Bladeless Lasik
- IntraLase® is the first blade-free laser technology for performing the initial step of the LASIK procedure — creating the corneal flap.
- Traditionally, this first step was done manually using a hand-held device with oscillating metal razor blade called a microkeratome.
- While LASIK is a successful and relatively safe procedure, the majority of complications with LASIK arise from the use of microkeratomes.
- IntraLase makes every LASIK procedure safer and better by virtually eliminating sever sight-threatening blade-related LASIK complications.
- In addition to superior safety, clinical studies show patients see better following LASIK with IntraLase than with the hand-held blade.
- IntraLase improves the overall safety profile and visual results of LASIK, whether patients choose a custom or standard treatment.
Advantages of IntraLase:
- Improved Safety
- Better Vision
- Fewer Retreatments
- Reduced Dry Eye Symptoms
- Highest Degree of Predictability and Precision
- Personalized Flaps
- Fewer high- and low-order aberrations, which can be associated with night glare and halos
Data/Statistics:
When given a choice, 78 percent of patients choose IntraLase-initiated LASIK rather than the blade.
In clinical trials, 98 percent of IntraLase-initiated LASIK eyes achieved 20/20 or better vision.
Clinical trial patients who had IntraLase on one eye and the blade on the other preferred the vision of their IntraLase-treated eye 3-to-1 over their blade-treated eye (those with a stated preference).
Clinical trial tests performed to diagnose dry eye show IntraLase reduces symptoms as much as 72 percent.
How IntraLase Works:
- Unlike the microkeratome blade, which cuts across the cornea to create the flap, IntraLase creates the flap from below the surface of the cornea.
- The beam of laser light precisely positions tiny microscopic bubbles within the central layer of the cornea to define the flap’s dimensions and distinct beveled edge, as well as location of the hinge.
- Thousands of these bubbles are then stacked along the edge of the flap up to the corneal surface to complete the flap.
- The process from start to finish takes approximately 45 seconds.
- The surgeon then lifts the corneal flap to allow for treatment by the excimer laser. When treatment is complete, the flap is accurately repositioned, thanks to its beveled edge.
About LASIK:
LASIK is the nation’s most-popular vision correction procedure, representing 88 percent of all refractive procedures performed annually.
8.2 million LASIK procedures have been performed since the mid-1990’s.
While most commonly associated with the excimer laser, LASIK is not an “all-laser” procedure due to the use of the microkeratome blade.
Only LASIK procedures that use IntraLase for the first step can be considered “all-laser.”