Table of Contents
What is the Cornea?Diseases & ConditionsTypes of Corneal SurgeryEye Banking 101Financing
Expert Corneal Procedures in Overland Park, KS
Enhance Your Vision with Advanced Eye Care
Dr. Cavanaugh has the training, experience, and unsurpassed technology to provide you with optimal corneal surgery results
Dr. Cavanaugh at Cavanaugh Eye Center is one of the area’s leading laser eye surgeons. As a fellowship-trained cornea specialist, he has in-depth knowledge of corneal conditions. He can perform a wide variety of surgical procedures for patients with damage from disease, trauma, or heredity.
Our team can enhance your vision with corneal procedures in Overland Park, KS. We look forward to meeting you for a comprehensive consultation and discussing your personalized treatment options.
Schedule a Consultation Today!
What is the Cornea?
The cornea is the clear dome-shaped outer covering of the eye over the iris (the colored part) and the pupil. It bends, or refracts, light rays as they enter the eye and is often referred to as the “window of the eye.”
The cornea is the eye’s first curved focusing structure, holding two-thirds of its focusing power. Since light first passes through the cornea, it’s necessary to have a clear and smooth surface that allows it to focus the incoming light rays precisely on the retina.
The cornea has five main layers, and disease can occur in any or all of them. From the outside to the inside, the cornea’s layers include:
- Epithelium
- Bowman’s Membrane
- Stroma
- Descemet’s Membrane
- Endothelium
Corneal Diseases & Conditions
If the cornea becomes cloudy, swollen, or scarred, you’ll have blurred or reduced vision. This occurs from injury, degeneration, infection, or inherited dystrophy. Examples of such conditions are:
- Hereditary corneal dystrophies: Fuchs’, Lattice, Granular, Macular
- Keratoconus: cone-like steepening of the cornea
- Scarring after infections: herpes virus, bacterial, fungal, etc.
- Scarring after injury
- Corneal failure after other eye surgery, such as cataract surgery
- Rejection after corneal transplant
At Cavanaugh Eye Center, we offer advanced corneal procedures for Overland Park, KS patients. Whether you have hereditary corneal dystrophies, scarring, or keratoconus, our treatment options can restore your vision and improve your eye health.
Cutting-Edge Corneal Procedures in Overland Park, KS, for Clearer Vision
We tailor treatment to the individual disease and patient. The underlying disease and contributing problems must be addressed. Depending on the condition, corneal procedures might include medications, laser treatment, corneal transplantation, or other surgery. We often determine treatment modalities by the corneal layer(s) involved.
Corneal Cross-Linking, or CXL, aims to halt the progression of Keratoconus and prevent the need for more invasive treatment options. It utilizes a vitamin B2 solution and UV light that, when applied to the cornea, help strengthen the collagen fibers by cross-linking them together.
Penetrating Keratoplasty (PK) is a full-thickness corneal transplant. It’s best for conditions that involve clouding throughout the entire cornea or for conditions such as keratoconus, where the cornea’s shape is severely distorted. In this surgery, all five layers of the cornea are removed and replaced with a clear donor cornea.
DSAEK replaces the posterior or inner layers of the cornea and helps selected patients with Fuchs’ dystrophy or other disorders involving the endothelial or inner layer only.
Phototherapeutic Keratectomy (PTK) is a procedure that uses an excimer laser to remove haziness and irregularities from the cornea.
Superficial Keratectomy (SK) removes scars and/or defective surface cells from the cornea so that new healthy cells can replace them.
Amniotic membranes are rich with fetal stem cells and contain growth factors that promote wound healing on the surface of the eye. In many clinical situations, amniotic membrane therapy has been found to be a solid alternative for corneal and conjunctival reconstruction.
PROKERA is a medical device used to protect, repair, and heal damaged eye surfaces. It sets a piece of amniotic membrane tissue between two rings comprised of a transparent, flexible material.
Eye Banking 101: How We Obtain your Donor Cornea
We’re fortunate to have an excellent eye bank system. The Saving Sight eye bank supplies corneal tissue to many transplant recipients in the Midwest.
As a past Medical Director of the Kansas City Eye Bank, Dr. Cavanaugh was instrumental in helping to forge what is now the Saving Sight organization. Because of this network and our close relationship with Saving Sight, we are now able to schedule corneal transplants like any other surgery, and there is generally no waiting list.
The Donor Cornea Process for Corneal Procedures
The Kansas City branch of Saving Sight is the headquarters and functions as the DSAEK tissue processing center for the entire Midwest. In this facility, the donor cornea is precisely split so that only the posterior (back) layers can be transplanted. Dr. Cavanaugh oversees the training and certification of the technicians and the new state-of-the-art tissue preparation facility. View Dr. Cavanaugh’s recognition from Saving Sight.
Saving Sight receives your donor cornea from a person who has recently passed away. The individual’s family has decided to allow their loved one to continue living by donating usable tissue. You may receive a cornea from a local donor or an out-of-state donor.
Ensuring Safe and Reliable Donor Tissue for Corneal Transplants
All tissue is tested for the HIV/AIDS virus and Hepatitis B and C. The tissue must meet strict screening criteria to qualify for transplantation.
When the eye bank receives the corneas, it calls the doctors with patients scheduled for surgery within the next few days and notifies them of tissue availability. If Dr. Cavanaugh can’t acquire suitable tissue for you, we’ll call you and reschedule your surgery. Please note that this occurrence is uncommon.
Financing Options: Affordable Corneal Procedures in Overland Park, KS
Due to their medical nature, insurance policies cover many corneal procedures in Overland Park, KS. However, non-covered services are the patient’s responsibility.
Your unique health insurance plan dictates your deductible amount, copayments, or other co-insurance. Our skilled billing department will do its best to provide you with an accurate estimate of benefits and out-of-pocket expenses. More information is available here.
We require 24-hour notice of rescheduled/canceled appointments to avoid a fee.
If you have health insurance coverage:
- Please supply us with a current copy of your insurance card.
- Please notify us of any changes in your address or telephone number.
- All copays are due at the time of service.
- All non-covered services such as refractions (a new prescription for glasses) and elective procedures will be due at the time of service.
- All referrals are the responsibility of the member/patient and must be current prior to your visit.
- Your estimated portion, including any deductibles, co-insurance or non-covered service, will be expected to be paid prior to your surgery date (our business office will notify you in advance if this is required).
- Patient balances are due 30 days after the insurance notifies our office of patient responsibility.
- Patient will be responsible for any fees associated with the enforcement of collection action.
If you do not have health insurance, you must pay in full at or before the time of service.
As a courtesy, we will gladly assist you by filing your claim with your insurance carrier. If you receive a statement from our office after insurance has paid or denied, the balance then becomes your responsibility to pay. If you disagree with the balance for any reason, please contact our business office at 913-752-9675.
We accept cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. Although we don’t provide financing in-house for cornea surgery, you can make financing arrangements through CareCredit, which is quick and efficient.
CareCredit offers a full range of payment plans, so you can find one that works best for you. With the popular ‘Deferred Interest’ plans, there are no interest charges if you pay your balance in full within the specified period.
CareCredit offers 12, 18, or 24-month plan options with low monthly payments available. You apply via https://www.carecredit.com/go/FWJ652/, and your specific rates will depend on your credit rating. The process is simple, and you’ll have a credit determination quickly. Our surgical counselors can provide you with information about CareCredit and help guide you through the process.
Schedule a Consultation for Advanced Corneal Procedures in Overland Park, KS – Let’s Improve Your Vision Today
At Cavanaugh Eye Center, we provide patients with the best vision care and can answer all of your questions about corneal procedures in Overland Park, KS. We look forward to meeting you at your consultation, and thank you in advance for trusting us to provide your surgical care!
Are you ready to discuss your cornea surgery options?
Schedule a Consultation Today!
