Jacksonville, Fla. - LASIK, the latest vision correction procedure, is now offered on the Shands Jacksonville campus. The University of Florida LASIK Institute features state-of-the-art Bausch & Lomb technology and offers competitive prices with no hidden charges.

LASIK, or laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, is a surgical procedure in which an ophthalmologist creates a flap in the cornea and uses a laser to reshape the cornea, correcting refractive errors. This painless procedure takes less than 15 minutes to complete.

Although LASIK surgery has been offered in Jacksonville for several years, it has remained out of reach for many because of the expense, costing as much as several thousand dollars per eye. According to K.V. Chalam, M.D., an associate professor and chairman of the UF Department of Ophthalmology in Jacksonville, patients can expect to pay almost half of what they typically would at many local facilities. "As a part of the University of Florida, our mission is to provide state-of-the-art services to a broad base of the community."

Arun C. Gulani, M.D., UF's director of refractive surgery and an assistant professor of ophthalmology, provides complete patient care at the center, from initial evaluations to surgery to follow-up exams. Dr. Gulani is one of the first physicians to utilize the advanced Bausch & Lomb laser for LASIK vision correction. He is one of only 5 percent of all LASIK surgeons using the Orbscan Diagnostic Device to ensure optimum vision correction.

The University of Florida LASIK Institute is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please call (904) 244-9EYE.