I live in SF but work in Palo Alto.

My regular eye doctor is affiliated with the Turner Eye Institute, ran by a surgeon named MD Stephen G. Turner. Heard the name on radio commercial, but when I search online, I can’t find a THING about him. Not even a photo of his bio on his website.

I read a lot about Dr. Manche of Stanford. Can anyone give me info on either Dr. Turner or Dr. Manche?

I am -8.5 contacts, which = -10.0 Rx.

I do not know Dr. Turner - but here is a link to his bio/photo
http://www.turnereye.com/drturner.html

Dr. Ed Manche is someone who I know very well. He is an excellent surgeon and is highly regarded.

It never hurts to meet a few surgeons and decide on who you would like to use after you have had a chance to meet everyone. Since you are so near-sighted- it is also helpful to get a second opinion.

Best of luck

Bill Trattler, MD
Miami, FL
http://www.centerforeyecare.com

My OD said I am on the borderline for being a good candidate (everything else such as corneal thickness is good) because of my high Rx. He said that I shouldn't expect a 100% chance of getting 20/20, rather a 66% chance. The other 33% chance, I should expect something between 20/25 - 20/40. Which is still very good comparing to now.

HOWEVER, a friend of mine just got back from a -9.0 Rx a month ago.. a month later, she is still at -1.5 Rx and REQUIRES glasses.

Is she a rare case?

There is a new surgery called Visian for people who don't qualify for LASIK. I heard that Dr. Turner is the only one performing this treatment at this point in the San Francisco Bay Area.
His web site is www.turnereye.com

>I live in SF but work in
>Palo Alto.

>My regular eye doctor is affiliated with
>the Turner Eye Institute, ran by
>a surgeon named MD Stephen G.
>Turner. Heard the name on
>radio commercial, but when I search
>online, I can’t find a THING
>about him. Not even a
>photo of his bio on his
>website.

>I read a lot about Dr. Manche
>of Stanford. Can anyone give
>me info on either Dr. Turner
>or Dr. Manche?

>I am -8.5 contacts, which = -10.0
>Rx.

The STAAR Visian Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) is a phakic intraocular lens (P-IOL). P-IOLs are a "helper" lens that is placed inside the eye either just in front or just behind the iris. The Visian is implanted behind the iris and immediately in front of the natural crystalline lens of the eye. I doubt if Dr. Turner is the only surgeon in the greater San Francisco Bay area who is implanting the Visian, but I also doubt there are too many.

All P-IOLs are temporary, have important limitations, and require significant surgical skill. The learning curve on the Visian is especially steep, although usually somewhat short. You do not want to be any doctors first patient. You don’t want to be one of any doctor’s first 50 Visian patients.

P-IOLs are primarily for patients well under age of about 40 who have high refractive error that cannot be safely corrected with cornea-based techniques like Lasik, PRK, LASEK, and Epi-Lasik. The FDA has some information at http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/mda/docs/p030016.html

BTW: In Europe the Visian is called the STAAR Implantable CONTACT Lens (emphasis added). The FDA rightly determined that the use of the term “contact lens” to describe a P-IOL was inappropriate and would misinform the public of the actual risks. This does not, however, keep many doctors from referring to it at an Implantable Contact Lens.

Glenn Hagele
http://USAEyes.org
Patient Advocacy & Surgeon Certification

I am not a doctor.