Why?
Alaska Lasik Center is the largest provider of laser vision correction in Alaska.
We combine the most experience, the best technology, and the best patient care to get the best results to help you see clearly without glasses or contact lenses. For the last four years, more Alaskans have had their vision corrected at Alaska Lasik Center than at all other providers in the state combined!
Our dedication to our patients ensures that they enjoy premium quality medical care and an experience they are proud to share with their friends and family. It’s not hard to understand why more than 80 percent of our patients are referred to us by word-of-mouth from previous patients. As you browse through our web site, you will find all of the reasons why Alaska Lasik Center is The Best In Sight!
Imagine what you could do with better vision and the freedom laser vision correction may bring to your life. We’ve already helped thousands of Alaskans improve their vision and reduce their dependency on corrective lenses. Regardless of your motivations for laser vision correction, Alaska Lasik Center hopes to exceed your expectations and to provide complete satisfaction!
TWO LASERS ARE BETTER THAN ONE! The IntraLaseTM Method is the ONLY 100% Blade-Free approach to corneal flap creation - the critical first step in the LASIK procedure. A femtosecond laser, called the IntraLase® FS laser, creates the corneal flap with tiny, rapid pulses of laser light - a blade is NOT used. The creation of the corneal flap prepares the eye for the second step of the LASIK procedure, when another - different - laser, known as the VISX StarS4 excimer laser, is used on the inner cornea to correct your vision. Traditionally, the corneal flap has been created using a thin metal blade. IntraLase is safer - Dr. Coulter can tailor the size, shape and depth of the corneal flap for each individual patient with the IntraLase method - factors that are critical to a successful LASIK outcome. The IntraLase method is being used by top surgeons across the country - and you can find it in Alaska only at the Alaska Lasik Center.
Why you might select a certain facility or physician is ultimately a personal choice and undoubtedly a result of many factors. Knowing someone or talking with someone that has had a great vision correction experience completed with a particular doctor and facility is a large determining factor. Certainly, however, basic requirements must be met regardless of what others may have experienced.
These requirements include:
- A Board Certified surgeon with the most experience available
- The most recent technology available (this is very important as the technology in this field advances rapidly and can provide you with better results, more safety and increased efficacy)
- FDA-approvals for all of the equipment and procedures utilized
- A variety of appropriate surgical options (be sure your surgeon doesn't offer only one procedure - it may indicate more inclination to make that procedure “one-size fits-all”)
- Good counseling, extensive access to information and a straightforward, surprise-free experience
- The convenience of having everything and everyone in one location for pre-operative, operative and post-operative care is desirable
- Access to your surgeon 24/7 without a hassle and knowing your surgeon resides in-state
- Affordability is ultimately an essential feature of the whole affair. The cost must be justifiable and various forms of payment and financing must be offered.
The information below and throughout the website will demonstrate that Alaska Lasik Center is the only laser vision correction clinic in the State to satisfy all of these basic criteria and well beyond.
The Experience
With surgical procedures, experience is everything. Practice does make perfect vision. Dr. Coulter is the most experienced refractive surgeon in Alaska, having performed thousands of procedures here in our clinic. The benefit of this experience is reflected by the fact that more than 95 percent of our patients achieve 20/20 or better vision after their first treatment!
At the Alaska Lasik Center, the patient experience doesn't just mean the best medical care available; it also means benefiting from a highly-trained and dedicated staff combined with an a excellent facility. Our goal is to make this experience the most comfortable and convenient that it can possibly be. We are always ready to answer your questions and accommodate you the best we can. Our 7,000 square foot office is conveniently located in midtown Anchorage and houses two state-of-the-art operating rooms so you don't have to run around town for different types of appointments. But don't take our word for it: CLICK HERE to read what our patients have to say about their experiences!
The Doctor
Eric W. Coulter, M.D. is the only board certified Alaskan
ophthalmologist with his own laser vision correction center in the State of
Alaska. He has performed thousands of laser vision correction procedures,
significantly more than any other Alaskan ophthalmologist. More people have
laser vision correction with Dr. Coulter each month at Alaska Lasik Center
than with all of the other Alaskan ophthalmologists and clinics combined. The
vast majority of Dr. Coulter’s patients are referred by previous patients. He
has specialized in laser vision correction since 1997.
Dr. Coulter enjoys spending as much time as necessary with each patient to thoroughly investigate the health of your eyes, and understand your expectations and reasons for considering laser vision correction. At the end of your complete eye exam, Dr. Coulter will discuss your options with you and will describe the results you personally can expect to achieve.
Board Certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology, Eric W. Coulter, M.D. is a fourth generation medical doctor. The full-time surgeon and medical director of the Alaska Lasik Center, Dr. Coulter obtained his medical degree at Michigan State University. He then completed his internal medicine internship through the University of California at Los Angeles and residency in ophthalmology at the Medical College of Georgia.
Dr. Coulter received additional training in refractive surgery at Jules Stein Eye Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles as well as fellowships from numerous professional associations.
Dr. Coulter is an active fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a member of the International Society of Refractive Surgeons. He is an active member of the American Medical Association from which he received the "Physician's Recognition Award" for excellence in education. He is also a member of the Alaska State Medical Association and is on staff at both Providence Alaska Medical Center and Alaska Regional Hospital.
Dr. Coulter is licensed to practice surgery in Alaska, California, Nevada, Hawaii and Georgia. He is the most experienced refractive surgeon in Alaska, having performed thousands of laser vision correction procedures. Dr. Coulter is a resident of Anchorage, Alaska, where he lives with his wife, their twin boys, their new baby girl, their two chocolate Labradors and their cat.
Click here to read a pdf version of Dr. Coulter's curriculum vitae.
The Results
More than 99 percent of Dr. Coulter's patients enjoy freedom from full-time dependence on glasses after treatment. This is the result of closely tracking results over the last five years of thousands of patients and modifying treatment nomograms to ensure accuracy. Dr. Coulter analyzes everything from age, degree of refractive error, close control of temperature and humidity of the procedure room and individual risk factors when customizing a patient's refractive procedure. Nothing in surgery is ever 100 percent, and no surgeon can ever 'promise' an outcome. However, everything is done to minimize any adverse and unpredictable results. Occasionally, a patient may not achieve 20/20 vision after the first treatment. If they choose, a re-treatment or enhancement may be an option to get them to 20/20. Oftentimes, predisposing factors indicate a patient may or may not need an enhancement after the first treatment. The thorough testing combined with Dr. Coulter's surgical skill has all resulted in an enhancement rate of less than 5 percent at the Alaska Lasik Center, far less than the refractive surgeon's national average of approximately 10percent.
- More than 99 percent of our treated patients pass their drivers vision test (all comers)
- More than 99 percent of our treated patients drive without glasses
- More than 95 percent of our patients achieve 20/20 vision or better without glasses after the first treatment
- More than 99% of our treated patients enjoy freedom from full time glasses dependence.
- Dr. Coulter's patients enjoy an enhancement rate of less than five percent.
The Facility
The views from the eleventh floor of the Frontier Building
are spectacular, but that's not all you're getting when you come to our office! You
also get the comfort and convenience of having all your appointments (pre-operative,
surgical, and post-operative) in the same mid-town location. This
also ensures a consistent location for one physician to follow you with all
medical records in one place. Parking is a simple task in the multi level,
attached garage and allows complete inside access from car to clinic (you won't
have to battle the snow!). We are the largest laser vision correction
facility in the State of Alaska, with over 6,500 square feet of well-designed
space to meet all of our patients' needs.
Square footage is nothing without sophistication. We feature two surgical suites with walls that are sealed from the rest of the building with a separate ventilation system. Humidity and temperature are controlled to ensure an optimal surgical environment. Our scrub room with water quality controls is separated from these to eliminate cross contamination concerns. Sterilization equipment (both rapid cycle dry heat and steam) and ultrasound equipment are housed there for easy access. Our facility is indeed a surgeon's paradise, and that translates into great patient care!
Click here for address, hours, and directions to our facility.
The Technology
The team at the Alaska Lasik Center is proud to offer its patients the most advanced technology ever available with FDA-approval. You can rest assured you won’t find better technology anywhere in the lower 48.
The VISX® StarS4 Excimer Laser System
The VISX® StarS4 Laser has a number
of advantages over other laser technology on the market today!
This laser has a unique safety feature called ActiveTrak® which tracks your eyes in all three dimensions
during the procedure to ensure the treatment is placed properly. It is the only laser utilizing Variable
Spot Scanning (VSS) with SmartBeam® technology to minimize corneal tissue removal. This technology also
allows for the widest optical zone treatment; this is an advantage for all patients, especially those with
large pupils. It has the largest number of FDA-approvals for far-sightedness, near-sightedness and astigmatism
and is the only laser approved for mixed astigmatism correction. Most notable, however, is its capability to
provide CustomVueTM LASIK treatments using WavefrontTM Technology to near-sighted, far-sighted and astigmatic patients!
It is the only laser utilizing Variable Spot Scanning (VSS) with SmartBeam® technology to minimize corneal tissue removal. This technology also allows for the widest optical zone treatment; this is an advantage for all patients, especially those with large pupils. It has the largest number of FDA-approvals for far-sightedness, near-sightedness and astigmatism and is the only laser approved for mixed astigmatism correction. Most notable, however, is its capability to provide CustomVueTM LASIK treatments using WavefrontTM Technology to near-sighted, far-sighted and astigmatic patients!
VISX® Wavefront Technology & CustomVueTM LASIK
WavefrontTM technology allows us to create a treatment plan FOR
YOUR EYES ONLY; giving you the potential to see better than
you did with contact lenses or glasses! The wavefrontTM technology allows
us to measure imperfections in your optical system 25 times more precisely than
any other diagnostic method. This technology then generates a treatment
plan based on your unique prescription and optical imperfections. The
main benefit of this technology is the reduction of patients' night vision
problems such as halos, starbursts and glare. When this treatment
plan is programmed into the VISX® StarS4 laser it is called CustomVueTM LASIK. Click
here to learn more on our LASIK and Other Procedures page or click
here to go to www.personalbestvision.com,
which is another great resource to learn about CustomVueTM LASIK and wavefront
technology.
Diagnostics: Bausch & Lomb© Orbscan II®
The Orbscan II® is a computerized system from Bausch and Lomb© that measures your corneal thickness and produces a 3D map of the curvature and elevation of both the front and back surfaces of your eye. This allows us to determine your surgical eligibility with absolute certainty and refines your treatment parameters within the accuracy of microns. This is not required by the FDA, but is considered essential by most refractive surgery specialists.
Microkeratomes: Hansatome Excellus®
Microkeratomes are used in surgery for surface preparation of the eye in LASIK. The Hansatome Excellus® microkeratomes are the most recent generation of microkeratomes and the only ones of their kind in the entire state of Alaska. They are considered the gold standard by which all microkeratomes are measured. We use the individual, disposable components for this equipment that are manufactured by Bausch and Lomb©. "After-market" components are manufactured by alternative companies for a cost savings, but we don't use them. There are less expensive and inferior microkeratomes available with FDA-approval, but you won’t find them here.
Sterilization Equipment
Sterilization is very important for obvious reasons and Alaska Lasik Center utilizes only dry heat sterilization for the microkeratome equipment for maximal safety and reduction of bacterial endotoxins. These rapid cycle dry heat autoclaves are the only ones of their kind in Alaska. Steam heat autoclaves are used for other equipment unrelated to surgical procedures.
Don't take our word for it . . . What do our patients say?
“Do it NOW! You will love it and wish you had done it sooner! The staff is amazing and very helpful” - Tami Chittim
“Very professional staff and the best money I ever spent! I'm finally able to enjoy all the Alaskan recreations without the hassle of glasses,” - Dennis Hamann
“[I] was a little nervous about getting the surgery. Being a pilot made this surgery very important to me. The results were great! No more contacts and glasses to fog up in the cold weather. . . It’s been three months and I'm still seeing 20/15! Thanks so much, Alaska Lasik, I can't wait for summer to go flying without glasses!!!” - Larry House
“The gift of sight is priceless! Dr. Coulter and his staff are absolutely wonderful. I was a bit nervous prior to the procedure. However, it was quick and painless!! I was surprised. I would do it all over again to have the eyesight I have now - 20/15 in both eyes. Thank you! It's the best money I've ever spent!” - Heather Stark
“I would advise anyone considering LASIK to go ahead, do the research and DO IT! I love being able to do all the activities I love without contact lenses. Everyone here at the center from the moment you walk in the door [are] very professional, warm and kind folks. Great experience. Highly recommended. Both my husband and I are thrilled - we can both see again!” - Candace Ziegler
“My experience with LASIK was fantastic - the surgery was so quick with little to no discomfort. I appreciated the friendly, helpful atmosphere. I appreciated the care and concern the doctor and staff showed me and the availability and ease of talking with my doctor was excellent.” - Linda Brandon
“This is the best gift I have ever given myself!! I am still in awe every morning. I see better than I ever did with glasses or gas permeable lenses! I am active outdoors and look forward to every season. This year I will kayak and be able to really enjoy seeing the scenery!” - Karen Adams
“The phrase 'It's the greatest gift you could give yourself' should be a mantra on the day of surgery . . . Here I am twelve weeks later and I see EVERYTHING. It works. It works. It works. The staff is very friendly, very professional. If you're having any hesitation, just remember all those times your glasses have fogged up on you or you’ve bent them up, or your contacts are just unbearable to deal with any longer and then tell yourself “It's the best gift I could ever give myself!” - Tim Gillard