Blade-Free IntraLase LASIK

Understanding Blade-Free LASIK

LASIK Femtosecond Lasers

The traditional LASIK eye surgery procedure involved a mechanical microkeratome. Please note that LASIK with a microkeratome is still a statistically good refractive surgery procedure. That being said, we only want to offer the best technology available at Texas Eye and Laser Center. Blade-Free LASIK using a femtosecond laser has taken laser vision correction to the next level. The femtosecond laser is used only in the flap creation process of the LASIK procedure. Most LASIK complications - which are rare – arise during the corneal flap creation segment of the procedure; this is why femtosecond laser technology is so important. Femtosecond laser technology enables greater safety and precision during the creation of the corneal flap. Bladeless LASIK is not a new procedure, and it has been tested and performed for several years now. Scientific and FDA study data suggests advantages over the conventional microkeratome style of LASIK. Both the United States Air Force and NASA have accepted Intralase Blade-Free LASIK as a vision correction standard for their professionals.

What is the IntraLase® Method?

The IntraLase® Method is a 100% blade-free approach to creating the aforementioned corneal flap, which is the thin flap of tissue that the doctor folds back in order to perform a LASIK procedure. The IntraLase® Method can only be performed using the IntraLase® FS laser. The IntraLase® Method enables your doctor to create your corneal flap without a blade ever touching your eye.

What is a Femtosecond Laser?

A femtosecond laser is an infrared laser that can treat tissue very precisely with significantly less heat created than other laser treatments. This is of course a very big advantage in LASIK eye surgery. Femtosecond lasers work with ultra-short impulses of light that last only a fraction of a second to create a spot as tiny as 1/100mm. Femtosecond lasers are used in other medical areas such as cellular biology and dental surgery. It has been determined that the infrared laser impulses are so minimal that the eye cannot be damaged during this treatment.

Safety with Blade-Free LASIK

Blade-Free LASIK eye surgery with the IntraLase® femtosecond laser improves the safety and precision of the procedure, which results in better visual outcomes for patients. The doctors at Texas Eye and Laser Center are able to sculpt the corneal tissue at the exact depth required for the very best results possible. The safety record is very stable compared to microkeratome LASIK, and various studies have led researchers to proclaim this technology as 100 times more accurate in creating the flap.

For full list of risk and side effects, click here.