Welcome to First Colonial Eye Center, an institution dedicated to Laser Vision Correction and complete family eye care, including cataract surgery, other refractive surgeries, eye glasses, contact lenses, and the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of eye diseases.

Dear Guest:

We have assembled what Dr. Rampona considers to be the best, most technically qualified, and congenial staff with whom he has had the pleasure of working.  Additionally, at First Colonial Eye Center you will find state-of-the-art diagnostic and laser equipment including the VISX STAR S4 Excimer CustomVue Laser System and Zeiss Optical Coherence Tomographer which gives precision diagnostic studies in retina and glaucoma.

Dr. Amit Jeevan is an expert in both performance and interpretation of the Optical Coherence Tomographer.

First Colonial Eye Center is the home of SUPRALASE™, the most technologically advanced all laser vision correction procedure for myopia and astigmatism.  SUPRALASE™ was designed by Dr. Rampona in conjunction with world renowned surgeons.  SUPRALASE™ performs rapid healing surface laser correction without cutting a flap in the cornea, and thus eliminates all the complications associated with "flap" (LASIK or INTRALASE) laser vision procedures.  SUPRALASE™ derives from the Canadian "No Touch" laser and is the only all laser vision correction procedure, a fact which differentiates it from conventional PRK, LASIK or INTRALASE, all of which invoke a mechanical step in the procedure.  SUPRALASE™ can only be performed with the VISX Star IV tracking laser.  It cannot be performed with other lasers (LADARVision®). 

Both LASIK and INTRALASE require that a suction ring be placed on the eye for flap creation.  LASIK requires a device called a Keratome to create the flap.  INTRALASE creates tiny perforation bubbles in the cornea for flap creation.  The corneal flap dissection is then completed with bladed instruments called flap lifters.

Because it is an all laser procedure NO TOUCH, SUPRALASE™ performs laser vision correction without surgical flap instrumentation.

Historically, the first laser vision correction was performed as surface PRK (Photo Refractive Keratectomy) treatment (mid 1980s).  The procedure was limited by restriction of the treatment of high prescription and immense discomfort and slow return to good vision.  In 1996, flap laser surgery (LASIK) was approved in the United States and became a laser vision correction treatment of choice.  This was subsequently followed by INTRALASE, also a flap procedure, which is more precise in the depth of flap thickness creation, but may involve a slight increase in inflammatory response beneath the flap.

Dr. Rampona believes that both LASIK and INTRALASE are excellent procedures in select cases.  However, flap procedures are limited by several factors:

• First is age:     After the late thirties and forties corneal flaps do not heal thoroughly and heal much more slowly.  (Dr. Rampona compares this to a fracture bone).  There is a great difference in the rate of healing between a 25 year old and a 45 year old body.
• Second is dryness:     The main nutrient supply to the outer cornea comes from tears (there are no blood vessels in the normal cornea).  The most commonly reported side effect of LASIK or INTRALASE is dryness.  This results from the cutting of the deeper nerves in the cornea, which control actual tear production by notifying the brain that more tears are required.  In patients with mild dryness, this condition generally improves.  However, patients who have significant dryness before flap laser surgery may develop severe dryness.  Dry eyes often do not feel well or see well and heal very poorly.  SUPRALASE™ does not affect tear production or increase dryness and surface laser is the laser treatment of choice for dry eye patients.  Additionally, Dr. Rampona routinely employees dry eye treatments on all refractive patients to speed recovery.
• Third is corneal thickness:     Laser vision correction involves removal of a tiny amount of corneal tissue; usually one third to one half the thickness of a human hair.  Flap procedures weaken the cornea in proportion to the thickness of the flap.  In patients with thin corneas or high prescriptions, this weakness can produce a bulging (ectasia) which usually does not appear until several years after the procedure and represents one of the most significant complications of either LASIK or INTRALASE.
• Fourth is the optic nerve or retinal hemorrhage:     This is considered to be a result of the suction ring in flap procedures.

SUPRALASE™ does not create a flap and therefore does not similarly weaken the cornea, create dry eyes or depend upon healing of a flap or patient age.

In recent years, the most technologically advanced approach to laser vision correction has been in surface correction.  Indeed, every FDA study performed on every laser platform (LADAR, Zoptix, VISX, etc.) indicated superior vision with surface correction as opposed to flap.

Eminent Canadian laser vision surgeons, the late Don Johnson, MD and Raymond Stein, Jr. MD were responsible for the initial development of a “NO TOUCH” laser system.  This was augmented by Dr. Rampona and reported in Ocular Surgery News an ophthalmic surgery journal with world-wide distribution.  Dr. Rampona has received federal trademark status on the SUPRALASE name and patent pending status on the SUPRALASE formula.

We recommend that interested individuals visit the web site of London Place Eye Clinic for a description of the Canadian “NO TOUCH” method.  Also, you may want to view actual LASIK flap and INTRALASE flap elevation and SUPRALASE™ procedures performed here at First Colonial Eye Center.

Dr. Rampona has been selected to teach SUPRALASE procedures at the American Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery the largest meeting of its kind in the world.

Have you already scheduled your first visit to our office?  Find out what you need to bring with you by clicking here.

Thank you for visiting our web site. We hope you will find our site informative in content. We appreciate you comments and suggestions, so always feel free to Contact Us.

Yours truly,

Dr. Doug Rampona and the First Colonial Eye Center Staff

I love my 20/15 Supralase™ Vision

Employment Opportunities

Actual Videos of various Laser Vision Correction Procedures

SUPRALASE™ Crash tested at 152 MPH !!!

A U.S. News & WORLD REPORT article published on November 14, 2005

Trademarks and Patents