Dr. Gulani has been involved in correcting Radial Keratotomy surgery and Radial Keratotomy complications for 3 decades along with his innovations and surgical artistry.
Many patients in the 80’s underwent Radial Keratotomy (RK) surgery to correct nearsightedness and many of them have experienced vision deterioration over time. Dr. Gulani has been involved in correcting Radial Keratotomy surgery and Radial Keratotomy complications for 3 decades along with his innovations and surgical artistry.
Radial keratotomy procedure as used in treatment of nearsightedness and sometimes with astigmatism, was performed much before the advent of LASIK eye surgery and hence, discussing radial keratotomy vs Lasik is not a relevant comparison. Over the last three decades, Dr. Gulani has seen and treated practically every possible pattern and severity of Radial Keratotomy complication in his experience of Radial Keratotomy Correction for patients worldwide, causing him to be sought out by not only patients, but also by fellow eye surgeons for his groundbreaking and time-tested outcomes.
Worldwide Radial Keratotomy patients with Gulani Vision!
Correcting RK (Radial Keratotomy) in Jacksonville. Florida; For the World!
We empathize with Radial Keratotomy patients that contact us from all over the world in despair since their eye doctors either provided no solution or gave options between uncomfortable contact lenses and invasive corneal transplants, both of which do not address the “Ask” of the patient, which is “Vision”! Many of these patients lament that they underwent these procedures and are left with no plan for “vision.”
As a renowned corneal transplant surgeon himself, Dr. Gulani believes transplants should be the last option for Radial Keratotomy patients because not only are they an interventional surgery that involves donor tissue (that can be rejected), but also because it doesn’t lead to vision with freedom from contact lenses or glasses.
If you as a Radial Keratotomy patient for any reason have already undergone surgeries like LASIK, PRK, Cataract, Cross-Linking, transplant, etc. with your eye surgeon with poor outcomes, you still don’t need to despair. Though this may decrease your chance of reaching a 20/20 outcome, Dr. Gulani has successfully corrected numerous such Radial Keratotomy patients from all over the world.
With a legendary track record of successful vision outcomes, Dr. Gulani continues to create and envision the future to pursue his passion to help people see.
What is the Radial Keratotomy Procedure?
Radial Keratotomy is a type of refractive surgery meant to correct myopia (nearsightedness). Dr. Svyatoslav Fyodorov (from Russia) developed RK in the 1970s. In Radial Keratotomy (RK) the surgeon makes radial incisions in the cornea using a diamond knife with the goal of flattening the shape. Surgical protocols with different optical zones and number of incisions were used for different severeities of nearsightedness. This procedure was often combined with Astigmatic Keratotomy (AK) to address associated astigmatism. The variability of this procedure along with possible vision distortions and long-term visual degradation from far-sightedness and irregular astigmatism made this procedure obsolete in favor of more predictable and computer-controlled next generation refractive surgeries like Nex-Gen LASIK, LaZrplastique, PRK, SMILE, ASA, etc.
Dr. Gulani with late Dr. Fyodorov from Russia who created the Radial Keratotomy Procedure.
Symptoms
Having seen a wide variety of Radial Keratotomy patients from all over the world, the most common symptoms they have, despite their unique situations, include: blurred vision, halos around lights, starbursts, double or distorted vision, difficulty driving at night, vision fatigue, besides mild to severe fluctuations in vision throughout the day. Most patients travel to us desperate for help having been denied opportunities by their eye doctors and surgeons who have assumed their own inability or the patient’s lack of potential to see. Often, telling patients to “live with it” or “nothing can be done.”
RK Complications
Side effects and complications of radial keratotomy (RK) can include visual, anatomical, physiological, and optical aspects of the eye.
Irregular Astigmatism Due to the differential impact of each hand-made RK cut in the cornea along with its fluctuating status, can lead to Astigmatism that is difficult to measure and treat with its irregular shape and visual impact.
Corneal Ectasia (Iatrogenic or Surgical keratoconus) Excessively and irregularly deepened RK cuts could not only misshape the cornea, but also allow it to abnormally bulge, leading to visual distortion and compromised structural integrity with a thin and weakened cornea.
Corneal Scars Differential healing of the RK cuts along with intersecting patterns, can cause scarring in the cornea that impact vision not only by distorting the shape, but also by blocking light and distorting vision.
Potentially Weak Eye Since these RK incisions were done up to 95% depth of the cornea, and at the molecular level these cuts essentially never heal, they are a source of potential weakness in the strength and integrity of the eyeball and hence any trauma, injury, or infection can cause devastating damage.
Treating RK Complications
“A doctor’s inability should never become the patient’s disability,” says Dr. Gulani, who teaches worldwide to encourage every ophthalmologist (eye surgeon), optometrist, and all levels of eye care providers to fight for their patients’ vision. Though we cannot guarantee outcomes in such complex Radial Keratotomy cases, 1000’s of patients have shared their testimonials and stories (with no incentive) on our website with a desire to spread hope among fellow patients and possibly inspire their eye surgeons to perform.
Using Advanced Diagnostics during his personal consultation and years of clinical acumen, Dr. Gulani first determines what kind of Radial Keratotomy you have along with associated refractive errors (i.e. irregular astigmatism, myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia, etc.) and pathologies (i.e. Cataracts, Fuchs Dystrophy, Corneal Scar, etc.), and additional surgeries (i.e. LASIK, Cataract Surgeries, Cross-Linking, etc.), then based on his proprietary algorithm honed over three decades picks among the full spectrum of surgical and technological options (KLEARTM) to custom design a procedure and technology application to best correct your unique eyes and can even help patients with extreme situations which is innovative, staged, and combination techniques.
Not only does Dr. Gulani fix RK eyes but he is also sought by patients as a world authority to fix the RK Complications of their surgeons besides being the eye surgeon other eye surgeons fly their extremely difficult and complex RK patients to. Additionally, Dr. Gulani’s wide range of techniques and technologies with his vast experience allows him to even perform combination surgeries to help RK patients at all levels of severity.
What are the Success Rates of Radial Keratotomy Correction with Dr. Gulani?
Though Dr. Gulani’s success rate in Radial Keratotomy Correction surgery is legendary, we encourage you to understand your individual eye health and vision potential with full understanding of the risks and benefits prior to proceeding with surgery.
The best way to ensure your successful outcome is to research your RK Correction surgeon, meet with them personally, and confirm that they are designing a plan tailored to your individual eyes. You owe it to yourself to find the best RK Correction surgeon in Jacksonville, who is sought by patients to be in the best in the World.
Your Unique RK Correction Consultation with Dr. Gulani
World renown for his corneal surgical skills and inventor of the super specialty, Corneoplastique, Dr. Gulani is a corneal transplant surgeon but holds that as the last resort. Dr. Gulani teaches this concept with over 20 Keratoconus surgery choices and over 40 combination techniques and technology choices worldwide and has named it as “Think Outside the CONE”.
Over the past three decades of seeing patients with keratoconus from all over the world, Dr. Gulani found many instances in which the referring surgeons have done an excellent job in helping their patients, but the patients were still referred to me since they were dissatisfied with the vision endpoint.
In nearly every case, he found that had the surgeon only believed (mindset) that the patients could see 20/20, they could have completed their endeavor rather than reached a mediocre visual endpoint. Most of these surgeons were true heroes but could not collect their trophies due to their presumed notions resulting in limited endeavors. Additionally, in many such cases, Dr. Gulani did not have to undo the surgeons’ work but instead picked up the “baton and took these patients to their vision end zone.”
At Gulani Vision Institute we pride ourselves in having defied the very norm of most medical practices having created a 7-star ambience and personalizing the patient interaction with a concierge customer service and compassionate doctor-patient relation famously expressed by worldwide patients as the Gulani Vision Experience!
Dr. Gulani takes the time to understand each patient’s visual needs and discusses the path for success. You will be required to undergo a series of advanced diagnostic technology and extensive eye exams that will help Dr. Gulani understand your individual eyes and what kind of RK Correction surgery would be the best course of action for you. Dr. Gulani’s approach is very hands on and thorough so that he can obtain the best surgical results. Many surgeons do not take enough time in this critical evaluation phase, thus resulting in mediocre outcomes and unhappy patients that ultimately travel and end up being corrected by Dr. Gulani.
Following a detailed personal consultation with the patient along with advanced diagnostic testing Dr. Gulani then classifies Radial Keratotomy eyes into the following categories:
Anatomical
Irregularity of incision
Straight
Crooked
Depth of incision: ranging from deep to perforated
Armed with this detailed knowledge Dr. Gulani then determines to address as many of these as he humanly can. Unleashing a uniquely designed surgical plan with cutting-edge technology and technique application Dr. Gulani has brought thousands of patients from all over the world to their best vision potential.
An example of Dr. Gulani’s staged surgery to vision freedom for a surgeon patient blinded by extreme Radial Keratotomy complications.
Blinding radial keratotomy scars to 20/20.
Dr. Gulani's Wide Range of Techniques and Technology for Correcting RK Surgery:
Over three decades of continued innovation with an enviable track record of success along with his award-winning inventions, publications and international teachings to colleagues globally especially having consistent success with some of the most varied and complex RK cases from all over the world have resulted in Dr.Gulani’s next generation “No-Cut, No-Blade” LASIK surgery innovation, LaZrPlastique™. Using this technique Dr. Gulani can address the scarring and shape of the cornea to result in vision.
CROSS-LINKING (CXL)
Because previous RK surgery weakens the cornea and causes fluctuation in vision sometimes collagen cross-linking (corneal cross-linking, CXL, CCL, C3) can be used. CXL is a technology that allows firming of the corneal tissue. Dr. Gulani gives an analogy to describe this technique very similar to turning cellophane paper to plastic consistency, so you can imagine it becoming stronger (crosslinked). Cross-linking involves using specially formulated Riboflavin (Vitamin B12) drops along with a special pulsed UV (ultraviolet) light technology that bonds the collagen of the cornea to strengthen and make it more firm so it is more resistant to bending.
REFRACTIVE LENS EXCHANGE (RLE)
Refractive lens exchange (RLE), also called lens replacement surgery or clear lens extraction (CLE), is an elective refractive surgery procedure in which the natural crystalline lens of the eye is removed and replaced permanently with an artificial lens implant to correct the refractive error (Nearsightedness, Farsightedness and or Astigmatism) along with Presbyopia (reading glasses) improvement. RLE surgery is similar to cataract surgery; however, in RLE, the procedure is performed primarily to change the refractive properties of the eye rather than to remove a cataract that has developed in the lens of the eye.
CATARACT SURGERY
As we age, our eyes undergo visual changes to result in poor vision, both, in quality and quantity. Think of our natural crystalline lens as being jelly-soft and clear as a diamond. Over time, it gets cloudy and hard. This stage of progressively decreasing vision is defined as cataract which usually has a certain level of opacity and blindness quotient impacting the patient’s lifestyle adversely. The causes of cataract besides aging (most common) are many including disease, trauma, surgical and inherited which may therefore have an earlier onset in life.
LENZOPLASTIQUE
LenzOplastique™ (the “O” stands for “Optimized Vision”): Raising Cataract and Refractive Lens Exchange Surgery to an ART, Dr. Gulani’s relentless pursuit to design vision and lend artistry to surgery raises even cataract surgery to his proprietary approach called LenzOplastique™ where he personally studies all patient diagnostics and measurements including anatomy, physiology, optics, and vision potential to diligently apply his vast array of lens based surgical technologies and techniques along with his “Vision A La Carte” concept to customize surgery in a holistic approach individually tailored to each eye no matter how simple or complex it is and also in combination surgical concepts.
COMPLEX RK CORRECTION
Having honed Radial Keratotomy (RK) Correction surgery over three decades Dr. Gulani has acquired a global reputation to address even complex RK situations which most surgeons turn away as “not a candidate.” Complex RK situations may range from thin cornea, high astigmatism, dry eyes, previous Lasik or PRK, irregular corneas, associated corneal pathologies like dystrophies and scars, including anatomical challenges unique to certain patients like deep eye sockets, extremes of vision errors, and even pupil size abnormalities. Using his full armamentarium of vision corrective surgery techniques and technologies Dr. Gulani has successfully corrected numerous complex eyes and continues to teach this skill to RK corrective surgeons worldwide.
COMBINATION RK SURGERY
As the world’s destination for Radial Keratotomy (RK) corrective surgery Dr. Gulani has displayed the skills over time for not only performing RK correction surgery by itself but also combining it with other vision corrective surgery to take patients with extreme vision errors or complex situations to 20/20 vision without glasses. Approaching the eye as a camera Dr. Gulani decides how many optical elements (cornea, lens) are impacting that patient’s vision and can uniquely correct each of them singly or in combination, simultaneously or staged over time. This is a tremendous advantage for patients that are with surgeons that are limited by their abilities – only Lasik, only cataract, or only cornea surgery therefore “fitting the patient to their surgery.”’ Dr. Gulani with his vast range of surgeries and technologies can custom design to uniquely “fit the surgery to the patient.”
CORNEAL TRANSPLANT
Numerous patients from all over the world with corneal scars of varied causes like LASIK and PRK complications, contact lens infections, dystrophy, etc. have been corrected with Dr. Gulani’s cutting-edge, least interventional, no-blade, no-cut procedures in single or staged combinations keeping corneal transplant as a last resort.
RK SURGICAL COMPLICATION CORRECTION
Radial Keratotomy (RK) complications are quite common as they may be a direct result of the RK surgery or of surgical intervention of the patient’s most recent surgeon. Over nearly three decades of experience as a pioneer in developing advanced RK correction techniques and award winning inventions, Dr. Gulani has developed a proprietary protocol to enhance RK complication surgery outcomes and also correct RK complications successfully.
RK FAQ's
As a lifelong patient advocate and teacher to RK Corrective eye surgeons worldwide we have compiled a comprehensive RK FAQ a brief snapshot of which is listed below:
Why do other doctors say nothing can be done?
Though Dr. Gulani has been performing and teaching selflessly to encourage fellow eye surgeons worldwide to perform his custom designed techniques we still find that many patients like you are still told by your ophthalmologists and optometrists that they cannot help you or that “nothing can be done.” We have found that most of these doctors either are lacking in empathy, skills, desire, technology, or commitment and in many cases all of the above. Having helped patients from mild to severe levels of complexities like in your case there is certainly hope for your eyes. Learn about the “Gulani Difference” here.
How Come Dr. Gulani is able to perform this surgery when our doctors tell us nothing can be done?
Despite Dr. Gulani’s unparalleled track record of success over three decades we do not guarantee results. We certainly feel though his artistic surgical skills, out-of-the-box thinking, technological edge, along with innovative, custom-designed surgical approach, uniquely focused for each individual eye are the reason for his consistently successful surgical outcomes and patient satisfaction globally. Add to this his compassion and personalized care for each patient and we have what we feel is the ideal formula of legendary success with patient safety and vision end points. To learn about how Dr. Gulani custom designs surgery for your eyes click here.
How do I know what type of surgery or technology is right for me?
Though most eye surgeons and practices offer few options limited to their surgeon’s ability or technology, Dr. Gulani after a personal consultation and detailed diagnostic technologies will pick among numerous innovative techniques and cutting-edge technologies to custom design for your individual eye among over 20 laser techniques, 40 vision corrective techniques (KLEARTM). To read more on KLEARTM please click here.
Can Radial keratotomy eyes undergo LASIK surgery?
Can they? Yes!, Should they? No! Dr.Gulani explains this concept do I surgeons with an analogy of a cake that has been cut into 8 or 16 pieces but still uniformly placed on a plate (think about a cornea cut in 8, 16, 20 or even 30 or 40 incisions), now imagine taking a knife and cutting horizontally through all these pieces and that's what Lasik does while creating a flap. This leads to anatomical issues like instability since the pieces are now dislodged and irregular in alignment, also high incidence of epithelial ingrowth while inducing more dry eyes and vision fluctuation. With over three decades of correcting patients with all severities of radial keratotomy even beyond 40 incisions, Dr.Gulani has developed a non-cutting and safe technique called LaZrPlastique® to correct these eyes straight to vision for distance and near and in most cases even without glasses or contact lenses.
Can Radial keratotomy eyes undergo Cataract surgery?
Yes! In fact majority of radial keratotomy patients presenting for consult are at an age where they have developed early or advanced cataracts that can be removed with modern technology. Dr. Gulani uses his combined corneal, cataract and refractive surgical experience in having pionnered LenzOplastique® as a next Generation Cataract surgical approach to artistically and safely (while also deciding among thirty lens implant options) to bring these patients to as close to excellent vision as humanly possible, underscored by his track record of over three decades.
If a Radial keratotomy patient has undergone cataract surgery, can that vision be corrected?
One of the most common reasons of radial keratotomy patients seeking Dr Gulani are those who have undergone improper or inaccurate cataract surgery elsewhere. Using his vast experience and full spectrum of Kerato-Lenticulo-Refractive techniques and cutting edge technologies, Dr Gulani is able to correct these patients using Micron-specific Laser techniques like LaZrPlastique® without blades or cutting and within minutes, bring them straight to vision in most cases even without glasses or contact lenses.
Should I seek a LASIK surgeon or a cataract surgeon to correct my Radial keratotomy vision issues?
It is very important that really keratotomy patients look for an eye surgeon who is experienced not only in lasik or cataract but the full spectrum of laser vision, cataract and corneal surgeries including ocular surface disease expertise, to then address all the vision and anatomical aspects of each individual radial Keratotomy eye including dry eyes, fluctuating vision and therefore restore the best vision potential and anatomy of that patient for the rest of their life.
For a detailed list of frequently asked RK Questions:
