The monthly seminars, which are organized by Hamilton, Kovoor and Dr. Olivia Lee, another fellow at the center, are free to the public and offer free screening consultations for vision correction surgery. To accommodate the wide range of ages of those attending, from college students to the local community, the faculty ophthalmologists address the anatomy of the eyes and how they become susceptible to changes with age.

“Age-related cataracts are a clouding of the eye’s natural lens that obstructs the passage of light into the eye. Because cataract surgery replaces the opaque lens in the cornea with a clear lens, cataract surgery is a more relevant surgical procedure than corrective LASIK for a patient with cataracts and poor eyesight”,

Hamilton said.

“At some point we can’t do LASIK anymore because we’re removing tissue from cornea,”

Hamilton said.

“There’s not enough tissue in the cornea to do LASIK safely.”

Regardless of the patient’s age or needs, the monthly forum acts as an accessible mode of discussion and inquiry for potential patients to explore options for refractive surgery.

“I would suggest they come in (from) any level. Anybody who needs to wear glasses, it’s worth investigating (corrective surgery options),”

Hamilton said.

“It’s very, very successful – upwards of 90 percent.”

UCLA Laser Refractive Center Informational Seminar
Thursday, 6:30 p.m. RPB Auditorium, Jules Stein Eye Institute