VISION LEADER
COVER story LANCE KUGLER, CEO, KUGLER VISION
EYE ON THE future KUGLER VISION HOMES IN ON LATEST TECH
People are ditching their contacts and eyeglasses in favor of corrective eye surgery in greater numbers than ever before. Until recently, LASIK was the only corrective eye surgery offered to patients, and not everyone was a good candidate for LASIK. However, today there are six additional surgeries available, increasing the field of potential patients. To meet this growing demand, Dr. Lance Kugler founded Kugler Vision to specialize in the many varieties of corrective eye surgery. After practicing ophthalmology in Omaha for four years, Kugler moved his family to Nashville for a year-long fellowship in refractive surgery with Dr. Ming Wang. “I realized what was happening in the industry and that what we needed in this part of the country was a dedication to refractive surgery,” Kugler said. After returning to Omaha, Kugler bought the assets of Dr. William Schlichtemeier in 2011, and Kugler Vision was born. “It’s an exciting time in vision correction surgery because we’re able to help a higher percentage of people than we’ve ever been able to help before,” Kugler said. “LASIK used to be the only way to [surgically correct vision], and you were either a good candidate for LASIK or you were not.”
Tailoring Tech
Although LASIK — which reshapes the cornea to change its focusing power — is still the most commonly used method of corrective surgery, those who are not good candidates for the procedure may be helped by one of six other possible surgeries. “We can tailor the technology to the patient’s needs so we’re able to deliver better results than ever before,” Kugler said. One example is Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK), which uses an excimer laser to reshape the cornea. The key difference between PRK and LASIK is that the epithelium, or tissue covering the front of the cornea, is removed and the laser is applied to the outer surface. Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE), commonly known as keyhole LASIK, is designed to treat myopia, or nearsightedness. Another option is Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL), which is like a contact lens implanted in the patient’s eye. Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) removes the natural lens inside the eye and replaces it with a lens. Refractive Cataract Surgery is cataract surgery that also fixes the focus. Corneal Inlays is a technology that can also fix the focus in various ways.
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