An ophthalmologist is a physician (medical doctor) who specializes in the diagnosis, medical, and surgical treatment of the eyes. An ophthalmologist obtains a medical degree and then completes further specialty training in the medical and surgical treatment of eye conditions.
An optometrist is a doctor of optometry who specializes in the examination, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and management of diseases and disorders of the visual system.
An optometrist attends a specialized school of optometry for four years, but does not obtain a medical degree and is not required to complete post-graduate clinical training.
This is an important decision because we’re talking about your vision. We use the most modern FDA approved lasers, maintain strict sterilization techniques, and make every effort to deliver the highest standard of customer care and service to you during your vision correction experience. Our practice is closely connected to new developments in the field, as Dr. Talamo trains other doctors, is asked to lecture extensively on the subject of refractive surgery, has written textbooks on the subject, and has participated in FDA-sanctioned clinical trials of the new technology.
Dr. Talamo is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and fellowship-trained in corneal transplant and refractive surgery, which involves an extra 1-2 years of intensive training beyond the required residency that all ophthalmologists must complete. Dr. Talamo has served as the director of corneal specialty division of The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Talamo has trained hundreds of other surgeons in refractive surgical techniques, and is frequently invited to lecture about refractive surgery all over the world. A highly experienced surgeon, Dr. Talamo has performed over 10,000 laser refractive procedures. He has authored many peer-reviewed publications in the field of refractive surgery as well as numerous book chapters and a textbook on excimer laser surgery (LASIK and PRK).
Dr. Hatch completed her ophthalmology residency at New York University/Manhattan Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Hospital and a cornea fellowship at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. In addition to advanced training in refractive surgery techniques, such as, all-laser LASIK and advanced surface ablation, Dr. Hatch has expertise in descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSEAK) as well as traditional corneal transplant techniques.
Nearsightedness is a condition where the cornea is curved too much and causes light to focus short of the retina. With nearsightedness you can see objects up close but objects in the distance appear blurry.
Farsightedness is a condition where the cornea is too flat and causes light to focus behind the retina. With farsightedness you see objects clearly in the distance, but close objects appear blurry.
The front of the astigmatic eye has an irregular shape, more oval, like a football. Incoming light focuses on multiple points instead of one. Astigmatism can make wearing contact lenses difficult or even impossible. Astigmatism is often combined with nearsightedness or farsightedness, which results in objects at all distances appearing blurry. Since 1996, laser vision correction has been an option for people with astigmatism who want clear, comfortable vision.
As people age, the natural lens in their eyes hardens and loses its flexibility, impairing its ability to vary its shape for different ranges and focus. This condition is known as Presbyopia and develops in most people between 40-50 years of age. The need for reading glasses is a very common problem for most people as they enter their middle years.
Monovision is one option for dealing with the focusing problems caused by Presbyopia, by correcting one eye for near and the other eye for distance. Other options are using reading glasses or wearing bifocal glasses that can provide both near and far vision.
Monovision can be achieved through corrective lenses or through refractive surgery. One eye can be corrected for distance and the other corrected to provide better close vision. If this option seems desirable, your surgeon may suggest a simulation test during a comprehensive examination, or using contact lenses to achieve the similar effect prior to surgery, to determine your ability to adapt to this situation.
Yes. Tens of millions of patients worldwide have had this treatment performed on them successfully. The FDA has approved numerous lasers for correction for nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, and found the treatment safe and effective for eligible patients. Although there are risks associated with any surgical procedure, today’s laser vision correction procedures are extremely precise. The more experienced the surgeon is, the more knowledgeable he/she will be about preventing and managing any complications. In addition to having performed thousands of these procedures, our surgeons have trained hundreds of other eye surgeons.
Dr. Talamo or Dr. Hatch can tell you if vision correction is right for you. Some general guidelines are:
You are not a good candidate if you have degenerative or autoimmune diseases, or you’re pregnant or nursing, or if you are considering a pregnancy in the coming six months.
RK = Possibly, but Dr. Talamo or Dr. Hatch will need to examine you to determine your specific situation.
PRK and LASIK = Probably. Dr. Talamo or Dr. Hatch will need to examine you to determine your specific situation.
Yes, on occasion. You will need to be examined by a cornea specialist such as Dr. Talamo or Dr. Hatch to determine your specific situation.
Stable vision is a qualification requirement to be a candidate for the Intacs and laser vision correction procedures.
Not usually. Dr. Talamo or Dr. Hatch will ask you to NOT wear contact lenses for two (soft lenses) to four weeks (gas permeable lenses) before any final measurements for a refractive procedure. This allows the cornea to relax back to its original condition and the eye to its most stable prescription. When you come in for a complimentary evaluation, the amount of time for you can be determined.
It might. A microscopic exam of the cornea will be needed to determine that (for proper diagnosis).
We do have financing available for refractive surgery. Click here for more information.
Many patients pay for their refractive surgery procedure with pre-tax dollars by having the money withheld into a pre-tax flexible spending account. Consult with your human resources department or our office for further information.
The present studies evaluating LASIK and PRK show that more than 95% of appropriate candidates can expect to see better than 20/40 without correction, and patients with low corrections have a 95% chance of 20/20 after a single procedure. Our data support these numbers. The chance that a patient will achieve 20/20 uncorrected vision after surgery is directly related to the degree of attempted correction, with accuracy being greater for smaller corrections.
While vision correction procedures have been proven overwhelmingly successful in reducing dependence on glasses and contact lenses, the degree of improvement may vary among individuals. How well and how quickly your vision improves depends on how well you heal and the severity of your prescription (level of correction required). During your complimentary evaluation, Dr. Talamo or Dr. Hatch, and their technicians will help determine the range of your probable outcome based on your particular prescription, healing profile and expectations.
Today’s vision correction procedures are extremely accurate and we target your best-corrected vision. The majority of our patients are able to see well enough to function without glasses or contacts at all.
Laser Vision Correction has been common in many countries around the world since the late 1980’s. In addition, many clinical studies have looked at the long-term effects of the excimer laser on the cornea. While the long-term effects beyond twelve years have not been studied, every study performed so far has shown that the procedure does not lose its effectiveness over time in most cases.
When you come in for your complimentary evaluation we’ll be happy to go over everything you will need to know and answer all of your questions.
There are risks with any surgical procedure. Advanced technology combined with an experienced surgeon and staff reduces risk, and the vast majority of our patients are extremely satisfied with the results of the surgery.
Infection is the most serious risk. However, Dr. Talamo and his operating room staff maintain the highest standard of cleanliness, and almost all of the instruments used for your surgery are designed for single use and come to our operating room sterilely pre-packaged. The patient also has a responsibility to follow the doctor’s post-operative instructions to prevent infection.
When you come in for your complimentary evaluation the doctor will cover all possible risks and answer all of your questions.
The chance of having a vision reducing complication has been documented in our experience in a number of clinical studies to be a small fraction of 1%, and in those cases the amount of visual reduction was almost always mild or minimal. The skill and years of experience of our doctors reduces the probability of any risks still further.
When you visit our laser center for your complimentary evaluation, Dr. Talamo or Dr. Hatch will discuss all possible risks and answer all of your questions.
If you are genetically predisposed to cataracts, glaucoma, etc, vision correction will neither aggravate nor prevent the onset of these eye diseases or conditions.
For most patients, these symptoms fade and disappear with time, but could last for months after surgery.
Not usually. For all procedures, you will be given numbing drops just prior to the procedure. You will be awake during the procedure, but this is all right because the treatment is not painful.
After LASIK or INTACS: You may experience a slight sandy or gritty feeling after your procedure. Some patients may take Tylenol or Ibuprofen following surgery, but most do not find this necessary.
After PRK: Intermittent scratchiness, tearing and burning is common for a few days. We prescribe anti-inflammatory drops to help with these symptoms. Pain medication is also prescribed, and about 50% of patients will use it at some point during the first few days.
Yes, we can. The recovery time for LASIK and Intacs procedures is very quick; therefore, doing both eyes at the same time is common. After PRK, visual recovery takes longer, but many patients find that they can still function adequately if they reduce their activity a bit and take a few days off of work. The surgeon will be able to help you determine the best way for you when you come in for your complimentary examination.
The actual laser reshaping correction takes about 60 seconds or less for each eye, and your stay in the operating room will last about 30 minutes. However, you should plan on being at the laser center for about 2 hours to complete pre-and post-operative procedures and instructions.
Our doctors use a small device (an eyelid speculum) that holds your eyelids open during the surgery. This procedure does not cause sharp pain, although you may feel pressure when it is placed against the eyelid.
Dr. Talamo/Dr. Hatch is constantly monitoring your eye position and will stop the laser procedure instantly should you look away (It is not very difficult to hold your eye still since there is no sensation of any kind). However, if your eye should drift or waver slightly, an automated eye tracker allows the laser treatment to remain centered on your eye. If the eye moves too much, the tracker shuts off the laser automatically if the surgeon has not already done so.
Dr. Talamo/Dr. Hatch recommends you take the day after surgery off, but some people return to work the very next day. Most patients have functional vision within the first 24-48 hours after the LASIK and Intacs procedures. After PRK, most patients take 3-4 days off before returning to work.
On the day of your procedure, Dr. Talamo/Dr. Hatch recommends you have someone with you to drive you home. However, most people can return to driving the next day. Most patients have functional vision within the first 24-48 hours after the LASIK and Intacs procedures.
Every patient and surgeon wants to achieve perfect vision with one treatment. However, sometimes patients with a higher correction may require a further treatment. It is more difficult to accurately predict the outcome results at higher corrections than it is with a lower correction. In these types of cases it is not unusual to perform a second procedure after the first one is healed. The additional procedure is used to refine or improve the original visual results and is called an enhancement.
That will depend on the type of refractive procedure. With LASIK and PRK, most surgeons wait 6 to 12 months. With Intacs, the waiting is significantly less. Your surgeon will advise the proper timeframe for your specific healing process.
It is possible there will be a need to create a new flap, but in most cases enhancements are done by re-lifting the original flap or placing laser treatment right onto the surface of the flap (PRK).
Clarity of vision will depend greatly on the procedure and your original refractive error. The skill and experience of your surgeon will play an important role in your specific outcome. Dr. Talamo has close to 20 years of experience and teaches other surgeons and optometrists.
LASIK: Within 6-24 hours. Typically, patients experience a 60% improvement immediately. This percentage continues to improve over the next several hours. In general, the smaller the refractive error, the better the chance of seeing 20/20 or better without correction.
PRK: May take several days for visual clarity with continued improvement over the next several weeks or months. For this reason, PRK treatments are often done on separate days.
Intacs: Recovery is faster that PRK, slower than LASIK.
The majority of patients do not need to wear contact lenses after surgery. In general, if patients were able to wear contact lenses comfortably prior to surgery, they will be able to wear them after surgery. The only caveat is that it will take time to get accustomed to wearing contact lenses again.
Typically, yes. However, if you intend to participate in any extreme sports, please discuss with your surgeon how vision correction procedures may affect your particular situation.
Yes. You will need to have your surgeon complete some FAA forms and meet certain FAA vision requirements. If you fly commercially, you should get clearance from your employer.
Custom treatment refers to the use of information about the corneal shape light scattering properties of the eye to aid treatment. We obtain this information at the pre-operative testing visit and use it to create a software program that is fed into the laser to create a unique treatment for each individual eye.
If you are interested in learning more about laser vision correction or refractive cataract surgery in Boston, call us today to get the answers you have been seeking. We offer numerous vision correction options: Custom Wavefront™, Intralase™, Intacs™, Visian ICL™, ReStor™, Acrysof Toric™, and the Crystalens™.
At Talamo Hatch Laser Eye Consultants, our goal is not just 20/20 vision, but 20/20 happy. From the moment a prospective patient enters our facility, our staff works hard to ensure that the entire process minimizes stress and maximizes outcomes. Please visit our page to learn more about 20/20 happy vision.
The physicians and staff at Talamo Hatch Laser Eye Consultants are proud to support local and national medical research foundations and charities. We take pride in giving back to our community and aiding in the funding of such pertinent and important research. Click Below to learn more about some of the organizations that Talamo Hatch Laser Eye Consultants is currently involved.
If you are seeking cosmetic services in the Boston area, contact T.L.E.C. for a consultation. We offer a variety of non invasive facial aesthetic services that can make you feel and look more refreshed and younger in appearance. Our cosmetic division is the newest addition to our practice and we are excited to continue to add more services as we continue to develop the service menu.
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