An exciting new era in eye and vision care is dawning with the introduction of Medical City Eye Center. Helmed by one of the leading LASIK and cataract surgeons in our area, Dr. Rafael Trespalacios, Medical City Eye Center is bringing to Central and East Central Florida powerful technologies, expertise in vision care and some of the most skilled, knowledgeable, and compassionate surgeons in the field. Combined with having more locations than any other eye center in East Central Florida, they are more than prepared to meet the demands of our ever growing population, regardless of the type of service needed.
Along with being the largest, Medical City Eye Center also offers the most sophisticated technologies for comprehensive eye care. In a day when LASIK surgery has become synonymous with vision correction, Dr. Trespalacios, known as Dr. Tres by his patients and his team, is able to provide many other life-altering vision correction procedures and experiences — vision for the way patients want to live.
Not the Typical LASIK Practice
One of the most popular ways to correct vision is with a procedure called LASIK, which uses a laser to change the curvature of the cornea (outer window of the eye.) LASIK surgery has quickly become the procedure of choice for most patients because they recover quickly and have fewer side effects and complications than with other methods of vision correction.
But because LASIK may not be the best option for every patient, Medical City Eye Center offers a full complement of procedures that go beyond LASIK. These procedures also reflect the experience that Dr. Tres has earned through the persistent care, time and effort that he has put into his illustrious career.
Using one of Dr. Tres’s analogies, it would be like calling in a handyman and telling him you need a number of things done to your home and he walks in with only a hammer. In order to be a real handyman, he has to have more than one tool in his belt. The same principle applies to a refractive surgeon who only performs one or two types of surgeries. “Ninety-five percent of the patients that come in get LASIK or cataract surgery,” explains Dr. Tres. “But that other (five percent)…why would I turn them away? Patients want to know their best option. If I call myself a refractive surgeon, I should provide that best option for them. If I had to send them anywhere else for these procedures — that would not only be a disservice but also a disappointment for the patient.”
And because surgery is not the best option for everyone, Medical City Eye Center also offers a full service optical center with thousands of frames to choose from.
A LASIK Practice That Treats Disease
As a result of Dr. Tres’s extensive experience over the years as a consultative ophthalmologist treating the most severe types of corneal disease, patients can have the confidence and security of knowing they are in good hands. Being a consultant for disease and surgical management has provided the critical skills and knowledge necessary to avoid potential negative outcomes and treat them when necessary. Although the risk of complications is small, you will be glad to know that Dr. Tres’s assembled team of qualified physicians and surgeons are prepared to treat any that may arise. IEK, laser corneal transplants, Intacs, ICL, implantable contact lenses, specialized scleral contact lenses, Lipiview, Lipiflow, and other obscure techniques and technologies previously available in only the most elite teaching institutions are available at Medical City Eye Center of Central Florida.
Your Dry Eye Institute
“The first interface that light traverses when entering your eye is the tear film…it is also often the most overlooked. You could have better than 20/20 vision but be miserable because of dry eyes,” said Dr. Tres.
Because of this lack of emphasis on dry eyes in refractive surgery, Dr. Tres has dedicated a portion of his Downtown Orlando office to be completely focused on this condition and incorporates Lipiview and Lipiflow technologies. The aim is to treat the root cause of evaporative dry eye, which accounts for over 75 percent of dry eye cases, blocked meibomian glands. Opening and clearing these blocked glands can allow them to resume natural production of lipids (oils) needed for a healthy tear film. Some treatments attempt to add more liquid to tears, but without the complex natural oil, tears continue to evaporate faster than produced.
At the heart of the LipiFlow is the Activator (eyepiece.) The Activator uses patented, precisely controlled heat applied to the inner eyelid with adaptive pressure encouraging the body to resume the natural production of oils needed for the tear film. Its single-use design and built-in sensors ensure a safe, sterile treatment. Medical City Eye Center is Central Florida’s only dry eye institute that includes LipiFlow for dry eyes.
Because of the importance of proper lid function for ocular surface health, Medical City Eye is proud to have on staff Dr. Christopher Calvano, Eyelid and Facial Reconstructive Specialist who is one of only a handful of ASOPR’s trained facial plastic surgeons in Central Florida and one of only two in Brevard County. Dr. Calvano states, “Dry eye disease patients benefit from a multidisciplinary approach. My expertise in eyelid disease combines with Dr. Tres’s excellence in the anterior segment to provide the highest level of care.”
The Point is Better Vision
Dr. Tres is no stranger to new methods or technologies. Seven years ago, he was part of a surgical team that performed the world’s first laser corneal transplants, and two years ago, he was the first eye surgeon in the region to have performed a laser enabled corneal transplant on a woman with no sight in either eye because of keratoconus, a progressive disease.
“I add new technology to my practice all the time, with a long list of firsts, but this is never done for its own sake,” he said. “My patients trust me…and out of respect for that, I have to ask myself, does this provide an actual value to my patients versus a perceived value? Most new technology is not yet covered by insurance. So from the patient standpoint does this improve the outcome or is it no different than the traditional surgery?”
“It’s not about a wow factor. At the end of the day, it is all about visual outcomes,” Dr. Tres said. “Do patients see better after the procedure compared to cataract surgery without these technologies?” One of the few technologies that passes Dr. Tres’s patient value test is CataLāze.
Join the CataLAze™ Revolution
Is it non-invasive? Tissue sparing? Disease targeted? More accurate? Yes, yes, yes and yes! The surgeons at Medical City Eye Center are the first in the country to offer the CataLāze option including WaveTec ORA with VerifEYE™, a new intraoperative test option that provides real-time measurements of the patient’s eye during cataract surgery with no additional cutting. Prior to the CataLāze option including ORA with VerifEYE, eye surgeons were unable to assess the quality of vision during a cataract procedure, and would often have to wait weeks or even months after the surgery to determine the accuracy of the procedure and the patient’s visual results.
Using this revolutionary measurement option, Dr. Tres and colleagues can now evaluate the optical conditions in the eye throughout the cataract procedure and make decisions at the precise moment that can best affect visual outcomes. The measurement occurs when and where it matters most — during the cataract procedure — not in the office or after the procedure. The ORA laser can guide surgeons to determine the most accurate correction.
If patients have had prior LASIK surgery, Dr. Tres only recommends cataract surgery with CataLāze. “I would not think of doing it any other way.”
About Cataracts
A cataract is a painless clouding of the eye’s natural crystalline lens. Cataract surgery involves removing the clouded natural lens of the eye (the cataract) and replacing it with an artificial lens implant. It is the most common surgical procedure in the world with 14 million procedures performed each year.
As a cataract progresses, the possibility of cataract eye surgery should be strongly considered, as a cataract, if left untreated, could lead to blindness. In fact, cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 55. However, with the advances in cataract eye surgery, patients no longer have to wait until a cataract “ripens” to a certain point before it can be removed. Cloudy vision can now be corrected at earlier stages. Modern cataract eye surgery has a high success rate. After the removal of a cataract, patients tend to have a decreased dependence on corrective eyewear and are able once again to see colors vividly.
How CataLAze Works:
ORA with VerifEYE™ uses low intensity laser light during the surgical procedure. The laser light reflects off of the patient’s retina, and sensors in the instrument analyze the reflected wave of light exiting the eye. This real-time analysis measures all of the eye’s unique optical characteristics, and gives Dr. Tres an accurate measurement of the eye’s focusing capabilities. ORA with VerifEYE is the first ever testing option that uses the ORA System™ intraoperative wavefront aberrometer, made by WaveTec® Vision of Aliso Viejo, CA. WaveTec is the leader in intraoperative wavefront measurement technology for refractive cataract surgeons, providing on-demand information that enables achievement of the best possible vision for their patients.
Dr. Tres completed his bachelor of science in biology and microbiology locally at UCF, when the idea of an affiliated medical school was only a dream. He then attended the University of South Florida School of Medicine and went on to become a board-certified ophthalmologist with distinctions throughout his medical/surgical training which includes the world-renowned Price Vision Group and Cornea Research Foundation of America where he was wooed to remain and set up practice. However wishing to return to his home state, he chose Brevard County to begin practicing consultative ophthalmology. As the medical director at Brevard Eye Center, he earned a reputation for excellence and was selected by respected colleagues in the field of cataract and LASIK surgery as one of the “Best Doctors” in the country. But Dr. Tres never lost sight of his vision of bringing a prestigious eye care facility to Central Florida. With hard work and the support of thousands of happy visually restored patients behind him, he and his team have been able to create Medical City Eye Center with locations throughout Central Florida including Melbourne, Viera/Suntree, Merritt Island, Titusville and downtown Orlando. Now with the University of Central Florida College of Medicine a reality and residing among other impressive organizations such as Nemours Children’s Hospital and the Orlando VA Medical Center, Medical City Eye Center contributes to the ever-growing prestigious medical community of Central Florida.
For more information call (321) 984-3200 or (407) 313-2020.