LASIK & iLASIK – Austin Eye

All LASIK procedures at Austin Eye are performed with the all-laser blade-free iLASIK technology. iLASIK uses one laser to create the corneal flap followed by use of a second laser (excimer laser) to reshape the cornea. iLASIK is an all-laser procedure which has proven to be the safest and most accurate form of LASIK surgery. Patients who have “fears” about LASIK should take comfort in the increased safety and accuracy of the “iLASIK” procedure using the IntraLASE laser.

CONVENTIONAL iLASIK

Uses the prescription obtained through the standard measurement device in the ophthalmologist’s office (known as the phoropter) to guide the excimer laser ablation. Conventional iLASIK corrects what are known as “lower order aberrations” which account for approximately 90% of the visual imperfections. An IntraLASE laser flap is created followed by an excimer laser ablation that corrects approximately 90% of the eye’s visual aberrations.

CUSTOM iLASIK

Uses a special computer known as an aberrometer or wavefront measurement device to obtain a more detailed and complete analysis of each LASIK Austin patient’s eye’s visual distortions. The wavefront measurement device measures hundreds of subtle imperfections known as “lower and higher-order aberrations” to create a “wavefront map.” The wavefront map measures 100% of the optical aberrations and is like a unique visual fingerprint that quatifies each eye’s unique focusing problems. This more detailed wavefront map is then used to guide the excimer laser ablation to reshape the cornea to it’s best focus. So in custom iLASIK, a custom measurement is obtained, followed-by an IntraLASE laser created flap, followed by a wavefront-guided excimer laser ablation. Custom iLASIK has proven to provide better quality of vision, especially at night than conventional LASIK or conventional iLASIK.

Our results using the IntraLASE laser for iLASIK have shown:

1. Complications associated with making the flap are virtually eliminated thus enhancing patient safety.
2. Final visual acuities in eyes treated with intralase are more accurate than any LASIK (blade-flap) procedure.
3. Fewer visual aberrations (halo, glare, starburst) are created in iLASIK.  Therefore quality of vision in iLASIK should be clearer than with standard LASIK
4. Patients with thin corneas not suitable for standard LASIK can be treated safely with iLASIK due to the ability to create an accurate thin flap via computer controlled delivery of the laser
5. Flap wrinkles or striae which occur in standard LASIK are rare to non-existent in iLASIK flaps
6. Patients are more comfortable in deciding to have iLASIK because of the enhanced safety and accuracy of the all-laser procedure.
7. The optimal combination of technologies for laser vision correction is intralase (laser flaps) with wavefront-guided (custom) excimer laser ablations – Custom iLASIK.

For more information about  Custom iLASIK click onto the link: www.abbottmedicaloptics.com/products/refractive

	iLASIK	LASIK
Method by which corneal flap is created	Computer-guided femtosecond infrared laser pulses delivered precisely within the cornea	Mechanical instrument (microkeratome) that utilizes a metal blade
Ability to accurately control flap thickness, diameter, and architecture	Yes.  Using computer software we can obtain precise flap dimensions for each eye regardless of the patient’s eye dimensions	Variable depending on the surgeon’s technique, surgical blade quality, and the patient’s eye dimensions
Higher-order visual aberrations (Eg glare or haloes) induced when the flap is created	Minimal	Moderate
Risks of flap complications such as corneal abrasions, incomplete or buttonhole flaps	None	Rare: 1–2%. But can significantly affect vision if present.
Risks of Flap Striae/Wrinkles	Minimal to None	1–2%
Overall Patient Safety	The safest method available in the US to create the corneal flap	Overall excellent with limited risks in 3–5% of eyes treated
Overall accuracy of the procedure	Outstanding. iLASIK results are more accurate than the results of Standard LASIK	Very Good
Retreatment/Enhancement Rate	2–5%	5–15%

IntraLase - Medical reports supporting the technology benefits over LASIK (PDF)

A free Adobe Acrobat PDF reader is available under downloads.