Island Restaurateur Catches The LASIK Wave

For over 40 years, Island restaurateur, Frank Petronella, suffered from poor vision.  As a child, he wore horn-rimmed glasses, which became a deterrent when trying to attract girls.  In his 20’s, he began wearing hard contact lenses, but soon encountered more hassles.  Finally this past year, he decided to treat himself to the gift of vision.  Petronella, owner of Brothers Petronella Seafood Restaurant, is one of many individuals in the nation who has undergone a type of laser vision correction surgery known as laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis, or LASIK. 

LASIK uses a cool-beamed excimer laser and an automated microkeratome to reshape the cornea.  The LASIK procedure is very similar to photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), which also uses the excimer laser to reshape the cornea.

Petronella first learned about PRK when his wife had it performed several years ago.  He visited with his family ophthalmologist, Bernard Milstein, M.D. of The Eye Clinic of Texas, and inquired about being a candidate.  Milstein, who performed his wife’s surgery, informed Petronella that he was not a candidate at that time.  But, as technology advanced, the procedure was able to treat a wider range of patients.

“When LASIK arrived on the scene, it piqued my interest again,” Petronella said.  “I began researching it and asking questions of Dr. Milstein.  Then, I decided to get tested again and found out I was a candidate.”

Milstein, who has been Petronella’s ophthalmologist for 14 years, performed the surgery.  Milstein is one of the founding fathers of laser vision correction. He and his colleague, Daniel Gold, M.D., were selected as two of 15 physicians in the country – and the only two from Texas – to participate in the clinical trials of the Summit Omnimed and Apex lasers in 1991.

After dilating Petronella’s eyes and giving him a sedative to help him relax, Milstein began the procedure.  He talked to Petronella in a quiet and calming voice throughout the entire procedure, which took only 10 minutes.  He corrected Petronella’s vision with monovision, which means that one eye was treated for distance vision and the other for near vision.  For people over 40, monovision may solve the problem of the need for reading glasses.

“I remember feeling so at ease and comfortable during the surgery,” Petronella said.  “When the procedure was finished, I literally could read the clock on the other side of the wall.  The next morning, I went outside to pick up the paper and could read the street sign.  This is from a man who couldn’t read the dashboard while sitting in the driver’s seat.  It was an amazing feeling.”

“Results will vary from person to person, but generally, eye sight is restored within a few days and there is usually little to no pain,” Milstein said.  “All patients wear simple eye shields to prevent them from rubbing their eyes for 24 hours following surgery.”

Today, Petronella enjoys a life free of glasses and contact lenses.  He enjoys “feeling like a normal person,” who can take naps, watch television and play golf without the hassle of dealing with glasses or contact lenses.  In addition, LASIK has improved his on-the-job performance.

“For the first time in many years, I am able to return to the kitchen and do the actual cooking,” Petronella said.  “Before the surgery, I couldn’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen because the heat would irritate my contacts.  I had difficulty reading the menu.  But, those days are long gone.”

While Petronella has enjoyed tremendous success with LASIK, Milstein said there are still several misplaced fears that exist about the surgery.

“The thought of having one’s eyes operated on can be somewhat frightening,” Milstein said.  “Another obstacle is the cost of the procedure, which seems expensive.  But, when a person has poor vision, he or she has to get new glasses or contacts each year.  Within a few years, this same person could have paid to have LASIK and have their vision restored.”

Milstein said advancements are continually being made to laser technology to further enhance an already successful procedure.  The Eye Clinic of Texas currently uses a small beam tracking laser to treat patients who are nearsighted, farsighted or have astigmatism.

“In selecting a LASIK provider, it is very important to look at their history and how long the physicians have been performing the procedure,” Milstein said.  “Not everyone is a candidate for LASIK, so it’s important that people find an accomplished surgeon whom they can trust.  At The Eye Clinic of Texas, our integrity and our skill are the foundation of our practice.  ”We examine and evaluate our patients and monitor their progress throughout the entire LASIK experience.  Equally important is the fact that we direct the activities at our laser center because it is our own.”

Milstein and Gold, along with colleague, Dawn Buckingham, M.D., perform LASIK at The Laser Center at The Eye Clinic of Texas, located at 1100 Gulf Freeway in League City.  

For more information, call (800) 423-3937.

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