Alcon Engineering Team Travels from Germany to Visit TLC Tysons

Post date: Dec 02, 2014 3:2:57 AM

As you all know, Dr. Holzman is a very prolific surgeon, and that brings some awesome perks. He likes bells and whistles, so when it came time to add to our laser collection, we jumped at the opportunity.

Previously, our OR suite had:

* The Custom VISX laser and the IntraLase (iFS = 160 kHz) laser, both made by AMO.

* We upgraded to the EX500 excimer laser, made by Alcon, about a year ago.

Then, in May, we were allowed to add:

* The FS200, Alcon's femtosecond laser, which has performed quite beautifully for our patients.

In August, we incorporated a program called WaveNet which allows one central computer for input of surgical data, and then the information is automatically sent to the FS200 and EX500 lasers for use by Dr. Holzman. It decreases the chances on input errors and allows for a more smoothly flowing procedure.

Last month, we were so lucky to have a select group of Alcon engineers visit us from Germany! I have never had someone travel all the way across an ocean to come visit my office and my surgeon before. While I couldn't dazzle them with my German ... I took one singular day of German class at UT-Austin, and then I was told that my class would be cancelled due to low enrollment ... I was fascinated to learn about the theoretical and experimental process behind laser development, as well as German and European culture. I was also intrigued to learn that this was the team that brought the lasers from conception all the way to reality. Without them, where the heck would we be?!

So, I've often wondered about that ... how their brains differ from mine. I mean, while I'm thinking big-at-least-to-me thoughts, like, "I wonder what I'm going to eat for lunch today", geez, not once did I ever consider, "I'm going to make myself an excimer laser to change the lives of people all across the world by providing them with better vision." But, these guys, they thought it and did it! Amazing!

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit our Center! - jw

(From L to R) Olaf Kittleman, FS Team Manager and

Product Development; Sissimos Lemonis, Department

Manager, Clinical Support; and Dr. Holzman.

The EX500 Excimer Laser

The FS200 laser

The two lasers share one bed so that the patient does

not have to move in between lasers. The bed moves

for them! This helps a lot with our fainters ... less

opportunity for them to faint and fall in the OR!