Shared Lasers and Effects on LASIK Results
If you are looking for LASIK eye surgery, then you have probably been doing research on some of the local San Jose surgeons. You have probably found some doctors that may not be a good fit for you, but are looking for other ways to see if a surgeon is right for you. If this is the case, then you should consider the potential performance edge of a LASIK eye surgeon who owns and exclusively uses their own laser. There is an alternative, which is the Open Access Facility, or OAF.
The Open Access Facility (OAF): Where Sharing Lasers is the Norm
In general, the Open Access Facility is owned by a corporation or a university and not by your LASIK eye surgeon. There are many Open Access Facilities in the Bay Area, including at least two in San Jose.
The OAF is run by businesses, not doctors. They recruit LASIK surgeons to use the facility and laser and then get a cut of profit made by the LASIK procedure. By using an OAF, doctors do not have to pay for the supervision and maintenance of the laser. These eye doctors assign those tasks to the owners of the OAF.
Advantages of Owning Your Own Laser and Facility
So what if LASIK doctors us an Open Access Facility in San Jose? Much like a musical instrument, the laser needs to be setup and fine tuned for optimal performance. As an example, Yo-Yo Ma is going to setup and tune his own Cello instead of having other people do it for him. He is not going to lend his Cello to other players as a regular practice because that would ultimately compromise his own sound. He would lose control and his quality of music would suffer. The same goes for your LASIK Surgeon. If a doctor uses an Open Access Facility, that surgeon loses the control that they would have by owning their own LASIK equipment. This control is vital for consistent and optimal results.
