Clearview Eye and Laser Medical Center

Thursday, February 21, 2008

What is iLASIK?

iLASIK is the name for a treatment which combines wavefront-guided LASIK with IntraLase.

For several years now, the VISX Wavefront-guided LASIK system has been a leading technology for delivering LASIK treatments. At ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center, this is the system we have used for years, and we have found it to be outstanding in its results and safety record.

It consists of:

  • A diagnostic unit which sends light to the patient's eyes, receives the returning reflected light, and records it as a colored 3-D map of the eye's microscopically precise contours
  • A computer which uses this information to guide the treating laser, under Dr. Feldman's control
  • The excimer laser for treatment
  • Iris Registration for tracking any eye movements during treatment and keeping the laser correctly focused
  • A microscope for Dr. Feldman to see exactly what is being done during treatment
  • A comfortable patient bed

What is IntraLase?

Some people have corneas which are too thin or too steep for LASIK. IntraLase is an alternative way of doing LASIK which is safer for these people. Instead of creating the corneal flap with a blade, it uses a second laser, known as a femtosecond laser. A femtosecond is a quadrillionth of a second, and this is the speed of this laser's light pulses. So extraordinarily fast that the human mind can't imagine it.

To create the flap, which must be thinner than average because of the person's thinner corneas, the femtosecond laser is directed across the treatment area in a pre-determined plan. Each rapid pulse of its light creates a tiny bubble below the corneal surface, where bonds are broken between molecules.

Now Dr. Feldman only has to gently fold this loosened flap back and proceed with treatment. No cuts have been made. Only tiny pieces of tissue have been evaporated to loosen the flap tissue.

An IntraLase Flap and Wavefront-Guided Treatment

iLASIK is a new name for this combination which has been done before. A new name was devised because the VISX company was purchased by AMO (Advanced Medical Optics). They are the manufacturers of the ReZOOM™ intraocular lens and many other eyecare products. They have combined their technologies with those of VISX.

At ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center, we offer iLASIK. If you would like to learn more about it, and whether it might be the best option for your vision correction, please call or send us an email to set up your complimentary consultation.

posted by JennyK at 12:48 PM

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San Diego LASIK Center

Sandy T. Feldman, M.D., M.S. :: ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center
6255 Lusk Blvd., Suite 100 :: San Diego, California 92121

“She’s the Surgeon to See”