NW Cornea Institute

Poor vision can have a huge effect on your day to day life. It can hold you back from going about your daily routine with ease and put you at risk for falls or accidents. Worse yet, it can keep you from enjoying your time with loved ones and doing the things you love most.

The fact is, poor vision doesn't just influence your eye health. It influences your self-esteem, your quality of life, and your emotional health too.

At NW Cornea Institute, we want to help you get better, clearer vision! Our world-class team of ophthalmologists specializes in a vast range of services and surgical procedures for several eye diseases.

From dry eyes to blurred vision, from cataracts to serious vision loss, we will look into your treatment options with you to establish the best course of action for your condition. Our main goal will be to recover your clear vision towards a happier and healthier life.

Improve your vision, improve your life at NW Cornea Institute!

About Us

NW Cornea Institute is the premier cornea practice in Portland, Oregon and all through the Great Northwest. For more than 20 years, we have been faithfully providing superior eye care for patients with all kinds of cornea injuries and disorders. We apply exhaustive research and development into our work with each patient to ensure that we give them advanced treatments that create great, lasting results. Our acclaimed cornea specialists are Dr. Mark Terry and Dr. Michael Straiko, both of whom are widely published in their research area of disciplines and recognized around the world for their cutting edge work.

They are aided by our seasoned medical personnel, who devote their time, skills, and effort to ensure every patient gets the care they deserve. We will make sure to deliver clear and pleasant communication every step of the way - before, during, and after your procedures. At NW Cornea Institute, we are committed to offering you reliable services to help you get optimal eye health!

Procedures We Offer

LASIK Surgery

LASIK surgery is a laser eye treatment that improves vision by correcting refractive errors including:

Myopia (nearsightedness).

Hyperopia (farsightedness).

Astigmatism.

During this procedure, our surgeon will create what is known as a LASIK flap to get access to the cornea. This will enable our surgeon to reshape the cornea using excimer laser energy.

By doing this, the eye can bend and focus light correctly on the retina - which results in better vision!

Here are some of the benefits of getting LASIK:.

Clearer, better vision. About 95-96% of patients achieve their target vision of 20/50 to 20/20 without needing glasses.

Fast recovery. Patients can typically resume their daily activities a day or two after the treatment.

No pain or discomfort. Patients who get LASIK report little to no discomfort during and after the treatment.

Fast results. Changes in vision can be seen as early as a day after having LASIK.

Long-term clear vision. Results last up to ten years or more! Even better, we can perform a retreatment if the end result doesn't measure up to your expectations.

PRK Surgery.

Photorefractive keratectomy, or PRK, is a laser eye treatment that corrects refractive errors.

Like LASIK, our surgeon will also use an excimer laser to reshape the cornea. The major difference between PRK and LASIK is that PRK does not make a flap in the cornea.

During PRK, our surgeon will instead clear away the top layer of the cornea, which will regenerate on its own during recovery. By doing this, our surgeon can remove tissue from the corneal surface and enable it to focus light properly.

The result? Sharper, clearer vision!

Here are a few benefits of getting PRK surgery:.

High success rates. Most patients report very high rates of satisfaction with 20/20 vision after getting PRK.

Less side effects. Corneal nerve function recovers more quickly in PRK, which results in less risk of getting dry eyes.

Less risk of complications. Recovery from PRK takes longer compared to LASIK. But the upside is that there is less risk of future complications with PRK.

This is because PRK does not make a corneal flap, which brings about the majority of issues patients experience after LASIK.

Best for active individuals. Athletes or individuals who engage in sports may be susceptible to eye trauma.

When this happens, the LASIK flap can become dislodged. This is why PRK surgery is typically the better option for active individuals.

Highly recommended for patients with thinner corneas. Creating a LASIK flap is not ideal for people with thinner corneas. But they can still get clearer vision without glasses through PRK surgery.

Our ophthalmologists at NW Cornea Institute specialize in laser eye treatments, with years of experience performing both LASIK and PRK.

We will help you go with the best treatment for your eye condition to ensure you get the best possible outcomes with sharp, clear vision!

Cataract Surgery.

Cataracts affect around 24 million people in the USA. This condition causes blurry or cloudy vision, sensitivity to light, changes in color vision, among other eye issues. When you have cataracts, these symptoms become worse over time. They can keep you from going about your day to day routine or doing your favorite things. At NW Cornea Institute, we want you to live life without cataracts. Our distinguished team of ophthalmologists who specialize in and have several years of experience performing cataract surgery.

This procedure is safe, painless, and tried and proven for treating cataracts! As a matter of fact, its success rate goes as high as 90%. During the procedure, you will be given eye drops and local anesthesia to numb the eye. Then, our surgeon will take out the lens with cataracts and replace it with an artificial lens. After the procedure, our team will give you all the information you need to recover quickly and with the best possible results. In a few days, you can expect your vision to improve! Most patients observe clearer vision with brighter colors promptly after getting surgery.

Corneal Cross-Linking.

Corneal collagen cross-linking is a surgical procedure that strengthens and stabilizes the cornea. This helps prevent vision loss caused by the progressive worsening of astigmatism related to:.

Keratoconus.

Pellucid marginal degeneration.

And other forms of corneal ectasia.

This procedure consists of two steps. First, specially formulated riboflavin (vitamin B) eye drops are applied to the surface of the eye. Then, the riboflavin is activated through a controlled exposure to ultraviolet light.

There are two kinds of corneal cross-linking:.

Epithelium-off - During this procedure, the epithelium (or the thin outer layer of the cornea) is removed. This makes it possible for the riboflavin to get to deeper corneal tissue with more ease.

Epithelium-on - During this procedure, the epithelium is left intact. Instead, it is loosened with a sponge or eye drops.

This is the first procedure that has been shown to slow or stop the progression of astigmatism related to corneal ectasia! In fact, its success rate goes up to about 95%.

Our eye specialists at NW Cornea Institute have advanced training and experience in corneal cross-linking procedures. We will help you determine if you're a candidate for this procedure and establish which type is ideal for you.

Cornea Transplants.

A corneal transplant (also called keratoplasty) is a surgical procedure that replaces all or part of your cornea with corneal tissue from a donor. For countless patients, this procedure plays a huge role in changing their lives! It can bring back clear vision and stop total vision loss. This can have a huge effect on your quality of life.

A corneal transplant can treat:.

Fuchs' dystrophy.

Keratoconus.

Corneal scarring.

And other types of corneal diseases or damage.

At NW Cornea Institute, our recognized corneal surgeons have the knowledge, training, and experience to handle this advanced and complicated procedure. As a matter of fact, we have very high success rates among transplant patients!

When you consult with us, we will help you determine whether you're a candidate for corneal transplants. We will take you through the different kinds of transplants so we can decide on the best procedure for your disorder.

Because this surgery involves a lot of preparation and a long recovery period, we will see to it that you have all the support and resources you need before, during, and after your transplant.