HOUSTON -- Local 2 anchor Linda Lorelle and her husband, Lou, are seeing things a whole lot clearer these days after they underwent corrective eye surgery. She shared her firsthand experience with viewers Tuesday.

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See Linda, Husband Undergo LASIK Surgery

The procedure started with a few numbing drops of Valium.

Lorelle and her husband, Lou, then proceeded with their custom LASIK surgery at the hands of Dr. Charlie Moore, the first surgeon in the United States to use the WaveLight ALLEGRETTO WAVE Laser System, which was approved by the Federal Drug Administration in October 2003.

A critical component of any Wavefront procedure is mapping the cornea with specialized software that allows for much greater accuracy.

When the surgery began, Moore created a thin flap in the cornea, and then used the laser to create a contour where it was previously flat.

He adjusted Linda's right eye for distance and the left eye for reading.

In less than 10 minutes, Linda was on her way to the recovery room.

"(Are you) feeling OK now?" Moore asked.

"I feel great," Linda said.

"Now we've got to go get your hubby fixed up," Moore said.

Lou was in and out in a flash. He only needed one eye corrected. Right after surgery, Moore asked him the time.

"It's 3:36. I can see it (without glasses)," Lou said.

The next morning, Lou played golf.

A checkup the day after surgery showed Linda has 20/15 vision. One week later, she showed even more progress.

"I can read all of this," Linda said.

While reading was no longer a problem, Linda had to get used to her new distance vision, which is not uncommon for monovision patients.

"Your brain just takes about seven to 30 to 90 days to adapt to that and then you won't even notice it," Moore said. "It's just a rehab process."

The most common side effect is temporary dry eyes.

"Things won't be quite as crisp or they'll feel like they've got an eyelash or a little piece of sand in their eye for a temporary period of time or they'll have halo and glare around lights at night," Moore said. "That's why we push the frequent use of artificial tears."

Linda said the drops were key. They alleviated any discomfort she and Lou had in the days following the surgery. Other than dry eyes, there was no pain involved, she said.

Early on, the nighttime glare and halos were significant. Two months after the surgery, Linda and Lou barely noticed it.

As for the distance vision, it still is not perfect, but she said it gets better every day.

Overall, both Linda and Lou are ecstatic with the results.

Even though the procedure is simple, it's not for everyone.

Those who are not good candidates for LASIK are those who have corneal disease, diabetes or previous eye surgery.

EpiLASIK Offers Alternative To LASIK

After doing the research and asking a lot of questions, Isela Flores, 24, was ready to undergo EpiLASIK surgery.

Dr. Edward Wade, at the Eye Center of Texas, is the first Houston doctor to use the EpiLift system, approved by the Food and Drug Administration eight months ago. He has performed about 50 procedures.

"(Isela) could not have had LASIK if she had wanted to because her risk would be too high," Wade said. "EpiLASIK has been really good for a few patients whose corneas were too thin to have LASIK."

Flores has worn glasses since she was 12 years old and contact lenses since she was 15. She wasn't a candidate for LASIK surgery until now.

"So you're going to go from 20/200 to 20/20 and we're going to do it safely without having to cut a flap," Wade said.

He said that's the major difference between traditional LASIK and EpiLASIK.

"Instead of a blade which cuts across the cornea, it's got a separator that as it runs across the cornea it's actually lifting off the epithelium. The separator is actually not sharp, unlike a LASIK blade," Wade said.

After the laser treatment to reshape the cornea, Wade put in a temporary contact lens. Similar to most LASIK procedures, the surgery took about 10 minutes.

But the initial recovery period for EpiLASIK can be difficult. Local 2 visited Flores five days after surgery.

"The first day I had to have my eyes completely closed. I really couldn't keep them open. The only times I kept them open was to get my drops in," she said.

But each day there was improvement.

"Everything looks great. I went from 20/200 vision to 20/40, so I was glad to hear that. I could easily pass a driving test now without my glasses," Flores said after one week. "Overall I am pleased and I would recommend it."

The LASIK industry is evolving at laser-like speed.

"The next new thing is the lens implant because now we're able to treat patients with a lens implant that will allow them to see distance and near out of the same eye," Wade said.

The procedure is called Restor Lens. Wade will be performing that surgery soon.

The bottom line -- if a patient has not been a candidate for LASIK before, he or she might be now.

Patients should do their research, get an evaluation, ask lots of questions and choose a doctor with specific experience in the procedure.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Web site is a good resource for information.

More Information:

FDA Approves WaveLight ALLEGRETTO WAVE Excimer Laser System
FDA: LASIK Eye Procedure
International EyeCare Laser Center
Eye Center Of Texas