What happens if an earthquake strikes during LASIK? The San Francisco Chronicle recently put that question to local eye surgeons, including Dr. V. Nicholas Batra of Batra Vision Medical Group, an advanced eye care practice in San Leandro.
Modern LASIK is designed with this scenario in mind. The laser tracks the eye in real time and pauses the instant it moves outside a safe range. Once things settle, it resumes exactly where it stopped. Patients spend only seconds under the active laser, so a tremor is far less dramatic than most people imagine.
Dr. Batra also explained why he performs LASIK at San Leandro Surgery Center instead of in an office. The surgery center has battery backup and full generators, so a power outage won’t leave a patient without support partway through a procedure.
Not every eye surgery has a laser that can pause on its own, though. Cataract surgery is performed largely by hand, so the surgeon relies on the patient holding still. As Dr. Batra described with a bit of humor, even small movements can matter. When some patients talk, their jaw moves their whole body. He sometimes asks them to stay quiet for about five minutes, because the motion feels like “a mini earthquake.”
Dr. Batra also recently reached a Bay Area milestone in cataract surgery. This year, he became the first MD in the region to implant the new Clareon TruPlus lens. TruPlus takes the place of the eye’s cloudy natural lens. It keeps distance vision sharp while adding a little extra range for things like a computer screen or dashboard.
Thinking about LASIK or cataract surgery? Schedule an appointment at Batra Vision Medical Group in San Leandro, CA, today.
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