The LASIK Blog

LASIk for the Gold Athletes Score 2 More Medals in Vancouver

Yesterday was  very successful day for LASIK for the Gold Athletes with two bronze finishes.  This has increased our medal count to 3 in the 2010 winter games!  Hopefully there is more to come...

Katherine Reutter was part of the 3000m women's relay that captured the bronze medal. 

LASIK for the Gold's Erin Pac teamed with Elana Meyers to take the Bronze Medal in women's 2 Bobsled. It was the first medal for the US in a sliding event in this year's games!

In other news, there were 2 more stories this week about our LASIK for the Gold Program:

Sports Business Daily:

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Olympics
Published February 24, 2010

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Inside Pitch: Olympics Helping Raise Katherine Reutter's Profile

By Jessica Collins, Staff Writer

Reutter Hoping To Win Her First Olympic Medal In Today's 3000m Short-Track Relay Event

U.S. speedskater Katherine Reutter heads into today’s 3000m short-track relay event hoping to win her first Olympic medal of the Vancouver Games. The 21-year-old burst onto the national scene in December after an appearance on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.” Reutter has been a vocal supporter of the “Colbert Nation” initiative, which has raised $300,000 to sponsor U.S. Speedskating. Reutter’s profile continued to expand leading up to the Olympics after appearing on NBC’s “Today” show and riding on a float in this year’s Rose Parade. Chicago Sports & Entertainment Partners’ Patrick Quinn, Reutter’s agent, noted Reutter’s highest-profile sponsor currently is Verizon. She is featured in commercials with Bonnie Blair and in Web promos for the company, but those will not be seen during the Games due to the IOC’s rule 41, which prohibits non-Olympic sponsors from activating between February 4-March 3.

EYES ON THE PRIZE: Some of Reutter’s endorsements are outside-the-box, such as her deal with New Jersey-based Eyecare 20/20 and the Champaign, Illinois, Police Department. Reutter’s deal with the Champaign Police includes promoting the department’s “Cops for Kids” program, which provides children with the opportunity to interact with police officers in a positive atmosphere. The initiative is displayed on Reutter’s suit during competitions as well as on her Web site. Eyecare 20/20’s Dr. Cary Silverman decided to sponsor Reutter last year after he was approached by Quinn. Silverman noted he is not doing any marketing campaigns with Reutter but she, along with 10 other Olympians, is featured on the company's Web site and Facebook page. As part of the sponsorship, Silverman provided Reutter with free Lasik eye surgery and flew her to and from his office for the procedure. Silverman: “It gives my practice some credibility, word of mouth. ... We’ll definitely be getting more exposure than a small practice in New Jersey ever could get.”

SPONSOR	SINCE
Verizon	'09
Eyecare 20/20	'09
Nike	'08
Oakley	08
Bioenergy Life Science, Inc.	'08
Champaign, Illinois, Police Dept.	'08

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE: Quinn is optimistic companies will soon bring Reutter on board for future deals. “A lot of people have compared Katherine to Bonnie Blair. They’re actually from the same hometown. Here’s this Midwestern wholesome girl. .. I wish we had more athletes like her. She’s so personable and good with the media. There aren’t too many products that I don’t think she’d be a fit for.” Quinn noted there are three areas where Reutter could really connect with sponsors. “She’s a home run for any healthy eating company because she is a very clean eater, more than probably any other athlete I’ve ever seen. She’s also very green and very much into the environment.” He added that she is “very much into style” and would be a natural for companies that want that “image of a young, healthy, vibrant girl.” Quinn noted that Reutter aspires to a career in health, fitness and nutrition once her athletic career is complete. He added that she “would love” to be featured in a fashion or style magazine once the Olympics are wrapped.

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Vitals.com:

February 17th, 2010

Dr. Cary Silverman Helps Athletes Get Olympic Vision

Sarat

Katherine Reutter (eyecare2020.com)

What is Olympic Vision? It’s the  free Lasik procedures given to Team USA members by Dr. Cary Silverman, a Lasik eye surgeon in East Hannover, N.J. whose unique version of getting into the Winter Olympic spirit was to offer free procedures to Team USA members. Katherine Reutter, a 21-year-old short-track speedskater was one of those with terrible vision and living on the ice financially. Dr. Silverman noted that “Katherine had terrible vision and that she was a wonderful candidate for the procedure because of how bad her vision was and it was great to help her out.

Here is a partial list of Team USA athletes who had been given Olympic Vision by Dr. Silverman

Chad Hedrick (speedskating) –  Hedrick will square off against fellow American Shani Davis in the 1500 meters at this year’s Games.

Curt Tomasevicz (bobsled) – A pusher behind U.S. driver Steve Holcomb in Team USA’s number one sled, the “Night Train,” Tomasevicz and his teammates are on the podium more often than they are off of it.

Erin Pac (bobsled) – Long since considered “likely to make the Olympic Team,” Pac has recently shown that simply getting to the Olympics isn’t good enough. A World Cup bronze medal in Salt Lake City in November turned heads on the international bobsled circuit and marked Pac as someone to keep an eye on in Vancouver. She currently holds a 5th place ranking in the overall World Cup standings.

Molly Engstrom (hockey) – Highly likely to do battle with the host Canadian team with gold medals on the line.

Dan Joye (luge) – Joye, who is part of the doubles luge team of Niccum & Joye is part of the number one ranked US sled.

Statins may Lower Incidence of Cataracts

There may be another reason to take that Lipitor besides lowering your cholesterol!  In last month's Annals of Epidemiology there was article titled: Persistence with Statins and Incident Cataract: A Population-Based Historical Cohort Study. 

180,291 new statin users in Israel were followed between 1998 and 2007 for incident cataract or cataract extraction. During the study period, 27,301 cataracts were diagnosed and 6,976 cataract extractions were performed among the participants.  The results showed that:

Persistence with statins was associated significantly (P < 0.001) with a reduced risk of cataract in men and women aged 45 to 74. Men aged 45–54 with a high (>80%) proportion of follow-up days covered with statins had an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.62 (95% confidence interval: 0.54–0.72), compared with patients with low persistence with statins. In elderly patients, no relationship or a positive relationship was observed.

Men who took what are commonly referred to as statin drugs had a 40% lower risk of developing cataracts and women had an 18% lower risk.

The study concluded:

Persistent statin use was significantly protective for the incidence of cataract in men and women under 75 years of age.

Chad Hedrick Wins Bronze in 1,000m: First Medal for LASIK for the Gold

From http://www.nbcolympics.com/photos/galleryid=426315.html#day+hedrick+wins+1000m+bronze

LASIK for the Gold team member, Chad Hedrick, came up big today!  He captured the Bronze Medal in the 1,000m speed skating.  This is his first medal in the 2010 winter games, to go along with the gold, silver, and bronze he won in 2006.

Several other LASIK for the Gold members saw action today:

• Katherine Reutter placed 7th in the 500m short track speed skating.
• Daniel Joye placed 6th in the doubles luge.

Molly Engstrom, and US Woman's Hockey are 2-0 in olympic competition with a 12-1 win over China and a 13-0 win over Russia.  Their next game is tomorrow against Finland.  It certainly looks like there will be an olympic showdown against powerhouse and host, Canada.  Go Molly and go USA!!

Great Article About LASIK for the Gold in Today's Yahoo Sports!

There is a great article today by Martin Rogers in today's Yahoo Sports about our LASIK for the Gold's efforts.  I have reprinted it here:

Visionary doctor helps athletes see Olympic dreams

By Martin Rogers, Yahoo! Sports 10 hours, 13 minutes ago

Follow Martin Rogers on Twitter at @mrogersyahoo

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – When Katherine Reutter talks about her Olympic vision, she is not just referring to the four-year search for success that could culminate in Wednesday night’s 500 meters.

The 21-year-old short-track speedskater is one of several athletes assisted by Dr. Cary Silverman, a Lasik eye surgeon whose unique version of getting into the Winter Olympic spirit was to offer free procedures to Team USA members. Long-track speedskater Chad Hedrick also took advantage of Silverman’s offer, as did bobsledders Curt Tomasevicz and Erin Pac and hockey defensewoman Molly Engstrom.

American short-track speedskater Katherine Reutter has been helped by Lasik eye surgery.
(Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Yet it is Reutter who has been the biggest beneficiary of Silverman’s generosity.

At a consultation last year, Reutter’s eyesight was so poor that she joked with Silverman that she could barely see the eye chart used for testing, let alone identify any of the letters on it.

Aside from a privileged few, most American speedskaters operate on thin ice financially, as they try to scrape by on grants and minor sponsorships. Despite the best efforts of comedian Stephen Colbert, who put together a sponsorship package after U.S. Speedskating’s previous sponsor encountered financial trouble, times are tough.

Enter the good doctor.

“Katherine had terrible vision,” said Silverman in a telephone conversation with Yahoo! Sports from his practice in East Hannover, N.J. “She was a wonderful candidate for the procedure because of how bad her vision was and it was great to help her out.

“We know how difficult things can be for Olympic athletes, especially Winter Olympians, in trying to make ends meet. It is a very satisfying experience for me to be able to help them achieve their dreams.

“We fly them out to see us, put them up in a hotel and see what we can do for them.”

Reutter is thought to have a legitimate shot at a 500 meters medal, which would be America’s first in women’s short track in 16 years. But she will have to find a way to out-duel China’s spectacular favorite Wang Meng, one of the most dominant short-track speedskaters in history, if she is to claim the gold.

The American believes her new-found clarity of vision has given her an edge in competition, and it will be put to the ultimate test on the ice of the Pacific Coliseum.

Reutter has improved steadily over the past year to emerge as a genuine threat at the international level and enjoys the luxury of no longer having to perform with contact lenses, as she did for so many years.

The difference in Vancouver could be even more noticeable, as some visitors who wear contacts have complained that the humidity has caused irritation and discomfort.

Dr. Cary Silverman, left, with Olympic speedskater Katherine Reutter. Silverman is an ophthalmologist in East Hanover, N.J. and did Reutter's Lasik for free, with travel and hotel expenses paid.
AP Photo/EyeCare20/20)

“It has been fantastic for me and it just makes my day a whole lot easier,” Reutter said. “As an athlete you don’t want to be spending time with contacts and this is a huge, positive change.”

Silverman’s decision to get behind the United States team was pretty straightforward. As a fanatical follower of Olympic sports, he embraced the idea of using his expertise to help American athletes. But the procedure comes with a pressure of its own.

“These are world-class athletes, so we have to get it absolutely right,” Silverman said. “Most wear contacts and complain about them drying out, so this is a great solution. We have had a great response from everyone and we look forward to seeing them all try to compete for medals.”

“It is my way of getting involved in the Games,” Silverman said. “It gives you someone to root for and makes me feel like I have a vested interest in it. It is the closest I’m going to get to a medal.”

Strong Olympic Debut for LASIK for the Gold's Katherine Reutter!

Yesterday was the first day of competition of the 2010 Winter Olympics.  It was also the first day of LASIK for the Gold's Katherine Reutter's Olympic career.

Katherine won her heat in the 500m with a time of 44.187 seconds to advance to the quaterfinals on Wednesday.

She was also part of the women's 3000m relay that advanced in the semifinals.  She will be competing in the finals on Wednesday February 24.

Watching on TV last night, I was awed by the speed and action of these events.  I am anxiously waiting to see Katherine in furthur action this week in the 1000m and 1500m races!  GO Katherine!!

You can follow all the LASIK for the Gold athletes' progress on our sister site, or become a fan on its FaceBook page!

Let the Games Begin! LASIK for The Gold Athletes in Action Tomorrow...

The 2010 Winter Olympics began tonight with an incredible opening ceremony.  The Games unfortunately begin on a very sad note, with the death of Georgean Luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili.  Kumaritashvili was involved in a horrific accident in a training run on the luge track. It was nice that he was mentioned in the opening ceremony address tonight.  May he be in all our prayers...

LASIK for the Gold athletes, vying for 13 metals, swing right into action tomorrow.  We will be cheering on Katherine Reutter in the Short track 500 m race.  She is in heat 1 and wearing number 157.

We will also be anxiously watching Chad Hedrick in his bid for glory in the Speedskating 5000 m.  He is in heat 14 vs Bokko Havard of Norway.  Chad will be wearing number 233.

Go LASIK for the Gold, and GO USA!!

Young Patients with Cataracts do Better with Surgery

This month's American Journal of Ophthalmology has an interesting article titled: Ten-Year Longitudinal Visual Function and Nd: YAG Laser Capsulotomy Rates in Patients Less Than 65 Years at Cataract Surgery.  The authors followed 102 pf 116 patients who underwent cataract surgery before the age of 65 and evaluated their 10 year results.  Here is what they found:

• 37% of the patients under 65 at surgery had YAG capsulotomies in comparison to 20% of the older patients.  A YAG capsulotomy is used to treat an opacification of a membrane left in the eye at the time of cataract surgery (PCO) to improve vision.
• Visual acuity diminished by more than 0.1 logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) units of the operated eye in 18% of the younger patients and 37% of the older patients.
• A reduction in VF-14 score of 10 points or more was found in 9% of the younger and 28% of the older cataract surgery patients.

What this study shows is that younger cataract patients retain their improved vision more than their older counterparts.  This is good to know, as I am definitely seeing and treating more patients than ever under the age of 65.  When these patients opt for their premium lenses to help eliminate their need for glasses, I can reassure them that the vision will be lasting!

Enjoy the Super Bowl and This LASIK the Refs Cartoon!

Sunday morning of the Super Bowl...  We are all looking forward to a great game between the Saints and Colts.  We recently released our latest LASIK the Refs cartoon for our soon to be launched web site.  I hope you enjoy it and the game today.  Let's hope we won't be talking about the lack of officiating when it is over!!

Had LASIK, Have Cataracts...Now what??

I have been performing LASIK since its inception back in 1996.  Hard to believe its been 14 years.  What I am now seeing on an ever increasing basis is patients who have had LASIK in the past complaining of a deterioration in their vision.  Many of these patients come in assuming that their LASIK is "wearing off" and that they are in need of a "fine tuning."  What is actually going on is that they have developed visually significant cataracts.

A cataract is an aging change that causes a clouding of the eye's cryastaline lens. Once visually significant, the treatment of choice is cataract extraction with the implantation of an intraocular lens (IOL).  Cataract surgery in patients who have previously had LASIK poses several unique issues.

The calculations to determine the correct IOL power are not as accurate in eyes that have undergone LASIK.  To improve the accuracy of these calculations it is helpful to have records from before the LASIK surgery including:

• Pre operative refraction
• Pre operative corneal curveature
• Stable post operative refraction before the start of cataracts

Many new techniques are being investigated to improve on IOL calculations.  Just last month an article appeared in Journal of Refractive Surgery titled:  Calculation of Intraocular Lens Power Using Orbscan II Quantitative Area Topography After Corneal Refractive Surgery.  It concluded that "In eyes with previous corneal refractive surgery, IOL power calculation can be performed with reasonable accuracy using the Orbscan II central 2-mm total-mean power."

Even with all these new techniques, post LASIK patients are prone to encounter a "refractive surprise" following cataract surgery.  A refractive surprise occurs when a patient's final Rx following cataract surgery is off the mark.  Refractive surprise can be treated in several ways, depending on the amount of the surprise:

• Mild surprises can be treated with glasses, contact lenses, or possibly with a LASIK touch up.
• Large surprises can be treated with either an IOL exchange or the implantation of a piggy back IOL.

No matter how carefully caculations are made before cataract surgery, refractive surprises will happen.  In my opinion, patients who develop cataracts following LASIK, should seek the care of a surgeon with vast experience in both refractive and cataract surgery.  The trick here is to both minimize the amount of the surprise and to be able to efficiently treat the surprise when it is encountered.

One benefit many of my LASIK-cataract patients have is the ability to implant a multifocal IOL such as the ReSTOR.  Following the implantation of this lens, these patients are now able to see both near and far again without glasses!

Little-guy Olympic sponsors score Vancouver talent

EyeCare 20/20 and our LASIK for the Gold Program was interviewed by the AP last week!  Here is the story's links:

Little-guy Olympic sponsors score Vancouver talent 

Little-guy Olympic sponsors score Vancouver talent

And the story:

Little-guy Olympic sponsors score Vancouver talent

By leanne italie, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The names Cary Silverman, Todd Greene and Gabe Herrick may not come up much during the Vancouver Olympics, but they're players nonetheless.

All are little-guy sponsors of U.S. athletes who hung in with training help and endorsement deals when many corporate giants pulled back during the economic meltdown.

"Yeah, it was a huge hit," says short-track speedskater Katherine Reutter. "As soon as the economy began going downhill, a lot of individual deals went down with it."

Enter Silverman, an ophthalmologist in East Hanover, N.J. He did her Lasik for free, travel and hotel expenses paid. At Bioenergy Life Science Inc., a company in Minneapolis with only 30 employees, Herrick provides her boxloads of a favorite energy powder.

Reutter's hometown police department in Champaign, Ill., has been a loyal backer, and comedy Central's Stephen Colbert is an official sponsor of U.S. Speedskating, replacing a Dutch bank that went bankrupt and left the sport $300,000 short. The Colbert Nation raised that and then some.

As the Winter Games approached, Reutter says, some of the big boys came to call. "Verizon and PowerBar have just jumped on the train within the last couple of months," Reutter says. "Now everybody wants a piece of the action."

But for many athletes, it's the long-term personal sponsors who have supported them through the long haul. Making his third trip to the Olympics, cross-country skier Torin Koos grew up in Leavenworth, Wash., on the eastern slopes of the Cascade mountains in the heart of pear-growing country. For six years, the only logo he has displayed on racing caps is that of USA Pears, a brand of the fruit grown in his home state and neighboring Oregon.

"I grew up running through pear orchards in the spring and summer, rollerskiing and skiing beside them in the fall and winter," Koos said. "I made a couple dollars in the summer working at my friend Scott's family fruitstand. It is part of my roots, of where I grew up. It is also a company I can believe in wholeheartedly. Instead of promoting something like Mountain Dew or Mickey D's, I'm promoting healthy living and nutrition."

In Los Angeles, a cutesy head shaver that looks like a little yellow race car has made Greene a millionaire, but he's got a long way to go before HeadBlade Inc. is the next Gillette. With only eight employees, Greene's relationship with skeleton racer Zach Lund has boosted the product's profile but also done the athlete a world of good in the morale department.

Back in 2005, Lund was ranked No. 1 in the world, then tested positive ahead of the 2006 Games for finasteride, an ingredient in the hair growth product Propecia. At the time, finasteride was on the world anti-doping list as a possible mask for steroids.

Lund had previously disclosed his use of Propecia, which he had used for years and had not been on previous lists, but he didn't double-check the list that year and was suspended for a year, lost appeals and missed the Games in Italy. Finasteride was later de-listed. By then, Lund had decided to make his controversial thinning hair disappear by shaving.

"I was trying to hold on to my hair pretty hard back then," he says. "It was always a big insecurity of mine. I missed the Olympics because of it, which was pretty devastating, to miss out on my lifelong dream and have it be because of one of my biggest insecurities."

Greene, a head shaver himself who started his business out of his apartment, was a match made in endorsement heaven. Lund, who's not favored to win a medal in Vancouver, has been wearing the company's logo on his helmet in a sport that has him racing head first.

"What's so revolutionary for Zach is, all those years, he was trying to fight it and then he got the worst possible scenario," Greene said of his reasons for pursuing Lund. "He got kicked out of the Olympics and he said, screw it, I'm shaving."

Reutter and freestyle Olympic skier Shannon Bahrke say the Bionergy powder D-Ribose goes a long way to boost their endurance and perk up tired muscles. The substance, which they can put in food and drinks of their choice, is an ingredient the company sells for use in commercial supplements, but it's not sold alone.

As part of her deal, Reutter has been wearing the company's logo on her left thigh and lapel, also squeezing it onto hats and warmup suits in the lead-up to Vancouver. In addition to the powder, Bioenergy pays her a $2,500 monthly stipend. But Bioenergy is hardly a household name.

Herrick, Reutter says, isn't a corporate suit. "I'll text him if I need something. I can give him a call. He came to our Olympic trials. I've hung out with him. He's not just some business person."

He is and he isn't. Herrick is the sales manager for supplements and sports nutrition for Bioenergy, a company with a stake but not a huge one in seeing its sponsored athletes come home with medals.

"It's a more intimate relationship between company and athlete, rather than a corporation just showing them off to everybody," Herrick says.

Silverman's got plenty of patients already in northern New Jersey. There's not much to the arrangement he has with Reutter and several other Olympic contenders he's worked on, beyond mentioning them on his Web site and displaying their signed photographs with their thanks scrawled in pen.

"For the Olympic athletes, for the most part, they don't make a lot of money and Lasik costs. I love the Olympics. I love sports in general and this is something that can improve their performance so they can use every advantage they can get."

As for Lund, he's ready to show off his dome in Vancouver and says he's happy to have finally qualified. That seems enough for Greene, who added: "Hopefully he'll win by a hair."

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