LASIK Technology

What are the different LASIK technologies?

The Laser Vision Correction technology has evolved very rapidly since it was introduced more than 20 years ago. In general, at the core of the procedure is the Excimer Laser machine which modifies the curvature of the cornea. There are many different companies with competing technologies.

Your eye's image is captured by the wavefront device. Then a treatment pattern matching your eye's fingerprint is planned.

Wavefront Technology (Customvue, custom treatment): This laser Technology comes to provide a solution for the natural aberrations (imperfections) of the eyes.

If we want to improve the vision beyond 20/20 we need to eliminate these aberrations which interfere with the perfect focusing of light on the retina. The Wavefront machine measures not only the prescription of your eyes, but also the individual Wavefront aberrations. The computer then plots a specific laser treatment pattern aimed at resolving these aberrations along with the prescription (something not possible with contacts or glasses). Hence, we can potentially obtain visual acuities that are better than 20/20.

Clinical studies show that this Technology produces 20/20 vision in more than 98% of the patients, and large part of them obtain better than 20/20. It is also better in eliminating or reducing the incidence of glare and haloes. However, it is only available to the appropriate candidates, based on prescription and other factors.

Bladeless LASIK (Intralase, all laser Lasik):

During LASIK, a flap is created. The laser treatment is performed under this flap and at the end the flap is repositioned. This flap can be created in two ways. Either by a separate laser machine or by a fine tuned mechanical instrument (a microkeratome). There has been an ongoing debate among surgeons for years now as to which of these technologies produces superior results. In our experience, both can produce excellent results in the appropriate patient if tailored to that patient’s individual eyes. Neither one can produce better results consistently for everyone. This needs to be evaluated on an individual basis and is not the same for all patients. There are valid arguments for and against each one of these two technologies. Unfortunately, this academic debate has been tainted with the marketing tactics that some centers use to attract more customers. They use the fear of the “Blade” for the patient, to make it look as if the laser created flap is better for everyone. Their claim to fame is that they use the Bladeless Technology for everyone. This statement has no academic merit and is no more than a marketing gimmick. Although there are patients who will benefit greatly from the Intralase technology, most patients don’t need it and will even expose themselves to complications that didn’t exist before with the older Technology.

No flap Procedure (no cutting, LASEK, Epi-LASIK, PRK):

This procedure uses the same laser Technology that is used with LASIK; however, no flap is made. As a result it is generally regarded as a safer procedure since the complications that are associated with the flap are eliminated.