Franz Michel, MD

Procedures

reyalonzo — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:17:13 +0000

All-Laser Lasik

Most people are afraid of the idea of using a blade to cut their otherwise healthy eyes. All-Laser Lasik with the Intralase laser avoids blades by precisely creating the Lasik flap using millions of computer-guided laser spots.

All-Laser Lasik is the safest way to perform Lasik today, offering excellent vision and quick recovery time without the risks of using a blade.

Epi-Lasik

For those who want the freedom of good vision without glasses, but are fearful of any type of surgery, Epi-Lasik is a great option. It provides excellent vision without creating a corneal flap.

With Epi-Lasik, the surface skin cells of the eye are gently moved to the side and then replaced after vision correcting treatment is applied. As no blade is used and no corneal flap is made, the safety of Epi-Lasik is unparalleled.

If you remember one thing from our website, remember to avoid using a blade for your laser eye surgery. No-cut Epi-Lasik and All-Laser Lasik are simply the safest, most-effective forms of laser eye surgery available.

Intacs

Keratoconus is a progressive thinning condition of the cornea marked by nearsightedness, astigmatism and very poor vision. People with Keratoconus want better vision, but are not candidates for laser eye surgery.

Intacs are a wonderful option for Keratoconus patients.

The tiny plastic ring segments are placed in the peripheral cornea, improving the corneal shape and reducing both nearsightedness and astigmatism. Most patients who have Intacs are able to avoid a corneal transplant and improve their vision.

Dr. Michel is a pioneer in Intacs surgery and holds the distinction of being the first surgeon in Ventura County to perform Intacs surgery for Keratoconus.

Lasik Safety

reyalonzo — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:10:02 +0000

Lasik is now approved for Navy pilots and NASA astronauts. The following article is an excellent summary of Lasik safety and outcomes in the military.

Biography

reyalonzo — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:08:12 +0000

After graduating from college Summa Cum Laude as valedictorian of his class, Dr. Franz Michel went on to graduate from Magna Cum Laude and Alpha Omega Alpha from medical school at Syracuse in 1997.

After an internship in Santa Barbara, he went to the Ivy League and did three years of training in eye disease and surgery at the University of Pennsylvania.

Longing to return to California, Dr. Michel received subspecialty training in Cornea and Laser Eye Surgery at UCLA. Dr. Michel has a special interest in refractive surgery because, as he puts it, “I like to make the blind see!”

He holds the distinction of being the first fellow in the United States to implant Intacs ring segments for the treatment of Keratoconus, has performed more than 2,000 laser eye procedures and published numerous papers in the ophthalmology literature.

Testimonials

reyalonzo — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:06:25 +0000

“I’ve never had to wear glasses before, but it was getting difficult to read menus and patient charts without reading glasses and I didn’t want to start now, Dr. Michel did such a thorough job of examination and explanation I knew I could trust him with my eyes. I was right, it’s been about a year now and my results are superb. The recovery was short too! I really was back in the office treating patients 2 hours after the procedure.”

–Dr. Guy Rogers, Thousand Oaks

“I did my internship with Dr. Michel and thought about laser eye surgery for a long time. Now a year later after epi-lasik, my vision is great! Better yet, I won’t need reading glasses in the years to come. I’ve known Dr. Michel for 10 years now and recommend him without hesitation.”

–Tom Aguirre MD, Santa Barbara

“My laser eye surgery with Dr. Michel was truly life-changing. It is so liberating to be able to see without glasses! I flew from Toronto to have him do my surgery. It was worth the trip!”

–Ishali M, Toronto, Canada

“Dr. Michel, your skills with E-lasek are the best! My vision is so good, it’s scary! I can even see the individual pixels on the TV.”

–Debra M. – Thousand Oaks

“Before Epilasik, my astigmatism was off the charts. Now my vision is 20/20 in the right eye, 20/15 in the left. It’s nice to be able to read movie subtitles from across the room.”

–Christina Chehadah of Thousand Oaks

“I was wearing contacts all the time, for many years. Then as I got older, I needed to wear glasses to read. I was always hearing about laser eye surgery. But my fear of doing that stopped me from seriously pursuing it. Until I met Dr. Michel in a seminar, he was very knowledgeable on the subject. I went ahead with the eye surgery. I love it, he did a great job. No more contacts, no more red irritated eyes. To see clearly when I wake up in the morning, or to go swimming and not worry about my eyes is a wonderful feeling. I would recommend this to everyone.”

–Debbie Fugazzi

“I love my Intacs! Despite my Keratoconus, now I can pass the DMV test without my glasses. Thanks Dr. Michel.”

–Edward B, Woodland Hills

“I would highly recommend that anyone who is even remotely interested in having vision correction talk to Dr. Michel. I had the epi-lasik procedure, and it was really quick and easy. Now, my astigmatism and near-sightedness are gone, and I have better than 20/20 vision! Thanks Dr. Michel!”

–Joshua B.

“Dr. Michel, it has truly been a blessing to see the world in a different way, and for that I owe you a world of thanks!”

–Kevin B. Moorpark

“Laser Eye surgery was the best thing I ever did for myself. Wow! What a difference.”

–Mike Musicant, Thousand Oaks

“I have Keratoconus and was losing my vision to the point where glasses and contacts couldn’t help me. I couldn’t see and was worried about dropping out of school. The Intacs surgery really improved my vision. Now I can pass the DMV vision test. I recommend Intacs highly. What a relief to have my vision back!”

–Vicky Hernandez, Thousand Oaks

“I had Epi-lasik surgery in October 2008 and I am so happy with my decision! Prior to the surgery, I needed contact lenses to see far and reading glasses to read. Dr. Michel corrected my right eye for the far vision and undercorrected my left eye for close-up vision. The result- I can now see far and read without any corrective lenses whatsoever! At 50 I now see better than when I was 30. Thank you Dr. Michel!!”

–Mark S., Thousand Oaks

Pterygium Removal

reyalonzo — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:03:12 +0000

As a Cornea specialist, Dr. Michel also specializes in removing pterygium growths (Carnosidades or Surfer’s Eye) from the surface of the eye. While other surgeons have recurrence rates of 10-50%, with Dr. Michel’s excellent technique our pterygium recurrence rate is less than 1 percent. Dr. Michel uses an elegant no-stitch technique to replace the growth and prevent recurrence with normal tissue. The procedure is done under local anesthesia with minimal down-time. The procedure takes 20 minutes and most patients are able to return to work the next day. Removal of Pterygium growths is covered by most medical insurance carriers. Before and after photos of Dr. Michel’s work are below


Before	After

Before	After

The following observations are from a doctor that observed Dr. Michel in surgery:

“Today I watched 2 Pterygium surgeries performed by Dr. Franz Michel. It was amazing how something so simple as UV radiation (from the sun), continuous exposure to dry, dusty environments can cause the eye conjunctiva to thicken (like callus formation on the skin). Dr. Michel told me that pterigium often occurs in Hispanic patients and those who are exposed to the environments mentioned above.

The difficult part about this disease is that it tends to grow back in 50% of the patients who choose to undergone the Conjunctival Autograft with Stitches. Moreover, it takes longer to heal and patients may experience more pain during the procedure. And because patients are not made aware of the reoccurrence, they tend to go with the cheaper surgery. Unfortunately, many come into our office with regret for choosing the cheaper procedure, in which surgeons simply remove the pterygium without doing a graft. “Although those are more affordable surgeries than my method, the recurrence rate for this type of surgery is very, very high!” Dr. Michel advised our patient. “What’s more, the recurrent pterygia are much more aggressive and extremely difficult to treat.”

So, the amazing thing I saw today was that, not only does Dr. Michel’s surgery not need any stitches, but that his modern skin grafting technique only has a 1% rate of reoccurance and there are no stitches involved! It took only about half an hour for each surgery and both the stay-at-home mom and gardener went back home happy and with little pain.”

Location & Contact

reyalonzo — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:58:46 +0000

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reyalonzo — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:13:37 +0000

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reyalonzo — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:06:52 +0000

“First Class Service, World Class Results”.

Franz Michel, MD eye center specializes in blade-free Lasik. Dr. Michel is a UCLA-trained Laser Eye Surgeon and uses the safest procedures with the most-advanced lasers available.

Dr. Michel was the first surgeon in Ventura County to perform blade-free Intralase Lasik and the first to perform Lasik with the Allegretto laser. After surgery, 100 percent of our patients are able to pass the DMV vision test without glasses and 94 percent have 20/20 vision.

Due to Dr. Michel’s specialized training in Cornea and Refractive Surgery, our site provides information about laser eye surgery options that you might not find elsewhere. Please use our site as an educational resource.

All-Laser Lasik with Intralase
Epi-Lasik no-cut laser eye surgery
Wavefront Laser Vision Correction
Pterygium Excision (Carnosidad)
Intacs for Keratoconus

We are proud to be a Hall of Fame Member of the Tri-County Better Businesss Bureau

Click Here to View Our A+ Better Business Bureau Report

0% down financing through CareCredit.

Why choose us?

1) We treat you like family. We do the same for our patients as we would for our own family. We treat all of our patients with compassion, consideration and respect.

2) Our results. Dr. Michel has the highest standards for the care of your eyes. We never take shortcuts. While some Ventura County lasik eye centers still use a mechanical blade microkeratome and non-wavefront laser vision technology, we provide all of our patients with wavefront all-laser Lasik eye surgery technology.

3) We use the best Lasik surgery technology so that you have the best Lasik results. We use the Allegretto laser, which gives fantastic vision correction while maintaining the natural shape of the eye.

4) First Class Service. We realize the thought of having laser eye surgery can be frightening and continuity of care is important. We are not a corporate lasik eye factory that hands patients off from one person to another. From the initial consultation through surgery and post-op care, Dr. Michel manages every aspect of your care himself. If questions or concerns arise, all of our patients have Dr. Michel’s personal cell phone number.

5) Dr. Michel checks your lasik tests three times before surgery. Measure three times, operate once.

6) Our emphasis on safety and ethics. While at UCLA, Dr. Michel’s sub-specialty was dealing with referred complications from surgery done elsewhere. As a result, we evaluate your eyes with safety in mind and tailor treatment to your individual needs. Dr. Michel is known for his polite but brutal honesty in consultations. If Lasik is not for you, we won’t offer it to you. Dr. Michel’s common quote is “I have to sleep at night!”

7) Affordability. We have reasonable rates for the best technology and 0% Lasik financing is available.

8 ) We do more than Lasik. We customize treatments to your eyes. If Lasik is not for you, we offer alternative treatments such as PRK, Advanced Surface Ablation, Bladeless Lasik and Intacs.

9) We value your time. Your time is valuable. Nobody wants to spend their whole day at their Lasik surgeon’s office. We will do everything to accomodate you and your schedule. However, if you have to wait more than 10 minutes due to an emergency patient, we will make it up to you!

10) We give back to the community and a have a heart and soul. Dr. Michel has used revenues and donations from our business to support Habit for Humanity, Equestrian Autism support, numerous school and kids sports teams and drilling wells to supply fresh water for villages in Burma. In 2010 four teenage boys died locally in a tragic car accident. Dr. Michel held a surgical fundraiser which donated money to help the mothers of the deceased cover funeral expenses.