Patients see advantages to eye surgery

Dr. Rajesh Khanna The work of Westlake Village eye specialist Dr. Rajesh Khanna, founder of the Khanna Institute of Lasik, is gaining further media recognition.

Khanna was the topic of a recent article published by the trade journal Cataract and Refractive Surgery Today, and he also appeared on the January cover of Life After 50 for an article titled "Seeing is Believing."

In both publications Khanna discusses his results with Prelex (presbyopic lens exchange), an advanced corrective eye surgery technique that leads to improved results for patients over 50.

Presbyopia is a condition that happens to a person usually around midlife in which the lens of the eye loses its ability to focus and vision declines. Reading glasses become necessary.

Prelex surgery eliminates the need for readers while also preserving or improving distance vision. It can also be performed if a person has cataracts.

Unlike Lasik (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis), a refractive surgery procedure that changes the shape of the cornea, Prelex removes the entire lens of the eye and replaces it with an artificial lens so that the vision correction is permanent and precise.

During the procedure, the natural lens is vaporized and replaced by an FDA approved Crystalens or a Restore aspheric lens. Khanna can perform the surgery in 15 minutes at his Westlake eye center.

Older patients should seek expert advice as to whether Lasik or Prelex is best for them.

"As a refractive specialist, I see a lot of patients who are seeking second opinions. I like to use the Galilei Dual Scheimpflug Analyzer from the Ziemer Group in Port, Switzerland to ensure that not only the patient's central pachymetry (thickness of the cornea) is good, but that the pachymetry spreads over the entire corneal surface," Khanna says.

"There are two subtle signs that Lasik may not be a viable option for a certain case: One, there is a big difference in the pachymetric readings in the superior and inferior cornea, and two, the thinnest point of the cornea is displaced inferiorly," Khanna says.

"For people above 45, Prelex may be better than Lasik, as it allows a person to see far, near and everything in between."

Khanna has been recognized as one of the top Lasik and Prelex surgeons in Los Angeles.

In addition to his Westlake office, Khanna also operates eye care centers in Valencia, Costa Mesa, Beverly Hills and Corona.

He is a board certified ophthalmologist who has performed more than 10,000 vision correction surgeries.