye, but nothing that would put a patient completely out – only relaxed and groggy. Drops will be put in the patient’s eye to dilate the pupil, and local anesthetics are administered to numb the eye. The steps from here depend on the issue being treated and which specific procedure is used.

Phacoemulsification (Ultrasound)

The surgeon starts by making a small incision in the front (cornea) of your eye. A needle-thin probe is inserted into the lens where the cataract substance has formed. The probe emits ultrasound waves that emulsify the cataract, which is then suctioned out of the eye. This may allow for leaving the original lens without needing to replace it with an artificial lens.

Full Extraction

In cases where the ultrasound probe can not be used, the lens will likely need to be extracted in one piece. After the numbing of the eye, a larger incision is made than the one used for phacoemulsification. Through this, the front capsule of the lens is removed. The back capsule is left as it was so that it can serve as a placeholder for the artificial lens.

In any case, each eye is worked on independently. You do not need to wait the entire recovery period to do the second eye, however, as the second eye can undergo treatment in as little as a week after the first eye is treated.

The Replacement Lens

An intraocular lens is an artificial lens that will be placed into the eye where the original, damaged lens was. These lenses are usually silicone, acrylic, or a form of plastic. Many are already coated with an ultraviolet filter to help protect the eye from the sun. Since there are a variety of reasons that lead people to get one, there are as many types of artificial lenses as there are reasons to get the procedure.

Monofocal Lenses

These are the most common lenses used in cataract surgery due to their simplicity compared to other options. These lenses are designed to focus on close, medium, or long-distance viewing, but not all three. Many people who receive these lenses opt to have them set for distance vision and then wear eyeglasses for reading or close vision.

“Piggyback” Lenses

These lenses are for those who have already had a replacement. They serve as an add-on lens to balance the monofocal lenses and offer the ranges of vision that were not selected when the original lenses were set. These are placed directly on top of the monofocal lens and can be easily removed from the eye if you decide that the monofocal lenses served you better on its own.

Multifocal Lenses

These lenses offer close, medium, and long-distance viewing, ideally reducing the need for glasses. Essentially, they function similar to bifocal contact lenses, but are a permanent part of the eye. For these lenses to be an option, the cornea must have adequate optical properties and a surface that is free of streaks or dryness.

Accommodating Lenses

With monofocal lenses, the lens is designed to keep the optical portion of the lens completely stationary, with no effects from rotation and the lens unable to move forward or backward. With accommodating lenses, the lens is designed to prevent rotational movement yet is fixed, with flexibility for the optical portion of the lens to move slightly forward or backward upon the flexing of the ciliary muscle.

Toric Lenses

These lenses are designed specifically with astigmatism in mind. As it is caused by an uneven curve in the lens or cornea leading to a refractive error, this lens is customized to correct the refraction. Toric lenses are crafted on a case-by-case basis for optimum correction.

As with nearly all things, there are several brands that manufacture the same type of lenses. Our office can help determine which brand is the best of which type of lens for your particular needs.

Benefits of a Replacement Surgery

A total replacement has less stringent requirements than many laser eye surgeries. This means that people of advanced age can be offered this as an option, and it is even capable of treating presbyopia (farsightedness caused by aging). Additionally, people with severe cases of myopia or hyperopia are often unable to have laser eye surgery yet can benefit from a replacement. Corneal thickness is not altered.

In the long term, a replacement can completely circumvent the need to have cataract surgery as cataracts aren’t likely to develop in artificial lenses. Additionally, the corrective effect can be permanent, unlike with laser correction. The potential of not needing glasses or replacement contact lenses for several years can lead to a small fortune in savings. That doesn’t count the time spared from inserting/removing/maintaining contacts or looking for your glasses.

Qualifications for Prospective Candidates

You need to be at least 21 years of age or older to be considered for this surgery, with a preference for those over the age of 40. The condition in question needs to be severe enough to warrant surgery to deter unnecessary surgeries for those who have no problems other than just needing reading glasses.

Your eyes must be reasonably healthy, preferably with no history of eye diseases (other than what is being treated). Not every disease is a total disqualification. For instance, pinkeye is only going to stop surgery during the time of infection, not prevent you from getting treatment forever.

The Cost of Replacing a Lens

Despite the enhanced functions and better sight this procedure offers, this surgery is still considered an elective procedure. Though many insurance companies do not cover such, policies that offer flexible spending accounts can be used to upgrade surgeries.

Insurance may be willing to cover the expenses of the surgery if it is for treating cataracts but may not be willing to do so for correcting mild nearsightedness. Your situation, and insurance, will ultimately determine the out-of-pocket expenses for this procedure.

Preparing for Lens Replacement Surgery

Once you have decided to pursue the lens replacement, the doctor will cover the specifics of preparing for surgery. About a week prior to the surgery, your doctor will conduct an ultrasound to get the exact shape and size of your eyes. This helps determine the options of replacement lenses, if necessary. It is also important to know and understand how long does it take to recover from lens replacement surgery. You may also be provided antibiotic eye drops to begin using before the appointment to prevent infection during the surgery.

You will likely be asked to refrain from eating after midnight of the night before the surgery. Certain medications may have to be skipped the day before or the day of the procedure, which will be covered by the doctor. Arrangements will also need to be made for someone to drive you home after completion of the replacement.

How Long Does It Take to Recover From Lens Replacement Surgery?

Fortunately, the process of lens replacement surgery has become so simple that it can be performed with no pain felt. Depending on the type of surgery that is performed, the incisions may be so minuscule that they do not require stitching after the cut is made. Once the process has been completed, you will be taken to a recovery area to rest for about 15 to 30 minutes. You will then be sent home with a list of instructions.

Your vision will be blurry for a couple of days as your eyes heal from the doctor’s visit. As the healing happens, your vision should be noticeably improved. If you had cataracts removed, colors will appear brighter, as the brown or yellow tinting of the cataract will no longer be toning down the look of colors.

Follow Up

You will be asked to follow up with your eye doctor within two days of the procedure. The next checkpoint visits will be at the one-week and one-month marks to ensure that everything has been healing as it should. Should a procedure be for more complicated circumstances, the doctor may wish to see you more frequently.

Instructions During Recovery

Do not rub or press the eye despite any driving urge. The eye drops that were prescribed by the doctor prior to the surgery may continue to be used to prevent infection, reduce tissue inflammation, and regulate the pressure of the eyeball. Hence, it is essential to know how long does it take to recover from lens replacement surgery.

To be cautious, it may be suggested that you wear the eye patch for a couple of days and a protective shield for sleeping during the whole recovery period.

Physical Activity

During recovery, many forms of exercise may be frowned upon due to the effects of pressure in the eyeball. Your doctor will be able to tell you what activities are acceptable and what to avoid. Most regular activities, such as driving, are cleared to do within the first week of the surgery. Avoid activities in which projectiles may come at your face.

Recovery Timetable

Depending on the specific lens replacement procedure that you undergo, recovery time ranges from two to eight weeks. Certain corrective benefits may not be immediately realized as you adjust to an entirely new way of seeing, and there will be a period of blurriness. The simpler the procedure, the shorter that the recovery time will be and the sooner the visual benefits will be apparent.

Is It Time for Better Sight?

It isn’t necessary for cataracts or other defects in the eye to continue to keep you from seeing the world as it is. If you have any questions, or would like to help determine if this could be the ideal treatment for you, contact us today at ICT Eye in Wichita, KS, to schedule your initial consultation. We can’t wait to meet you and help you enhance your vision.

At ICT Eye in Wichita, KS, your health, wellness, and aesthetic are our top three priorities. If you are concerned with sagging skin due to weight loss, smoking, aging, or sun damage, we have a solution for you. You don’t have to settle for your current aesthetic. You can receive an Ultherapy treatment and shave years off of your face, neck, and chest. But first, you need to know how long does ultherapy last and other important preparations you need to consider.

How Long Does Ultherapy Last?

The longevity of your Ultherapy results will depend on several factors. These include whether you smoke, how well you protect your skin from the sun, if you drink, and whether you have certain nutritional deficiencies. These will all affect on how long does ultherapy last. On average, the results of treatment last two years. However, we strongly recommend coming in once a year to extend the results of your treatment indefinitely.

How Can I Extend the Results of My Treatment?

There are several steps you can take to extend the results of your treatment. How long does ultherapy last will depend on how you take care of yourself after treatment. For the most part, it all comes down to taking good care of your overall health and skin health.

Protect Your Skin From the Sun

Protecting your skin from the sun is one of the best things you can do to extend the results of your treatment. Skin sags and wrinkles as collagen breaks down. Unfortunately, UVA and UVB rays from the sun penetrate the deepest layers of your skin, damaging existing collagen and slowing your skin’s production of new collagen.

To protect your skin from the sun, apply a broad-spectrum SPF 30+ sunscreen every four hours. If you don’t like the way sunscreen lotion feels, look for a powder or aerosol with a sun protection factor of at least 30. You should also limit your exposure to the sun between the hours of 10 AM and 4 PM when the sun’s rays are at their strongest.

Stay Hydrated

Inadequate hydration does your skin no favors. To extend the results of Ultherapy, aim to drink between 64 and 128 ounces of water per day. Even if you don’t quite hit your target, you’ll probably consume between 64 and 128 ounces of water daily because the foods you eat probably have decent water content.

Stop Smoking

Smoking doesn’t just create a dull, sallow complexion that needs to be corrected by ultrasound technology. It also damages existing collagen severely and slows your skin’s production rate of new collagen. Have you ever noticed that people who smoke look years or decades older than their chronological age? That’s because their skin is wrinkled and sagging due to weak collagen.

Apply Self-Tanner

If you can’t sunbathe between the hours of 10 and 4, you can always hop in a tanning bed, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Tanning beds also emit harmful UV rays that do just as much damage as unprotected sun exposure. If you feel your skin needs a little bronzing, apply a self-tanner.

Exercise at Least Five Times a Week

We know there are days you can barely drag yourself out of bed to go to work. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to do nothing for a couple of days. But for the sake of your skin, you need to make sure you are exercising five to seven days a week. Exercise is essential for a strong, healthy circulatory system.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association recommend that you perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise per week. This works out to 15 to 30 minutes per day, five days per week, depending on your exercise intensity.

Moisturize Your Skin Every Day

Even if your body is hydrated, your skin may not be maintaining moisture. Trap moisture into your skin by applying a gentle moisturizer every day. Aquaphor and Vaseline make excellent, incredibly cheap moisturizers that are safe and effective for all skin types.

Use Gentle Skincare Products

If your skincare products are burning or stinging your skin, they’re not right for you. Many of our clients mention that their skincare products irritate their skin. However, they continue using them because their coworkers have such great results with the products.

Listen to your skin. Do not apply skincare products that burn or sting. Just because something works for someone else does not mean it will work for you. If you don’t know what your skin type is, we can help you with that. Then, we can recommend skincare products that are simultaneously effective and gentle for your unique skin.

Wash Your Face Twice Daily

Everyone should wash their face in the morning before they go to work. It’s a great way to wake up and feel fresh, clean, and ready to tackle whatever the day throws at you. However, if you perspire throughout the day (or just on days you work out), you need to wash your face again.

Sweat is incredibly irritating to your skin. Therefore, you should wash your face as soon as possible after sweating. If you don’t have time for a shower between your workout and next meal, wash your face with a damp cloth and gentle cleanser and apply some dry shampoo to your hair. Your skin and hair will thank you.

Cleanse Your Skin Gently

Many people experience premature signs of aging because they wash their face too aggressively. Choose a gentle cleanser that does not irritate your skin. Make sure you are washing your face gently with circular motions.

When you’re done, always pat your skin dry gently. Do not rub it dry aggressively. If you have trouble removing makeup while washing your face gently, use makeup remover.

Avoid Repetitive Facial Expressions

Remember when your mom told you that your face would freeze in a certain position when she was tired of you making silly faces? Research shows that’s not too far from the truth. Muscle contractions are required to make facial expressions. After years of excessive muscle contractions, lines become permanent.

We don’t expect you to stop smiling, laughing or frowning. However, if you have lines caused by squinting excessively, see an ophthalmologist about prescription sunglasses. These are stylish, affordable and will mitigate your risk of developing crow’s feet around your eyes. You can also receive Botox to correct muscle hyperactivity lines.

Eat Healthy, Well-Balanced Foods

You feel better after you eat a healthy, well-balanced meal. You feel refreshed, rejuvenated, and reinvigorated. Your skin feels that way, too. Try to incorporate at least one fruit or one vegetable into every meal. You don’t have to eat half of a grapefruit for breakfast, but you can enjoy a nice fruit salad or put tomatoes in your omelet.

Foods that are great for your skin include berries, almonds, kale, swordfish, and poultry. As a good starting point, try to get your recommended daily allowance of all nutrients. Specifically, ensure the foods you’re eating are high in vitamins A, C, E, and K. Also, look for foods that are high in collagen. Finally, minimize refined carbohydrate consumption.

Drink Less Alcohol

We all enjoy sipping on a cold beer during a college football game. But women should consume no more than one serving of alcohol per day. Men should limit their intake to two.

What Results Can I Expect?

It can take a few months to see the results of this treatment. This is because the heat from the ultrasound energy triggers your body to produce collagen at an increased rate for around eight to 12 weeks. Collagen is the protein responsible for keeping your skin tight, smooth and beautiful.

You can expect loose skin around your neck, chin, and jawline to be lifted. This treatment also re-contours your cheeks. Collagen production can even encourage cellular turnover and result in a more even skin tone. You can also expect a smoother, tighter neck, raised eyebrows, and a smooth chest.

What Can I Expect During Treatment?

During this non-surgical facelift and neck lift, Ultrasound technology delivers heat in the deepest foundational layer of your skin. This encourages your skin to produce new collagen. Therefore, your skin will be lifted and tightened. This revolutionary treatment may take a mere 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the extent of the improvement you’re looking for.

This is in stark contrast to a surgical facelift and neck lift, which can take hours. A facelift and neck lift may take between 60 and 90 minutes, and a chest treatment will take just half an hour. Therefore, you may be looking at no more than 1.5 to 2 hours to treat your entire face, neck, and chest. There is no downtime or recovery. There is no pain or discomfort.

How Does it Work?

Once the treatment area is sanitized, ultrasound gel is applied. An ultrasound viewer allows your aesthetic professional to adjust the device to the proper settings. Once the device is placed, ultrasound energy is delivered directly to where it is needed the most.

You will feel the warmth of the ultrasound energy deep beneath your skin. This means your treatment is working and your skin is being encouraged to produce new collagen. Our clients report that this warmth feels akin to a hot stone massage. If you’d like, you are welcome to take a nap or read a book during treatment.

How Should I Prepare for Treatment?

There is nearly no preparation required for treatment. You can eat, drink, exercise and work as you usually would up until your treatment. However, you should remove any makeup and skincare products from your face and neck before you come in. If you take any NSAIDs, you should stop taking them two weeks before treatment.

What Should I Do After Treatment?

On the day of your treatment, avoid applying makeup or lotion to the treated areas. If you feel anxious about your treatment, we will provide you with a sedative. However, you will need someone to drive you home if you are given a sedative. You are free to take NSAIDs after treatment if you would like.

Hydrate your skin with a gentle but powerful lotion or cream. Treat your skin to a cream containing vitamin C and retinol to prolong and intensify your results. Clean and soothe your skin with tepid water and a gentle cleanser free from any abrasives. Make sure your hands are clean when you do this and pat your skin dry with a towel rather than rubbing. Doing these has some good effects on how long does ultherapy last.

Discover How to Enhance Your Aesthetic Today

Ultherapy is one of the best things for your skin that you can do. Treatment doesn’t take long, but the results can easily last up to two years. To determine if this is the ideal treatment for you, contact us today at ICT Eye in Wichita, KS to schedule your initial consultation. We can’t wait to meet you and help you enhance your aesthetic.

Cataracts, or the clouding on the eye’s lens, is a common symptom of aging. However, this can negatively affect your quality of life. At ICT Eye, we specialize in cataract surgery to help you improve the quality of your life. Keep reading to learn the many benefits of cataract surgery in Wichita KS.

Symptoms of Cataracts

Cataracts are common in people age 60 or over. But how do you know you have cataracts? Usually, cataracts develop gradually and you may experience no symptoms during the early stages of the condition. However, with the passing years, you may notice that your vision problems become increasingly more apparent. Some of the earliest warning signs of this condition are:

• Dulled appearance of colors
• Seeing star-bursts or halos when looking at bright lights
• Inadequate vision at night
• Blurred vision

Benefits of Having Cataract Surgery 

There are many benefits to having cataract surgery in Wichita KS. It allows you to see sharper colors, provides you with much clearer vision, and you will be able to see much better at night, even with glaring headlights coming towards you. This procedure will affect every facet of your life, from reading and working to driving and playing backyard football with your grandkids. Here are the three most significant benefits of cataract surgery in Wichita KS.

Enhance Your Quality of Life

Cataract surgery in Wichita KS can give you back your independence and social life. Since cataracts can prevent you from enjoying your hobbies, such as drawing, reading, or driving, people who suffer from them often feel frustrated or dismayed. In 2013, a study revealed that people who underwent cataract surgery felt their quality of life improved by 36 percent compared to people who did not undergo the procedure.

Mitigate Your Risk of Dangerous Falls and Fractures

The older we get, the more dangerous falls become. Among the most significant risk factors of falling is vision loss. In 2012, a study was conducted on Medicare beneficiaries who had been diagnosed with cataracts. The findings indicated a 16 percent reduction in the likelihood of hip fracture a year following cataract surgery. In cases of severe cataracts, the risk of hip fractures a year after the procedure dropped by 23 percent.

Increase Your Chance of Longer Life

In 2013, there was a long-term study published that followed the elderly. The results of this study demonstrated a 40 percent reduction in the risk of mortality for people who received cataract surgery.

How You Can Protect Your Vision

While you may be unable to completely prevent getting cataracts, there are steps you can take to protect your eye health.

• Get regular eye exams – regular comprehensive eye exams will detect losses in vision that you may not have noticed yet
• Wear the proper prescription glasses – if your prescription changes, get new glasses with the appropriate prescription
• Stop smoking – chemicals found in tobacco constrict the blood vessels behind your eyes and increase your risk of developing cataracts

Schedule Your Initial Consultation Today

Do you think cataract surgery in Wichita KS could enhance your quality of life? If so, contact the friendly professionals at ICT Eye in Wichita KS today to schedule your initial consultation.