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| Dr. Lu and Dr. Karlik. |
Dr. Lu recently traveled to Chicago, Ill., where he previewed a new laser system used for the surgical removal of cataracts. Dr. Lu will soon be trialing laser systems at Elk County Eye Clinic to evaluate them for safety and effectiveness.
“I was very impressed by the new laser system,” Dr. Lu said. “It will allow Elk County Eye Clinic to offer our patients the most precise possible visual outcomes, as well as providing our patients with leading technology in safety, effectiveness, and comfort. I’m excited to be able to trial the new laser system here in St. Marys.”
A cataract is a condition in which the lens of the eye becomes clouded or opaque, making vision fuzzy and normal daily living activities more difficult. Surgery is the only treatment for cataracts. In recent years, laser technology, such as that used in procedures such as LASIK, has been incorporated into cataract surgery to enhance the precision, accuracy and safety of the procedure.
The laser system Dr. Lu reviewed in Chicago represents the next generation of this technology and has been shown in clinical study to deliver unrivaled surgical precision.
Elk County Eye Clinic has long been the region’s most progressive practice.
In 1995, Dr. Lu became the first ophthalmologist in the region to provide laser surgery to correct vision in patients who wear glasses. He was also the first ophthalmologist in central Pennsylvania to offer glaucoma stents, a procedure that uses small tubes to safely relieve pressure in the eyes of patients suffering from the disease. Now, that procedure has become very popular for the treatment of advanced glaucoma.
The Elk County Eye Clinic is the only ophthalmologic group in the region to offer a procedure called corneal cross-linking, a procedure that uses ultraviolet light and eye drops containing Vitamin B2 to treat keratoconus, a disease that causes the cornea to degenerate.
In 2011, Dr. Lu recruited Dr. Brett Karlik, a Pittsburgh ophthalmologic surgeon who brings a wealth of his own experience to the region. Dr. Karlik specializes in a cutting-edge procedure called selective laser trabeculoplasty, or SLT, a procedure that uses low-level laser energy to selectively treat specific cells and leave untreated portions of the eye intact. SLT is an alternate possibility for those who have been treated unsuccessfully with traditional laser surgery or with pressure lowering eye drops. The Elk County Eye Clinic has been using SLT since 2005.
Dr. Lu and Dr. Karlik were among the first to use bi-aspheric lenses to treat patients with cataracts.
Cataracts cause the eye’s lens to become cloudy, preventing it from focusing light and producing clear images. Dr. Lu and Dr. Karlik can remove the cloudy lens and replace it with what is called a “bi-aspheric lens,” which mimics the eye’s natural focusing ability.
“Elk County Eye Clinic has long been one of the most progressive practices in the region,” said Gregory P. Bauer, the President and CEO of Elk Regional Health System. “Dr. Lu has a reputation for being the first to perform ground-breaking procedures that our patients have come to rely upon to improve their vision and quality of life.”
For more information on procedures offered by Dr. Lu and Dr. Karlik, or about The Elk County Eye Clinic, visit them online. To schedule an appointment, call The Elk County Eye Clinic at (814) 781-3435 or toll free at (800) 921-EYES (3937).
