STAFF MEMBERS at the King LASIK clinic are shown here in the surgical suite, including (from left) Debbie Casey, technician; Dr. Stephanie Sipe, optometrist; Cammie Verdugo, patient counselor; and Amber Wallace, receptionist. The machine in the foreground is the leading edge VISX Star S4 laser platform with WaveScan technology. Photo courtesy of FH Browne.
Vancouver’s King LASIK laser vision correction clinic, housed in the former First Independent Bank building beside the Clark County Fairgrounds and Amphitheater, is about to celebrate its first anniversary having served upwards of 600 people in that first year.
The Vancouver-Portland area eye clinic is one of three U.S. and three Canadian King LASIK clinic locations, the other U.S. facilities located in Renton and Kennewick while the Canadian offices are in British Columbia and Alberta.
The former bank building now has three examining rooms, a patient lounge, several offices, and the surgical suite, and now instead of cash keeps patient records in the safe. So far, they haven’t found a use for the drive-up window though, as it’s now occupied with several plants.
Dr. Joseph King, the head of King LASIK, who himself has undergone refractive surgery, visits each of the six clinics several days each month and as one of the leading and most experienced eye surgeons in North America, is the official eye surgeon of the Vancouver Canucks hockey team. Dr. King has performed more than 75,000 successful surgeries in his career. The Vancouver clinic alone has performed over 600 in its first year.
People have many reasons for choosing this type of corrective eye surgery, one of the main ones is they want to free themselves from dependence on glasses or contact lenses. Many athletes have the surgery, which frees them from the fear of losing a contact lens or breaking their glasses while competing in their sports.
Eye corrective surgery is utilized to treat nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism and after surgery most patients see well enough that they don’t need glasses or contacts.
Dr. King and his associate Dr. Gary Fillmore practice both PRK (photo-reactive keratectomy) that involves the application of the laser treatment on the corneal surface, and the more popular LASIK (laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis) where the surgeons use a computer controlled laser that emits precise pulses of energy to reshape the cornea.
Surgeries are done two days a month and usually take about 2-3 hours. Actually, most of that time is taken up by pre- and post-operative instructions, and a short relaxation period while numbing eye drops take effect. Patients spend about 15-20 minutes in the surgical suite, although the actual surgical procedure takes about 1-2 minutes per eye. The procedure is said to be painless, and most patients comment that the only thing they felt was a slight pressure on their eyes.
After the surgery, patients may go home and are told to rest the remainder of the day, and it is suggested they avoid books, television and computers for that day. A follow up exam is scheduled for the following day, a second one for 5-11 days later, a third checkup in the following 1-3 months, then a final visit for PRK patients between 3-6 months.
To get to the clinic, take the 179th St. exit off I-5, go toward the fairgrounds, make a left at the first intersection (Delfel Rd.), and then take the next left (after 1/4 mile). The clinic is the third business on the left, just past the Birkenstock store. The address is 17600 NE Delfel Road, Vancouver, WA 98642, and the phone number is (360) 635-5000.
