Makati Medical Center recently inaugurated the Dr. Ramon J. Ongsiako, Jr. Cataract and Refractive Laser Surgical Center (RJO Center), a state-of-the-science eye center equipped with the latest medical devices and computer-guided technology dedicated to help people suffering from nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism or age-related vision problems.
According to Department Chairman Benjamin M. Abela, Jr. MD, outpatient surgical procedures in the RJO Center will utilize femtosecond laser.
In LASIK (laser in situ keratomileusis) surgery, which is used to treat nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, the femtosecond laser is used to create a flap in the patient’s cornea (the clear, protective outer layer of the eye). The flap is necessary to prepare the eye for laser Ablation (reshaping of the cornea through light energy) in order to correct the patient’s vision. Patients with stable eye grades ranging from 125 to 1,400 can undergo this surgery, according to Dr. Abela.
A cataract, often related to aging, is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision, and cataract surgery involves removing this cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial lens. In cataract surgery, the femtosecond laser is used to create an incision in the area where the sclera (white of the eye) meets the cornea, and enables the surgeon to dissect the lens material into quadrants to enable ease in piece-by-piece removal of the material.
“For cataract surgeons, the use of femtosecond lasers further minimizes the already low complication rate of this procedure by providing great ease in removing the cataract,” said Dr. Abela.
Since the femtosecond laser is more precise in creating corneal incisions, this technology available at the RJO Center reduces collateral tissue damage and complications that lead to post-operative visual problems, making cataract and LASIK surgery safer, easier, and more effective.
“We’re confident this Center will establish MakatiMed as a leader in eye care,” Dr. Abela said.
Renato T. Salud, MakatiMed’s new Chief Operations Officer, spoke on behalf of Rosalie R. Montenegro, President and CEO, and said he is a “living testimony of the benefits and wonders of LASIK surgery”. He said he had undergone LASIK surgery and it had given him independence, confidence and perfect vision.
Medical Director Benjamin N. Alimurung, MD, said what Dr. Ongsiako stood for was “precisely” why MakatiMed named the center after him. “This is to remind us of the standards, the excellence, the bar set by Dr. Ongsiako,” he said.