About Doctor Will

Why Choose Dr. Brian Will?

Today, laser vision correction provides people with an unprecedented opportunity to experience life to the fullest without the hassle of glasses or contact lenses. However, in order to attain that personal freedom, it is important to recognize that there are a variety of factors that contribute to a successful the vision correction procedure. That is why it is important for patients to choose a surgeon they can trust. At Will Vision and Laser Centers,  we are committed to four integral components of superior eye care, known as the Will Vision Advantage: Experience, Education, Technology and a Passion for Personalized Care.

Pioneering LASIK surgeon, Dr. Brian Will is one of the country's leading refractive surgeons. As Director and Chief Surgeon at the Will Vision and Laser Centers located in Portland, Oregon, Dr. Will’s clinical and scientific contributions have helped refine the vision correction procedures that have improved the vision of millions of people.

Recognized by patients and his medical peers as a leading LASIK surgeon in the country, and based in Oregon and Southwest Washington region, Dr. Brian Will’s scientific and clinical contributions have helped refine various laser vision correction procedures that improve the vision of millions of men and women worldwide. Throughout his 20 years of medical practice – and numerous contributions to the evolution of laser eye surgery – Dr. Will's passion has always been for the quality of care, safety and well being of his patients. 

How much experience does Dr. Brian Will have in the LASIK field?

 
Experience You Can Trust: As part of his pioneering career, Dr. Will began performing laser vision correction over 15 years ago, longer than any surgeon in the Pacific Northwest.   He was the Project Director for the International Institute for Advanced Laser surgery where he became involved in a number of FDA clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of several refractive laser and corneal implant modalities. He became one of the first surgeons in North America to perform the LASIK procedure. He has continued his unrelenting pursuit of surgical excellence and, as a result, his surgical innovations in the Pacific Northwest are unparalleled. As part of his commitment and passion to utilize only the most advanced technology for his patients, Dr. Will has either introduced or performed the:

  • First center dedicated exclusively to laser refractive surgery in the Pacific Northwest
  • First Wavefront customized LASIK procedure in the Pacific Northwest
  • First Wavefront customized IntraLasik procedure on the West Coast of the United States
  • First IntraLasik Femtosecond laser procedure in the Pacific Northwest
  • First excimer laser procedure using active eye tracking in the Pacific Northwest
  • First excimer laser using small spot scanning technology in the Pacific Northwest
  • First excimer laser using surface smoothing technology in the Pacific Northwest
  • First excimer laser treatment of farsightedness in the Pacific Northwest
  • First excimer laser treatment of farsightedness and astigmatism in the Pacific Northwest
  • First LASIK procedure using active eye tracking on a patient with nystagmus in the world
 

Most Experienced and Respected in the World: Dr. Will has been performing laser refractive surgery for over 15 years and is recognized as his peers as a leader and pioneer in the industry. He has personally performed over 28,000 laser vision correction procedures making him one of the most experienced laser surgeons in North America. Most notably, Dr. Will has personally performed more customized wavefront guided IntraLasik procedures, the most advanced refractive procedure available today, than all of the other surgeons in the Pacific Northwest combined. He has been performing “all laser” Lasik using the Intralase Femtosecond laser for over 5 years and his scientific contributions have been instrumental in perfecting that surgical technique. Dr. Will has raised the level of safety and precision with Lasik to new levels and is one of the most experienced and respected Intralase surgeons in the world.

What are Dr. Will’s Academic and Educational Achievements?

 
Board Certified Surgeon and Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology: Dr. Will is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California. He currently serves on the Editorial Board for the journal of Ophthalmology Management and he previously served on the Board of Directors for the American College of Eye Surgery. He is the former Chief of Refractive Surgery at the Aker Kasten Cataract and Laser Institute and was the Project Director for the International Institute for Advanced Laser Surgery for many years. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and an active member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and the International Society of Refractive Surgery. During his medical training he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and the National Deans List and was recognized as Chief Resident at the prestigious Eye Institute at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Trains other Surgeons: Dr. Will has lectured, taught and trained more LASIK surgeons than any other single surgeon in the Pacific Northwest. Surgeons have traveled to the Pacific Northwest to be trained by Dr. Will from as far away as Europe and Malaysia. In the course of his career Dr. Will has been an invited speaker at the Alumni Postgraduate Convention, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, the International Society of Refractive Surgery, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the Aspen Invitational Refractive Surgery Symposium, the Aspen Advanced Refractive Surgery Congress, Canadian Rockies Symposium on Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the American College of Eye Surgery and other venues. He has taught Skills Transfer courses at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and the American Academy of Ophthalmology.   He has presented scientific papers during sessions at the American Academy of Ophthalmology, International Society of Refractive Surgery, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, American College of Eye Surgeons, Royal Hawaiian Eye Meeting, Society for Excellence in Eye Care and other forums.

Contributing Author in Latest Textbooks on Laser Surgery: He has authored numerous textbook chapters detailing specific refinements in surgical technique in recent textbooks dealing with refractive surgery including Custom LASIK: Surgical Techniques and Complications, edited by Dr. Brint and Burrato; LASIK: Advances, Controversy, and Custom, edited by Dr. Probst and; Complications in Refractive Surgery, edited by Dr. Gimbel.   Dr. Will has also been featured in the Video Journal of Ophthalmology and his scientific presentations have also been selected by Physicians Ed, a media company specializing in physician education, for inclusion on an interactive CD entitled Innovations in Refractive Surgery.

Industry Changing Scientific Contributions: His numerous publications have frequently challenged conventional thinking and rank among some of the most innovative scientific contributions in the field. He is the first surgeon in the world to author a chapter in a textbook on LASIK describing the technique of performing LASIK on patients with nystagmus using active eye tracking, he is the first in the world to author a chapter in a textbook on LASIK describing the physiology and pharmacological aspects of LASIK, he is the first in the world to describe the physiologic and biologic relationship between topical anesthetics and epithelial trauma during LASIK and he is the first in the world to determine the underlying etiology and pathophysiology of Stage 4 diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK) as well as describing the appropriate steps to manage that surgical complication. It should be recognized that, prior to Dr. Will’s publication, Stage 4 DLK was one of the most feared LASIK complications in the world. However, as a direct result of Dr. Will’s innovative thinking with respect to Stage 4 DLK, patients currently afflicted by this disorder are now able to recover normal vision whereas, with older incorrect concepts of disease management, these patients were frequently visually disabled and many required corneal transplantation for visual rehabilitation.

Innovator and Leader: Dr. Will is recognized by his colleagues and peers as an innovator and leader in the field of refractive surgery. Some of his more notable accomplishments include receiving the Luminary Award in 2005 and the Pioneer Award in 2003, performing the first Wavefront Customized laser vision correction procedure in the Pacific Northwest, performing the first IntraLasik procedure in the Pacific Northwest, performing the first Wavefront Customized IntraLasik procedure on the West Coast of the United States, performing the first excimer laser treatment for farsightedness in the Pacific Northwest, introducing the first small spot scanning excimer laser system to the Pacific Northwest, introducing the first eye tracking excimer laser system to the Pacific Northwest, performing the first LASIK on a patient with nystagmus in the world using active eye tracking and opening the first center dedicated exclusively to refractive surgery in the Pacific Northwest.

Dr. Will has served as a technical consultant to several eye care companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500 businesses. He has a patent pending on a vacuum ring that improves both the precision and comfort of LASIK and is more physiologically friendly to the eye than currently available devices. 

What About the Technology at Will Vision?

 
Unparalleled Commitment to State-of-the-Art Technology: Today, Dr. Will utilizes the VISX® Star S4IR ActiveTrak Excimer Laser system and IntraLASIK – the most advanced and safest form of LASIK treatment – to provide laser vision correction to his patients in the convenience of his on-site laser suite located in the Portland metroplex. Dr. Will is one of a select group of surgeons in the world to offer IntraLasik, an all-laser surgical approach using the Intralase laser, the most advanced tool available to refractive surgeons. Dr. Will's dedication to eye care and commitment to the latest technological advancements in laser vision correction have been unparalleled in the region.

Little Left to Chance: At many laser centers today patients are left to ponder the question “Am I feeling lucky today?” Not true at Will Vision and Laser Centers. Dr. Will uses the most advanced lasers and diagnostic tools available anywhere.

Advanced Micro-Imaging Technology Increases LASIK Safety: Will Vision & Laser Centers continues to lead the way in providing state-of-the-art advanced micro-imaging technology for the Pacific Northwest and, as part of our ongoing commitment to safety and accuracy, Dr. Will introduced the first Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) to the region. Optical Coherence Tomography uses light energy to provide very high-resolution images of the cornea and anterior segment of the eye. These images can demonstrate the thickness of the flap and residual cornea after LASIK and are essential in assessing the wisdom of electing to perform an enhancement laser procedure. In addition, certain eye conditions are not suited for laser vision correction, particularly very thin corneas or eyes predisposed to keratoconus. The OCT images are particularly useful in screening for these conditions, making it an essential device for laser vision correction centers.

Precision Corneal Shape Measurements are Critical: A prerequisite to performing safe and precise laser refractive surgery is the ability to accurately measure the shape, thickness and contour of the cornea both pre and postoperatively. Dr. Will introduced advanced Pentacam technology to the region to provide such essential data for his patients. The Pentacam images the anterior segment of the eye in 3-D by a rotating Scheimpflug camera measurement. The center of the cornea, which is most critical for refractive surgery planning, is measured very precisely delivering 25,000 true elevation points precisely and reproducibly. One of the most critical measurements about the cornea besides its shape is the true thickness, and these same data points can describe the true thickness of the cornea across its entire breadth and width. By contrast, manual ultrasound used at many LASIK centers can only provide one single data point.

Advanced Corneal Microscope: Dr. Will introduced theConfoScan 4 to the Pacific Northwest, a state-of-the-art fully digital corneal confocal microscope that combines confocal microscopy, endothelial microscopy and accurate pachymetry in one unit. Confocal microscopy allows refractive surgeons and corneal specialists to actually look inside the living cornea and diagnose a variety of diseases by viewing individual cells in each layer of the cornea in great detail. This technology can be used for pre operative assessment of corneal health; it can diagnose early signs of keratoconus and dry eye, it can assist in the evaluation of endothelial cell viability, it can be used to measure flap depth following LASIK, it can quantity LASIK interface healing quality and it can provide the surgeon with a view of the epithelial or surface layer to evaluate its overall health. With very high magnification it is possible to see bacteria, fungi, inflammation and corneal dystrophies as well as tissue damage from drugs or contact lenses.  After LASIK surgery, the confocal microscope can be used to determine the precise depth of the flap interface. An advantage of confocal microscopy over OCT is that it makes it possible to examine the LASIK interface for debris, observe corneal nerve regeneration, evaluate cell populations in the flap and stromal bed, monitor inflammation and quantify tissue healing.

Leading Edge Technology: Dr. Will’s commitment to academic achievement, education and teaching began more than 20 years ago and continues today, as he remains on the leading edge of the latest innovations in the field. His experience gives him the skills necessary to utilize the proper techniques and tools during your vision correction procedure. Through the use of advanced technologies, Dr. Will can offer patients vision correction treatments that are more accurate and safe than ever before. 

Dr. Will’s Passion for Personalized Care

 
Individualized Care for Each Person: At Will Vision and Laser Centers we believe that every person’s eyes, personality and emotional needs are unique and that distinctiveness demands individualized attention and care. As a result, Will Vision and Laser Centers is celebrated for delivering customized refractive surgery in an atmosphere of caring, compassion, kindness and personalized attention. We believe that the successful delivery of the surgical and healing arts capitalizes upon the synergy obtained through combining the use of the latest surgical techniques and an understanding of the unique characteristics of each person’s physiology and personality. At Will Vision, quality laser vision correction is not simply defined by pushing a button on the correct device or the accurate interpreting a particular eye test.   Healing occurs when skilled individuals apply specific treatments for each unique person based upon meticulous study and a thorough understanding of that person’s individual needs and physical requirements. 

Achieving Your Best Personal Vision: Dr. Will is dedicated to quality care and his patients receive the personalized attention and visual results they need and deserve. Dr. Will provides a safe, effective, and accurate approach to patient diagnosis and treatment. He crafts his care and treatment plans based upon years of surgical experience, a background of superior academic achievements and the utilization of only the best equipment available and he molds that plan to guide each patient upon a pathway of healing that leads them to their goal of achieving their personal best vision. Serving Oregon and Southwest Washington, LASIK surgeon Dr. Brian R. Will, MD, is dedicated to improving the vision and lives of patients throughout the region.

With more than 20 years in practice serving the Pacific Northwest, LASIK surgeon Brian R. Will, MD, offers more than superior care to patients. While he has been a major contributor to the evolution of eye surgery, refining laser vision correction treatments used on millions of people throughout the world, he shares that passion for achievement with patients by applying highly individualized healing skills and providing the personalized care necessary to help each person achieve their own unique vision goals.

Meet Dr. Will: You can meet LASIK surgeon Brian R. Will, MD by attending one of our free seminars or by taking advantage of the opportunity to receive a complimentary screening examination at Will Vision and Laser Centers in one of our conveniently located offices in Portland, Vancouver and Salem.

To learn more about our practice serving Oregon and SW Washington, contact Dr. Will at Will Vision and Laser Centers today.

How do I know I am choosing the best surgeon?