Blog Archive

Keratoconus is an often misunderstood eye condition that can be difficult to prepare for. It usually starts by your 20s or 30s, progressively getting worse through age 35 or 40. By the time you realize you have keratoconus, you may have already experienced significant vision changes. Keratoconus is a condition...

Laser eye surgery can be life-changing, freeing you from the hassle of glasses or contacts. But your recovery is just as important as the procedure itself to make sure you heal properly and get the best results. Stephen Khachikian, MD, is a leading ophthalmologist in Rapid City, South Dakota, who...

Receiving a Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy diagnosis can feel overwhelming, but understanding the condition — a cornea problem — and its progression is the first step toward managing your eye health. Board-certified ophthalmologist and cornea specialist Stephen Khachikian, MD, is here to guide you through your diagnosis at his state-of-the-art office...

Have you been farsighted for a number of years? Perhaps you’ve worn reading glasses or contacts to read books and see objects that are close to you. Now, you’re squinting to see printed material even with glasses or contacts. Your eye muscles are working overtime, and you may develop eye...

Cataracts are common as you reach old age. About half of people over 80 either have cataracts or have had surgery to remove them.  Dr. Stephen Khachikian sees cataracts in many older patients. This eye condition often begins to develop when you’re 40-50 years old, and while you understandably don’t...

Does your vision blur when you’re trying to read tiny prints or numbers on a pharmacy bottle? You may have astigmatism. It’s a common refractive error due to a greater-than-normal curve in your eye shape; about one-third of the population has some degree of astigmatism.  Board-certified ophthalmologist Dr. Stephen Khachikian...

You’ve worn glasses for many years, and you’d love to be free of them. It would be great not to worry about remembering to take your glasses with you everywhere.  Board-certified ophthalmologist Dr. Stephen Khachikian performs laser eye surgery, which can dramatically improve your vision. You no doubt have heard...

Have you noticed some changes in your vision lately, and your eyesight seems to be worsening? Anytime you experience vision changes, don’t wait to see an eye specialist. Always make an appointment at the first sign of a difference in your vision.  Board-certified ophthalmologist Dr. Stephen Khachikian administers a thorough...

You’ve noticed that your vision isn’t as sharp as it used to be. You may have been told that you have cataracts, but because they grow very slowly, they may not have bothered you until now. How do you know when it’s time to take action?  Board-certified ophthalmologist Stephen Khachikian,...

Your cornea is the clear protective covering on the outside of your eye. If it’s been damaged from an eye disease, inherited condition, injury, or infection, you may need a partial or full replacement cornea. Without it, you could lose some or all of your vision.  Board-certified ophthalmologist Dr. Stephen...

You’ve noticed a troubling change in your eyesight. It seems as if you’re looking through a haze lately, yet you’re not around wildfires that could have caused everything to look cloudy. You’ve tried squinting to see if things look clearer, but that hasn’t helped.  Board-certified ophthalmologist Stephen Khachikian, MD, asks...

Have your glasses been a necessary accessory for years? Perhaps you have to rely on them to see anything in the distance with any clarity. Whenever you go out, you have them on. Or maybe you can’t see the fine print right in front of you.  Modern eye surgery has...

If you’ve worn glasses for years — perhaps since childhood — you may be thinking that now’s the time to have an operation to correct your vision. You’re longing to be free of your lifetime accessory.  Perhaps your problem is distance vision, or nearsightedness. Your parents discovered that you couldn’t...

Cataracts are the No. 1 cause of blindness worldwide and the top reason for loss of vision in Americans. The vast majority of cataracts develop in seniors. More than 50% of Americans have been diagnosed with a cataract or have had surgery to remove cataracts by age 80. But cataracts...

If you have diabetes, you know it’s important to keep your blood sugar under control to lower your risk of all kinds of complications, from nerve damage to kidney problems to heart attacks. You might not have been aware that diabetes can also affect your sight.  You may think of...

Whether your cornea is damaged from a disease such as Fuch’s dystrophy, an injury, a condition like keratoconus, or an infection, you’re looking forward to having your eyesight restored through corneal transplant surgery.  Dr. Stephen Khachikian performs several types of cornea surgery, including corneal transplants that replace some or all of your...

If you or your loved one has a vision problem, you want to sort it out right away. Difficulty with your vision can impact every aspect of your life.  It’s important to make an appointment with an ophthalmologist who specializes in conditions involving eyesight and has devoted years to advanced...

Were glasses your first fashion accessory? Perhaps you couldn’t see the whiteboard in school. You’ve worn them for so long that your glasses or contacts are simply a part of your identity, but do you wish you could be free of them or at least not have to rely on...

At some point in your life, you may have read something or heard someone say that carrots improve your eyesight. Is it true?  One thing is certain: You want to maintain good eye health. You might take your eyes for granted, but what would you do without your sight? If...

You’ve learned that you need cornea surgery. There are numerous reasons why your cornea needs repair or replacement — you may have keratoconus, which means your cornea has become abnormally shaped; your cornea might be swollen or torn; or you might have a corneal ulcer.  Board-certified ophthalmologist Dr. Stephen Khachikian diagnoses and treats...

Do you have some bad habits you know you should kick because they harm your body? What you may not realize is that some of those same habits are bad for your eyes.  How long has it been since you’ve had an eye exam? Dr. Stephen Khachikian, a board-certified ophthalmologist...

If you’re tired of wearing contacts or glasses, you may be ready to investigate LASIK vision correction surgery. There’s a reason why it’s a popular procedure, with approximately 1 million people investing in it annually in the United States. Dr. Stephen Khachikian, board-certified ophthalmologist in Rapid City, South Dakota has...

Anything that affects your vision also affects your life. Sight is a precious sense, and your world can easily become more limited if you experience blurred or cloudy vision or a loss of vision. Your cornea, the clear outer layer of your eye, plays a central role in your sight....

You may have worn glasses or contact lenses for a long time, but you’d love to be free of them. Keeping track of your glasses can be one more annoyance you’d rather not have. The routine involving contact lenses is tiring.  Eye surgery has advanced tremendously in recent years. Now...

Vision is one of the many miracles in the design of your body. It’s a combination of your eyes and brain working together — your eyes have millions of tiny receptors that send impulses to your brain, and your brain reads and interprets them to allow you to see the...

Are you interested in LASIK surgery to have clear vision again without glasses or contacts? Historically, patients with autoimmune disorders haven’t been suitable candidates for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis. Until the recent past, LASIK was contraindicated for patients with an autoimmune disease.  Advancements in LASIK technology, however, have made it possible for...

You’ve enjoyed the summer sun. While some sun is beneficial, it can damage your eyes if you don’t protect them. You may not realize the eye problems that can stem from too much sun on your face when you’re not wearing a hat or sunglasses with full protection from ultraviolet...

Are you having a problem with your eyes? Any change in your eyes’ appearance or other eye issue is important to have checked out because it might point to a serious issue that could put your vision at risk.  Board-certified ophthalmologist Dr. Stephen Khachikian is an expert in diagnosing and treating all...

Before learning about potential causes, there are two things you need to know about keratoconus because it’s different from most eye conditions.  First, it begins in teens and young adults, so be on alert for vision changes during this time. And second, the condition progressively worsens for 10-20 years before stabilizing.  What...

Night vision isn’t a strong natural ability for humans, particularly when compared with some other animals. Our physiology developed as creatures of light, and our eyesight reflects that. The eyes of animals that are active at night operate differently.  Having trouble seeing at night is a common problem for older Americans....

Since its introduction in 1999, LASIK surgery has helped more than 10 million people in the United States improve their vision. With success rates that range between 90% and 99%, LASIK is incredibly effective and, for most, it eliminates the need for corrective lenses, at least in the foreseeable future. At our practice, Dr....

Sunlight provides us with lots of benefits: Our bodies need sunlight to produce vitamin D, regulate our sleep cycle, and even ward off depression.  At the same time, too much sun can be bad for us. Most of us know the sun’s UV rays play a major role in skin cancer development, for instance. And...

Disease that involves the cornea can be painful, worsen over time, and pose a risk to your vision. Fortunately, there are many effective treatments available to relieve your symptoms and address the underlying cause of your pain and blurred or cloudy vision. Board-certified ophthalmologist and cornea specialist Stephen Khachikian, MD, who...

About 4 million Americans have cataract surgery every year, making it one of the most common — and safest — types of surgery in the United States.  A cataract causes the clear lens of your eye to become cloudy, and it almost always happens as a result of age-related changes...

LASIK has an unprecedented 96 percent patient satisfaction rate. Now that you’ve decided to transform your vision — and quality of life — with LASIK surgery, it’s time to get ready for the big day.  Board-Certified Ophthalmologist Stephen Khachikian, located in Rapid City, South Dakota, explains the five things you...

Every year, more than 3 million Americans have cataract surgery, making it the most common surgical procedure performed. Whether you have standard or refractive cataract surgery, it's a safe and highly effective treatment, especially when you have a skilled surgeon like Stephen Khachikian, MD, at Black Hills Regional Eye Institute...

The first recorded human corneal transplant (keratoplasty) was performed in the mid-1800s. This intricate procedure has been greatly refined in the intervening centuries thanks to advances in medical understanding, technology, and technique.  These days, a qualified eye care specialist can choose from several types of transplant to help restore lost...

You’re having vision problems, and it seems that your eyesight has grown worse almost overnight. You’re experiencing blurry and/or cloudy vision. What’s happening?  You may have a condition called keratoconus, which makes your cornea, the clear coating over your eye, start to bulge out and begin to take on the...

Do you constantly lose contact lenses or feel uncomfortable with your glasses? LASIK, short for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, might be able to help correct your vision. While LASIK isn’t right for everyone, most people with refractive errors can benefit from corrective eye surgery.  As an experienced ophthalmologist, Dr. Stephen...

We live in a digital world where we spend much of our time staring at phones, televisions, and computers. When we do give our eyes natural light, we might forget how the sun’s rays can affect eyes over time.  If you don’t take care of your eyes, your worries might...

You probably don’t think of how each component of your eyes works differently but together to show you the world around you. Don’t take your eyes for granted. If you have a corneal problem, you won’t be able to miss the symptoms. Some of the symptoms can be scary, but...

Vision problems are always a pain. Your eyes are vulnerable to any number of accidents or illnesses, but genetic and growth abnormalities can cause vision abnormalities, too. One of these abnormalities is astigmatism, caused by an error in the shape of your lens or cornea.  Astigmatism can be frustrating and...

Aging, injuries, and chronic conditions can weaken your vision. We’ve all heard older people when they talk about their vision going out the window, or noticed that our siblings and parents need glasses.  Weakening vision is a normal part of the aging process, but the causes of your weakening vision...

Getting older always increases the risk for deteriorating body systems. The risk of cataracts climbs as you get older. Some segments of the American population have a 50% chance of developing this vision issue by the time they reach 75.  Fortunately, cataracts typically develop slowly, and treatment measures are available...

The two most important things to know about corneal transplants are that they are one of the most common transplant surgeries performed every year, and they have a high success rate. According to the National Keratoconus Foundation, about 50,000 corneal transplants are performed every year, and 95% of those transplants...

While you may associate eye disease with older age, keratoconus usually manifests in your late teens or early 20s. Keratoconus changes the shape of your cornea so that eventually, you can’t see clearly anymore. However, this progressive disease has effective treatments that restore and preserve your vision.  Stephen Khachikian, MD...

If you’re starting to have trouble seeing clearly at night, but things still look fine during the day, you’re likely one of the many people who are struggling with night vision issues. The good news is that there are plenty of solutions to night vision problems, depending on what’s causing...

The shape of your corneas affects the way you see. These clear, round domes at the front of your eyes have refractive properties that bend light rays, so it passes through your pupils and creates images. If the cornea is shaped irregularly, you have what’s known as refractive errors, and...

Your cornea should have a specific shape to properly refract light in your eye so you can see well. That’s why corneal irregularities cause problems. The problem is that because your cornea is transparent and unique to you, it can be challenging to identify problems with your corneas, let alone...

Do you have blurry vision at both long and short distances? If your vision problems go beyond nearsightedness or farsightedness, you may have trouble seeing clearly due to a common condition called astigmatism.  Experienced ophthalmologist Stephen Khachikian, MD, in Rapid City, South Dakota, is an expert in refractive surgery and...

Technological advancements have changed the way surgeries are performed in virtually every speciality, including ophthalmology. Laser technology allows for a level of precision previously unimaginable.  Dr. Stephen Kachikian is an expert in performing laser eye surgery, and participates in research and clinical trials in order to stay up to date...

While it’s easy to think of the cornea as the clear protective layer over your eye’s lens and iris, an important job in itself, it’s also the first stage of visual processing. With a curved edge, the cornea starts the light refraction process, helping with both near and far focusing. ...

If you can see clearly, you probably think your eyes are healthy and not think much about eye diseases or even skip your routine eye exam. However, conditions like cataracts are prevalent, especially as you age. More than 24 million Americans have cataracts, and approximately half of Americans have cataracts...

Vision problems are a very common issue, affecting people of many different age groups. While 12 million people over 40 have been diagnosed with some sort of eye disorder, it also affects nearly 7% of people under 18. Many of these conditions are caused by problems with the curvature of...

LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) is a type of laser eye surgery designed to correct myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism. The procedure was invented by Dr. Gholam A. Peyman, a retina surgeon and ophthalmologist. In 1989, he was awarded the first patent in the United States. Not everyone is...

You might not have much reason to think about the health of your eyes — specifically, your corneas — very often, but some people certainly do. In the United States, over 47,000 people get cornea transplant surgery every year. Results also produce a high success rate over time, according to...

Vision is a vital sense that gives you a window into your environment. We get most of our impressions about our environment from what we see. What’s more, a larger part of your brain is dedicated to vision than other senses, so when vision problems arise, it can be scary. ...

Refractive surgery, also called vision correction therapy and laser eye surgery, are procedures that help improve your vision and eliminate or reduce your need to wear contacts or glasses. The two most popular forms of refractive surgery are LASIK, which stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, and PRK, photorefractive keratectomy. ...

To see, your eyes bend, or refract, light. As the light moves, your retina translates the rays into messages that your brain converts to images. Refractive errors are problems with your vision that make it difficult to see clearly. These problems occur when the shape of your eye makes it...

Sitting right at the front of your eye, your cornea sits in front of the other parts of your eye, such as the lens, retina, and optic nerve. This small piece of tissue is the gateway to your vision, and a healthy cornea is key to maintaining your sight. Stephen...

Are you over 50? If so, your next 30 years hold the most risk for developing cataracts. In fact, by the time you turn 80, you have more than a 50% chance of having a cataract or you may have already have undergone cataract surgery.  If your vision has become...

Eye surgery sounds like a big, complicated step to correct imperfect vision. But it’s a common procedure that helps hundreds of thousands of people every year. At the office of Dr. Stephen Khachikian, you can undergo LASIK surgery and say good-bye to glasses and contacts and the hassle and expense...

Do you know what it means when you're nearsighted, farsighted, or have astigmatism? It means you have a refractive error impacting your vision. These types of issues develop because of the shape of your cornea, which affects your eye's ability to focus. As an experienced ophthalmologist in the Upper Midwest,...

Your cornea covers the outer surface of your eye, focusing your vision and protecting your eye from harmful debris and infection. Its location, however, also leaves it susceptible to damage and disease.  As a cornea specialist, Dr. Stephen Khachikian brings his extensive medical training to diagnosing corneal problems in Rapid...

Keratoconus (KC) is a condition where the cornea thins into a cone-like bulge, which distorts your vision over time. Ophthalmologist, Dr. Stephen Khachikian, specializes in keratoconus and other vision problems. He can help treat your symptoms and prevent the disease from advancing. How is keratoconus diagnosed?  During its early stages,...

When your vision is healthy, the clear part of your eye known as the lens helps focus the light entering your eye to create crisp images in your retina. But when you have a cataract, the tissue of your lens grows cloudy, causing your vision to blur, dim, or become...

The excimer laser revolutionized vision correction. With computer-assisted precision, lasers can reshape corneas with refractive errors, bending light in much the same way as corrective lenses, but with the added advantage of being permanent. Say goodbye to lost glasses and contact lens cleaning hassles. Laser eye surgery isn’t a single...