LASIK is a surgical procedure that has changed the lives of many people in need of vision correction. LASIK actually stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis and permanently changes the shape of the cornea, which is the clear covering of the front of the eye. LASIK, in the past, used a surgical blade called a microkeratome to cut the flap in the cornea. But with advanced technology, the procedure has changed quite drastically, and now there is blade-free LASIK surgery.
Choosing to have LASIK surgery for vision correction is not the same as it was ten years ago. At that time, the options for LASIK surgery were not very extensive. There was really only way LASIK was performed and that involved a small mechanical blade called a microkeratome being used to create a flap on the cornea, after which a conventional excimer laser was used to reshape the tissue underneath so that the cornea would be able to focus light directly on the retina. Now, technology is much more advanced, and options for vision correction surgery are more numerous.
IntraLase Method of Vision Correction
The IntraLase Method of LASIK surgery is becoming very popular with patients and eye care professionals alike. The IntraLase Method is also known as "All laser LASIK" because instead of using the microkeratome to create the corneal flap, the eye care professional uses the IntraLase laser.
The Procedure
The first step in any LASIK procedure is creating the corneal flap. Correcting your vision actually involves working with the corneal tissue that's just beneath the surface of the cornea. Access to this tissue is created by making a surface flap and folding it back. Creation of the flap is crucial to the success of your surgery. The flap must be the exact correct thickness and in the exact right place. After the LASIK procedure is finished, the flap is folded back into its position and acts as a bandage of the surgical area.
Complications during LASIK are very rare, but when there is a complication, it frequently results from a poorly created corneal flap. Using the IntraLase Laser instead of the microkeratome reduces the chance of any complications.
The IntraLase laser works by emitting quick little bursts of light that shine through the eyes' surface to a predetermined microscopic depth. Each pulse of light creates a bubble below the surface, and the bubbles accumulate to cover the entire treatment area. Your surgeon will separate the corneal tissue and fold the flap back out so your LASIK treatment can be finished.
IntraLase Advantages
Patients and eye care professionals have found the advantages to IntraLase Laser surgery to be numerous:
· IntraLase creates a very smooth surface for the laser to work on whereas the microkeratome moving back and forth creates a roughened surface.
· The blade-free approach allows for more precise customizing of the corneal flap, which allows you to achieve the desired LASIK result.
· People with thin corneas are not good candidates for traditional LASIK surgery. The IntraLase laser is more precise than the microkeratome.
· After IntraLase laser surgery, the corneal flap settles back into position more smoothly and typically heals with no wrinkles or other complications.
· IntraLasik allows more people to achieve 20/20 vision than previous methods.
· Patients experience less trouble seeing in dim lighting conditions with IntraLase Laser.
More than 600,000 procedures have been performed safely and effectively using the IntraLase Laser Method. The process is not painful and the results are excellent. In a clinical survey of LASIK patients who had their corneal flaps created using a microkeratome in one eye and the IntraLase Method in the other eye, the vision in the IntraLase eye was preferred 3-to-1.
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