Beyond Lasik – Prelex Eye Surgery
Beyond Lasik: Eye Surgery for the Rest of Us – Prelex
By Veera Mahajan
Dr. Rajesh Khanna in Los Angeles, knows a thing or two about the eye. As a practicing optical specialist, he’s helped countless patients finally put glasses and contacts to rest. But is surgery right for everyone? Are there options beyond the famous “lasik surgery”?
Dr. Khanna explains in his new book Prelex, the inner workings of the eye and the changes that happen as we age. “At a certain point people pass the Lasik stage” explains Dr. Khanna, “Mostly it’s the baby boomer generation. Their eye just can’t handle the surgery anymore.”
Enter Prelex, or Presbyopic refractive lens exchange. Dr. Khanna summarizes:   “Presbyopia is when the muscles of the eye are not able to move the lens. When we see far then near, the eye power has to change.  As the eye gets old, the lens becomes thicker and the space for it decreases. By 45-50 years of age the lens is not able to accommodate the thickening of the muscle. So, it starts affecting the eye sight, first the near and, gradually, the far.”
Basically the eye can’t handle the constant stress of looking from a book to, say, a clock across the room. So how can Prelex help?
“With Prelex we can correct everything. Far sightedness, near sightedness, stigmatism, you name it” explains Dr. Khanna. He stresses that it is nothing like Lasik. “Lasik is a superficial surgery.  Prelex requires the implant of lenses. Lasik does not. It’s much more detailed.” It takes a much higher degree of skill which makes it more expensive but according to Dr. Khanna it’s worth it:
“Imagine never having to worry about cataracts again. It’s pretty incredible. We take out the old lens and put in a new one. The new lens never wears out, so they never change shape. It’s not bi-focal, it’s beyond that.”
Dr. Khanna is one of the few eye surgeons who perform this new and highly effective surgery in LA. He quoted Lasik at $2750 per eye and said that Prelex is 3 times the cost of Lasik at $7500 per eye.  There is a difference in the price because there is big difference in the two procedures. While Lasik is done in a clean manner, Prelex is done in a sterile manner.  It is done in an operating room and a much higher level of skill is required to perform Prelex. All that adds up to the higher cost.
But with Dr. Khanna, this price includes surgery center fee, lens fee, maintenance and everything after the surgery. He includes fine tuning and follow up, which most doctors don’t.
“I like to give a personal touch to my patients and their satisfaction is my goal” says Dr. Khanna, “That’s what’s worth it to me.” He guarantees his work. As long as he is practicing, his patients can come back for fine tuning to him.  His goal is for the patient to be happy and satisfied.
He uses different lenses based on the life style of the patient. For example he has lens that can stand trauma, for a patient who is into martial arts.
He realizes the cost is high. So, for special cases, he will consider genuine financial difficulties.
In general Lasik is 7 times safer than contacts.  With Dr. Khanna, who has done thousands of Lasiks and has the latest equipment, Lasik is 100 times safer than wearing contacts. If you have had infection twice due to contact lenses, he thinks you should consider Lasik and if you are older than 40, Prelex is your best bet.
The risk of this surgery is minimal and less than getting hit by a car while driving in LA.  He teaches how to pro-actively prevent infections, complications, etc.  Patient satisfaction is so important to him that gives all his patients his cell phone number.  He wants to be available to them when they need him.
Dr. Khanna encourages patients to come in and decide which procedure is right for them. You can read his book on his blog, as well as learn other fun facts about eye care.
http://www.khannainstitute.com/blog.html
Dr. Rajesh Khanna
Prelex, The Book explains what are the different components in the eye and what differences occur as we age.   Near and far sightedness, stigmatism and estopia (old eye).  Baby boomers pushed Lasik a lot. But they have crossed or passed the Lasik stage now.

For article in Malibu chronicle
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