Dr. Klaus Ito’s idea of heaven was furiously pedaling down a dirt road on his bike with the wind in his face. But stopping periodically to clean the dust off his contact lenses was a buzz kill. And heaven forbid he inadvertently smeared sunscreen on one or both lenses.
“I would have to do the rest of my activity with blurred vision,” says Klaus, 28, who also enjoys running, swimming, and hiking.
As a practicing optometrist, Klaus, who is nearsighted, is well aware of how vision problems can make a person’s life harder than it needs to be. He learned that early from his mother, Sarah Ito, with whom he shares an optometry practice in Santa Monica.
Klaus began exploring ways that he could continue his active life without downgrading his vision. And he also had another problem with wearing contacts. During work hours, while performing eye examinations on patients, his eyes would become extremely dry because of his contact lenses. Though easy to fix with eye drops, it was still an interruption he would rather not have.
He spoke with his mother in their Santa Monica office about the best path to correct his vision. Without a doubt, she said, the Assil Gaur Eye Institute (AGEI) — the gold standard for state-of-the-art eyecare. Sarah had first-hand experience with the success that comes from AGEI. She’d been sending them surgical referrals for the past year and saw the startling results when managing their post-op care.
Klaus scheduled the first of two thorough consultations with Dr. Avneet K. Sodhi Gaur, a board-certified ophthalmologist and fellowship-trained cataract, LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileuses), and glaucoma surgeon.
Dr. Sodhi Gaur paid close attention to examining the shape of Klaus’ eyes; hard contact lenses can sometimes change the shape of the eye. When this happens, the eye can experience oxygen deprivation, vascular problems, and altered vision. After surgery, Dr. Gaur wanted the eyes to regain their original shape.
During the consultation and subsequent eye exam, Dr. Gaur found a retinal tear (a common malady for patients with nearsightedness) that two doctors had missed during previous examinations. The retina is a thin layer of light-sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye cavity; though retinal tears are common, they can become dangerous if left untreated. When untreated, the vitreous gel — the clear-jelly substance that fills the eye — might leak under the retina.
Repairing the retinal tear became the first step in Klaus’s treatment plan.
Ten days after the retinal tear was repaired, Klaus was ready for EagleVision Laser Eye Surgery. The cutting-edge EagleVision LASIK procedure is the newest generation of LASIK technology and was developed at the Assil Gaur Eye Institute by Dr. Kerry Assil.
This state-of-the-art LASIK surgery was initially developed for professional athletes such as NBA stars Lebron James, Chris Paul, Anthony Davis, and Paul George, to name just a few. However, it is now recommended for anyone 18 or older with no eye health diseases, adequately thick cornea tissue, and a stable glasses prescription.
During LASIK surgery, the doctor uses an excimer laser to perform safe and precise corneal reshaping. Detailed 3-D aberration and elevation maps of each eye are then programmed into the excimer laser.
EagleVision LASIK requires the integration of three different refined technologies — excimer Laser, femtosecond laser, and iDesign, which uses wavefront technology to measure refractive error.
Putting aside the operating room prep time of about 20 minutes, Klaus’ EagleVision LASIK procedure was performed in only 10 minutes.
“The instructions were self-explanatory,” he says of the advice he received beforehand. “There was very little I needed to do for a successful outcome.”
After leaving the AGEI office after surgery, Klaus knew his eye problems were a thing of the past. “My eyes were a bit light sensitive, but even then, I could see way down the street without wearing any correction. My vision was essentially great right after the procedure.”
Klaus now has 20/10 vision in each eye. “That’s better than 20/20,” he says. “I’ve never had vision this crisp in my life!”
He no longer worries about particles of dust marring his contacts, and Klaus certainly doesn’t sweat a smudge of sunscreen. “A couple of blinks and the sunscreen is gone,” he says.
Where water used to be the bane of his contact-wearing days, the beach and pool have become Klaus’ best friends. “I can get wet and still see without worrying about taking off my contacts.”
Now, back at his optometry practice without dry eyes, Klaus couldn’t be more thrilled.
“I would do the surgery again in a heartbeat,” says Klaus. “It’s an exceptional option.”
AGEI represents the country’s highest standards of ophthalmology, advancements in LASIK eye surgery, and patient care.
The team of top ophthalmology specialists is nationally recognized for compassionate patient-centric care, a commitment to pioneering advanced technologies, and dedication to supporting the health and well-being of patients and the community.
Los Angeles’ leading laser vision correction, cataract, and retinal surgeons are available to you, all in one practice. State-of-the-art treatments for all eye conditions, including glaucoma, PRK, macular disease, myopia, dry eye, refractive surgery, presbyopia, cataract surgery, astigmatism, farsightedness, and diabetic eye conditions.
Please call (866) 945-2745 or make an appointment online. At Assil Gaur Eye Institute we take our patients’ safety seriously. Our facility’s Covid-19 patient safety procedures exceed all CDC recommendations to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. Masks are required in our institutes at all times.
We are conveniently located for patients throughout Southern California and the Los Angeles area at locations in or near Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Culver City, Hollywood, Venice, Marina del Rey, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, and Downtown Los Angeles.