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Laser Center

Dr. Behler, Behler Eye & Laser Center

Dr. Behler is Board Certified in Ophthalmology by the American Board of Ophthalmology and Board Certified in Lasik by the American Board of Eye Surgery.

Dr. Behler combines 20 plus years of experience in refractive surgery along with state-of-the-art technology to achieve world-class results. At Behler Eye and Laser Dr. Behler is personally involved in all your care. This experience has not only honed his surgical skills treating both laser and non-laser refractive surgery patients but has also given him the insight as to whether a corneal procedure or lens procedure is the best choice for the patient.

What differentiates one laser vision center from another is its philosophy, technology, and process. The best process produces the best results.

The Many Benefits of Modern Eye Lasik Surgery, Behler Eye and Laser Center Provides Cutting Edge Services to People in and around Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey

There are many reasons for wanting to get rid of your glasses. Perhaps you’re sick of having to put something on just to be able to see, you want your face to be able to show without being partially covered by glasses frames, or you think you’d look younger without them. No matter what your reason, eye LASIK can allow you to throw your glasses away.

With modern LASIK methods, this already-good procedure has been made great. With the new bladeless technology there is no knife required, recovery is fast, and complications are low. The knife is eliminated through the use of another laser, the femtosecond laser, which makes the required flap in the cornea. There is also no need for stitches – everything will heal in place.

Highlights of Today’s Eye LASIK

  • No knife required for most modern methods
  • Recovery is fast
  • Complication risks are extremely low
  • Improvement can usually be seen by the next day
  • Full benefit is seen within several days
  • Works for both near- and farsightedness
  • Vision can often be fully corrected
Eye LASIK from Behler Eye & Laser Center

With the techniques used for modern LASIK eye surgery, there is no need to force yourself to wear glasses anymore. You can have the procedure done and throw your glasses away within a few days! To find out more about the latest advances in eye LASIK and schedule a free evaluation, contact the Behler Eye & Laser Center today if you are located in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tarpon Springs, New Port Richey and surrounding areas. You’ll love how easy it is to bring the world back into perfect clarity!

Behler Eye and Laser Center, Experienced Lasik Doctor, Serving Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs, New Port Richey and Surrounding Areas

Lasik eye surgery reshapes your cornea to allow light to pass through them with the proper focus. This form of laser vision correction remedies nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. In most cases, you’ll be able to throw your glasses or contacts away once you’ve recovered from the procedure. Improvements are seen as soon as 24 hours after you leave the office.

The basic LASIK procedure involves creating a flap in your cornea. The underlying tissue is then treated with a laser to change its shape. Afterward, the flap is placed back over the treated area and the eye is allowed to heal. Best of all, new methods allow the flap to be created without the use of any kind of knife, allowing for a blade-free, all laser Lasik procedure.

LASIK from Behler Eye & Laser

Lasik allows for many benefits

  • Vision improves quickly
  • The procedure is fast
  • Modern methods allow for high precision
  • Complication risk is low
  • New methods eliminate the knife
  • Is LASIK Safe?

Thanks to advances in this procedure, it is very safe and the complication rate is low. Still, it is a form of surgery, so there is a slight risk involved. Before performing the procedure, Dr. Behler will give you and your eyes a thorough examination to make sure you’re a good candidate for the operation.

To learn more about Lasik and to see if it’s for you, contact the Behler Eye Center for an appointment today. They’ll examine you and let you know about all of your option

Behler Eye and Laser Center Provides Lasik Eye Surgery for an Active Lifestyle to Patients in Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs, New Port Richey and Surrounding Areas

Wearing glasses is inconvenient for an active person. Contact lenses are better, but still leave you in a lurch in the swimming pool, shower, and bedroom. Between purchasing contact solutions and looking for lost reading glasses, you are spending a fortune and wasting hours of valuable time on eye care. Lasik eye surgery changes all that overnight – no more poking yourself in the eye to put your contacts in after swimming or cleaning the mud off your glasses on your sweaty shirt while mountain biking.

Lasik eye surgery reshapes the clear front part of your eye, your cornea, to improve the way your eye focuses. Dr. Behler makes a tiny slit in the cornea to create a flap then uses an excimer laser to remove some of the corneal tissue beneath the flap.

Benefits of Lasik Eye Surgery

  • Nearsightedness so you can see things far away
  • Farsightedness to make reading menus easier
  • Astigmatism to clear up overall cloudy vision

 

Lasik eye surgery is widely effective, providing 20/20 vision for most patients. Best of all, lasik surgery is fast and painless – the procedure can be as quick as 15 minutes for both eyes. Lasik eye surgery will not keep you down long either; you will probably notice the difference in your vision as soon as 24 hours after the procedure.
Contact us today if you are local to the Tampa area, including St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tarpon Springs, and New Port Richey,to find out how lasik eye surgery could improve your active lifestyle.

LASIK Eye Surgery from Behler Eye & Laser Center

With Lasik Surgery Today, You Can Say Goodbye to Glasses and Contacts Tomorrow, Dr. Behler Provides Laser Eye Surgery in and around Tampa, including St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey

Once reserved for younger patients, the American Academy of Ophthalmology says lasik surgery is an increasingly popular choice for the over-50 crowd. If you have healthy eyes, you can have lasik surgery at almost any age, even if you are in your sixties, seventies, or even eighties.

LASIK, which is short for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, is one of the most common types of laser surgery. Lasik surgery reshapes the clear front part of your eye, known as the cornea, to change how your eye focuses. The surgeon makes a tiny circular incision in the cornea to form a flap. Then, Dr. Behler, will fold back the flap and use an excimer laser to remove some of the corneal tissue.

LASIK Surgery from Behler Eye & Laser Center

What Conditions Does LASIK Surgery Correct?

  • Near-sightedness to improve how you see faraway objects
  • Far-sightedness to make reading and doing close-up work easier
  • Astigmatism that causes overall blurry vision


Many patients who have lasik surgery end up with perfect 20/20 vision. In most cases, lasik surgery is painless and quick – as fast as 15 minutes for both eyes. You will enjoy improved vision without the help of contacts or glasses as soon as 24 hours after the procedure.

Contact Behler Eye and Laser Center today, to learn how lasik surgery can help you if you are in and around the Tampa area, including Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey.

Many Conditions Helped by Laser Eye Surgery at Behler Eye and Laser, Serving Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs, new port Richey and Surrounding Areas

Laser Eye Surgery | Tampa, St. Petersburg, ClearwaterLaser eye surgery is capable of correcting a wide variety of eye problems. In many cases the results are so good that the patient is able to stop wearing glasses after having a procedure done. Needless to say, laser eye surgery, also known as the LASIK procedure, is very popular.

Many people choose lasik eye surgery to correct nearsightedness or farsightedness, and it’s great for fixing these conditions. Laser surgery will also correct presbyopia – the condition that makes it hard for older people to read things at close range. All of these problems involve the eye’s ability to focus, so the basic principle for repairing them is the same. The laser is used to reshape the cornea so that light entering the eye is properly focused instead of blurry. Recovery is quick, and many patients notice an improvement the next day. Full results become evident after several days.

Laser Eye Surgery from Behler Eye & Laser Center

Other Applications of Laser Eye Surgery

There are many other uses for laser eye surgery. It can even be used to correct conditions that were once considered either hopeless or hard to repair. Glaucoma, dry eye syndrome, diabetic eye disease, floaters, astigmatism and even optic nerve disorders are often suitable targets for the laser. This development allows laser-using surgeons to offer hope to more people than ever before.

If you are in and around Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tarpon Springs, New Port Richey and surrounding areas, and you’ve been having trouble seeing for any reason, contact the Behler Eye & Laser Center. We will schedule an appointment for you to have an exam and consultation Dr. Scott Behler. Then, we will suggest the laser eye surgery procedure that is most likely to bring you the excellent results you seek. Soon, you’ll be able to see with great clarity once again.

Behler Eye and Laser Center Can Help You Determine if Laser Vision is the Right Option for You, Serving Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey

Laser Vision from Behler Eye & Laser Center

Laser vision correction is quickly becoming a routine procedure to correct vision problems. In the hands of experienced professionals, like Dr. Behler, the procedure can offer many patients the opportunity to have 20/20 vision. Vision correction procedures can get you the vision you always wished for.

To determine the proper course of action and achieve optimal results with laser vision correction, there are important steps to take for each patient:

Education: It is important for those interested in laser vision correction procedure to educate themselves about the surgery, ask questions and become more comfortable and knowledgeable about the procedure.

Consultation: The patient will meet with Dr. Behler to determine if the LASIK procedure is the best route for them and their personal vision difficulties.

Developing the treatment plan: If Dr. Behler and you agree that the vision correction will be the optimal treatment, we will then determine a treatment option, including the best form of the procedure appropriate for the patient.

Postoperative consultation: The day following the surgery, the patient will meet again with Dr. Behler. This is when you will have a follow up examination as well as discuss the medications, instructions for care, and answer any questions that you might have.

Laser vision correction is a wonderful option for many people looking to correct their vision without glasses and contact lenses. Contact Dr. Behler today to see if he can help you get the results you are looking for.

The Lasik Process – Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Tampa and St. Petersburg

At Behler Eye and Laser a careful, personalized comprehensive exam will be performed by Dr. Behler, the person who will perform your surgery and not by a technician. Dr. Behler acquires and calculates the data used during the lasik process and Dr. Behler sees you for all postoperative care.

Throughout this website we discuss the importance of the lasik process. Some centers have developed assembly line systems with limited involvement of the surgeon. At our facility Dr. Behler is involved in every step of the lasik process.

The LASIK process can be divided into 4 steps:

  • Education
  • Consultation
  • Treatment Plan
  • Postoperative Care

The first step begins with education.

LASIK Process from Behler Eye & Laser Center

Some important questions that need to be addressed prior to undergoing LASIK eye surgery are:

  • Who performs the initial consultation?
  • Who do you see postoperatively and who collects and calculates your data the day of surgery?
  • Is it the surgeon who will be doing your surgery or a technician?


Contact Behler Eye and Laser Center today to schedule a consultation to find out more about our laser vision correction procedures.

Lasik Consultation – Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Tampa, St. Petersburg and Surrounding Areas

LASIK Consultation from Behler Eye & Laser Center

Proper patient selection is probably the single most important step in the process. To see what is included in the initial consultation contact us to set up a free LASIK evaluation! All it will cost you is your time. Dr. Behler personally conducts a thorough examination to determine patients’ candidacy. Contact lens wearers need to remove their contact lenses prior to the evaluation in the way recommended by Dr. Behler.

During the lasik consultation assessment, Dr. Behler personally determines whether a patient is a suitable candidate for LASIK or if another procedure is more appropriate (after all, LASIK is not for everyone.) The whole process takes approximately one hour. During the consultation you will learn about your options and how you can benefit from laser vision correction.

Are you a candidate for refractive surgery?

  • If so, which procedure is best suited for you: LASIK surgery, Custom LASIK, ICL, or Refractive lens exchange.
  • If you are an implant patient what is best implant for you?
  • If you are presbyopic is monovision, modified monovision or no monovision or accomadative IOL best for you?


These are all important issues that need to be discussed in great detail prior to making any decision. Following the lasik consultation the patient will know his or her options and will be able to make an informed decision. Contact Behler Eye and Laser Center today to set up a consultation.

Lasik Post Op – Palm Harbor, Clearwater, Tampa, St. Petersburg

Who will be performing my exam the day after surgery?

  • Dr. Behler; your surgeon sees every patient the day following surgery.
  • All medications, instructions and questions will be discussed at that time.


The lasik post op schedule (number of appointments) is personalized for each patient, based upon what is in one’s best interest. Dr. Behler is available at all times during this period to answer your questions.

LASIK Post Op from Behler Eye & Laser Center

Lasik Technology – Palm Harbor, Clearwater, Tampa, St. Petersburg

LASIK Technology from Behler Eye & Laser

State of the art lasik technology for increased safety and improved outcome.

  • Visx Star S4 CustomVue Laser with variable spot scanning for increased accuracy, CustomVue has been shown to improve night vision and even provide greater visual acuity following surgery.
  • ActiveTrak 3-D Eye Tracking for increased safety, and improved outcomes It is a 3-D light that tracks all involuntary eye movements in the x,y,and z axis. No dilation necessary.
  • Wavescan technology for Wavefront analysis, 25 times more precise than traditional means of measuring glasses and contact lenses.
    Wavefront Lasik

VISX CustomVue ™ Custom Lasik Improves the View of Laser Vision Correction – Palm Harbor, Clearwater, Tampa, St. Petersburg

Live your best life with your Personal Best Vision

Chances are, several of your friends or family members are experiencing the joys of living without glasses and contact lenses as a result of laser vision correction. You’ve heard the excitement in their voices, noticed the boost in their confidence levels, and watched the quality of their lives improve with new-found freedoms. Millions of Americans are enjoying these life-enhancing benefits and millions more, just like you, are exploring the procedure that could free them from the worries of glasses and contact lenses.

Look Better, Feel Better, See Better in a Whole New World

CustomVue ™ Individualized Laser Vision Correction was developed by VISX, the company recognized worldwide for bringing innovation and breakthrough technology to laser vision correction. With CustomVue ™custom lasik, a new standard in laser vision correction is established, providing a precise level of measurement and correction never before possible.

Wavescan – CustomVue – VisxUsing WaveScan®-based digital technology, originally developed for use in high-powered telescopes to reduce distortions when viewing distant objects in space, doctors can now identify, measure, and correct imperfections in an individual’s eyes 25 times more precisely than with standard methods used for glasses and contact lenses. This information is transferred to the laser, providing a new level of precision and accuracy.

LASIK Customvue from Behler Eye & Laser Center

Reach the Full Potential of Your Vision—Your Personal Best Vision

Just like a fingerprint, each person’s vision is 100 percent unique to their eyes. Before the recent advancements in technology, doctors were only able to use standard measurements to correct vision, meaning that prescriptions could only provide a certain level of correction regardless of an individual’s needs.

Now, VISX CustomVue ™ custom lasik can measure and correct the unique imperfections of each individual’s vision and provide them with the potential to experience better vision than is possible with glasses or contact lenses—Personal Best Vision.

Taking the Mystery out of Laser Vision Correction

The laser vision correction process begins with a consultation with your doctor where a patient can learn about the technology and the procedure.

An evaluation follows to assess a patient’s overall health and to measure and create a detailed and unique map of their eyes. Once it’s confirmed that an individual is a good candidate for laser vision correction, the procedure can be scheduled.

On the day of the procedure, anesthetic drops are placed into the patient’s eyes. The patient’s unique correction information is transferred from the WaveScan to the laser. Laser vision correction works by gently reshaping the cornea with the cool beam from the laser to remove microscopic amounts of tissue—less than the thickness of a human hair in most cases—to create a new curvature. The procedure typically takes several seconds and the majority of individuals feel no discomfort. Many patients notice immediate results after CustomVue ™ and vision continues to improve over several days. Routine follow-up visits complete the process.

Great Results by Day and by Night

One year after the CustomVue™ procedure, patients in a clinical study reported these great results without glasses and contact lenses:

  1. 100 percent could pass a driving test
  2. 98 percent could see 20/20 or better
  3. 70 percent could see better than 20/20


In the clinical study, four times as many people were very satisfied with their night vision after the procedure as compared to their night vision before with glasses or contact lenses.

Clear Vision—Anytime, Anywhere!

VISX® lasers from Behler Eye & Laser Center

VISX® lasers have been used to perform millions of laser vision correction procedures in the U.S. and around the world. If you’re over the age of 21, and are nearsighted and/or astigmatic, you may be a candidate for the custom lasik procedure.

The first step is to call Dr. Behler to schedule a consultation. During the consultation you can review the details of the technology and the procedure and be that much closer to living your best life with your personal best vision.

If you have any questions, please contact our office.

The History of Refractive Surgery

A Brief History and Evolution of Refractive Eye Surgery

Early attempts in the surgical correction of refractive errors trace back to the mid-late nineteenth century and were employed in folk medicine and referenced in the European scientific literature. Of particular note is the work of Dr. Lans from the Netherlands in the 1890s. Further advances can be traced back to the 1930′s in Japan and 1970s, in the Soviet Union. Development of a variety of procedures such as Radial Keratotomy, Keratomileusis, Thermokeratoplasty, and Intraocular lens refractive surgery continued over the following decades. In the late 1970s scientists at IBM developed an ultraviolet laser to etch computer microchips. In 1983, Dr. Trokel at Columbia University and Dr. Srnivasan from IBM first introduced excimer laser corneal surgery. Dr Pallikaris first reported LASIK in 1990. Currently employed techniques include LASIK, PRK, Astigmatic Keratotomy and Refractive Lensectomy.

What Is LASIK?

LASIK stands for “Laser Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis.” This literally means “to shape the cornea within, using laser” LASIK can be used to reduce nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) or astigmatism.

For example: In nearsighted people, the eye is too large, causing images to focus in front of the retina.

This steep curvature causes blurred images in the distance. LASIK removes microscopic layers in the cornea. Near sighted LASIK removes microscopic layers in the cornea resulting in a “flatter” corneal surface. Images can fall directly on the retina in the back of the eye to create improved, natural vision.

In farsighted people the eye is too small causing images to focus behind the retina. This causes blurred images up close and as we age, at a distance. This is not to be confused with presbyopia. (Presbyopia is what happens to all of us after we reach the age of 40… But more on that later.) Farsighted LASIK removes microscopic layers in the outer part of the cornea resulting in a “steeper” corneal surface.

In patients with astigmatism, the cornea has a toric shaped surface similar to that of a football. If you look at a football, there are 2 radii of curvature 90 degrees apart. When a patient with astigmatism looks at an object, this object is “split” into 2 images. Patients with high degrees of astigmatism wear hard contact lenses or glasses. Lasik correction for astigmatism removes the astigmatism.

lasik history