The Vision of Dr. Genstler

While the Mannfred Mann’s Earth Band was “Blinded by the Light” and the Apostle Paul was likewise blinded by a light on the road to Damascas, those who see the light today are having their blurred vision miraculously restored. Amazing laser surgery technology has been restoring crystal clear vision to blurry-eyed people for several years now, and the Genstler name has become synonymous with this miraculous procedure in Topeka. Dr. Arla Genstler has gone from a missionary’s child in West Africa to one of this region’s top ophthalmologists and specialists in the “Lasik procedure.” Now, with the introduction of “blade-free” Lasik, the risks of this procedure are even further minimized. We set our sights on learning more about the founder of the Genstler Eye Center and the woman behind that laser beam in your eye.

TK: Dr Genstler, thanks for taking the time to talk with us. I know you have a very interesting background and upbringing. Tell us where you grew up.

AG: I spent the first six years of my life in Nigeria, West Africa where my dad served as a medical missionary and Public Health Advisor. We then moved to Singapore where we lived for eight years and where I finished high school.

TK: With these early experiences, did that influence your decision to become a physician?

AG: Absolutely! My dad is definitely one of my big heroes and at age 86 is still seeing patients two days a week! I basically grew up in a hospital, frequently tagging along with my dad and dinner conversations were always about the interesting cases that he had seen that day. There was never any question that I wanted to follow in his footsteps. My two brothers are also physicians.

TK: How did you decide on the specialty of Ophthalmology?

AG: I always knew I wanted to be a surgeon. Looking into the body and fixing things was always so fascinating to me. My oldest brother is an Ophthalmologist and he convinced me that this was absolutely the best specialty and that I would love it! Nothing is more precious than our eyesight. I had gone on a lot of mission trips where eye surgery was performed and witnessed the absolute joy of people as their eyesight was restored. I knew it would be a very rewarding and gratifying specialty.

TK: With all your world traveling, how did you end up in Topeka?

AG: Well, I get asked that a lot! A friend of mine was a recruiter for physician practices and I got a call from her one day asking me if I would be interested in Topeka, Kansas. I confess, I did have to get out a map book and find out where Kansas was located! I have been here for almost 15 years now, actually the longest I’ve ever lived in any one place so I have a feeling I’m here to stay.

TK: You have a fully accredited surgery center in your building. Tell us about the surgical procedures that you perform.

AG: Two of the most common eye surgeries that I do are cataract surgery and Lasik. Both, of course, are outpatient procedures. With cataract surgery, we are removing the clouded natural lens and replacing it with an artificial lens. The neat thing about cataract surgery is that we now have lenses that can restore the full function of the lens so that the person can have both distance and reading vision without glasses. With Lasik, we are reshaping the cornea to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.

TK: Tell us a bit more about your Lasik procedure.

AG: Not all Lasik procedures are the same nor are all lasers that are used for Lasik the same. I do the blade-free all laser Lasik which brings unprecedented safety and accuracy to the procedure. You may have heard about the approval of Lasik for NASA astronauts and Navy pilots? They were approved for a very specific Lasik procedure - the all laser procedure using the Intralase laser and the Visx laser.

TK: Are those the lasers that you have?

AG: Yes, I have both lasers. The Intralase is used to make the flap instead of using a blade. Most complications associated with Lasik occur with making the flap with a blade. In fact, 98% of the complications occur at this step. With the flap made with the laser, we remove the vast majority of the potential complications. It also allows me to completely customize the flap for that individual. It is very cool stuff. The reshaping of the cornea is then done with the Visx laser. I mostly perform CustomVue Lasik which corrects not only your prescription but also the other more subtle abnormalities in your unique visual system. This allows for better quality vision, more likelihood of better than 20/20 vision and better night time vision.

TK: Tell us the unique features of your laser center?

AG: The two ways that you can change the focus point of your eye is to either change the cornea, as we do in lasik surgery, or to change the lens, which is inside the eye. Most laser centers only offer corneal options but since we have a fully certified ambulatory surgery center, we can offer a full spectrum of refractive options to our patients, either treating their cornea or their lens, and sometimes both. This way we can truly custom design the refractive approach for any individual. We also have put a tremendous amount of importance on safety by choosing to go with Blade Free LASIK. By being part of the Topeka community, we can also deliver a full range of eye care in a very personal and timely manner to our patients.

TK: We know that all work and no play isn’t healthy so what do you do when you’re not working?

AG: We have a ranch in the Flint Hills which is just beautiful! I have fruit orchards and grow a big garden in the summer. We travel as much as time allows, mostly out to California to see our grandkids. My husband is a great cook and so we enjoy having friends over for dinner. I get to do the dishes!

TK