Blade-Free IntraLase® LASIK in San Diego

The IntraLase method replaces the traditional handheld surgical blade with a precision femtosecond laser to create the corneal flap. By using computer-guided laser energy, Dr. Feldman creates an individualized, microscopic corneal flap tailored to the exact curvature and thickness of your eye, ensuring unmatched accuracy from start to finish.

Creating the corneal flap is the first step in a LASIK procedure. Treatment to correct your vision is actually done on the corneal tissue that's beneath the surface, and access to it is created by making a surface flap and folding it back. This flap creation is crucial for a successful outcome of your LASIK surgery. The flap must be of exactly the right thickness and in exactly the right place. When the surgery is finished, it's folded back into position and acts as a delicate bandage over the treated area as the eye heals.

The microkeratome used in traditional LASIK surgery is a hand-held tool with a steel blade that oscillates or moves back and forth very rapidly. When used expertly it makes a good flap but only a single, one-dimensional cut over the cornea.

LASIK complications are quite rare. But when they do happen, they usually result from a poorly created corneal flap. Use of the IntraLase ® laser greatly reduces the likelihood of any such complications.

The first step of LASIK surgery requires creating an ultra-thin flap on the surface of the cornea. Once lifted, an excimer laser reshapes the underlying tissue to correct your refractive error. The quality of this flap is critical:

The IntraLase ® laser works in extremely fast little bursts of energy, little pulses of light which shine through the eye's surface to a predetermined microscopic depth. Each pulse of light creates a tiny bubble below the surface, and they accumulate until they've covered the entire treatment area. The laser doesn't affect the surface of the cornea.

Dr. Feldman will then carefully separate the corneal tissue where these bubbles have formed and fold this round flap back out of the way so that she can do your LASIK treatment.

In conventional LASIK, a mechanical oscillating blade called a microkeratome is used to cut the flap. While generally safe in experienced hands, mechanical blades can create irregular edges, uneven thickness, and carry a higher risk of flap-related complications.

The IntraLase laser creates the flap without ever cutting the corneal tissue mechanically. Instead, it emits rapid pulses of infrared light, generating thousands of microscopic bubbles at a precise, predetermined depth beneath the surface. Dr. Feldman gently separates the tissue along this natural plane, creating a smooth, beveled-edge flap that locks securely back into position after treatment.

• It creates a very smooth surface for the treatment laser to work on. A microkeratome, because it moves back and forth very rapidly to create the flap, can leave a slightly roughened surface.
• It allows for more precise customizing of the corneal flap, depending on what is best for your particular eyes. The flap's diameter is made exactly in accordance with your LASIK plan, and its edges are beveled at just the right angle. This all contributes to an excellent surgical outcome for you.
• If you have thin corneas and are not a good candidate for traditional LASIK surgery, you may well be able to have it if the IntraLase ® Method is used. This is because of the enhanced precision of this computer-controlled laser.
• When the corneal flap is created using the IntraLase laser, it settles back into position more smoothly after the surgery is finished, typically healing without any wrinkles or other complications.
• Studies have shown that more people achieve 20/20 vision and experience less trouble seeing in dim lighting conditions after their surgery when the IntraLase ® Method is used.

Enhanced Precision: Creates a remarkably uniform corneal flap, allowing the corrective laser to work on an exceptionally smooth surface.

Superior Flap Adherence: The beveled-edge architecture heals faster and provides significantly higher flap stability compared to mechanical cuts.

Ideal for Thin Corneas: Patients previously disqualified from traditional LASIK due to thinner corneas may now qualify because the IntraLase laser creates thinner, more predictable flaps.

Better Dim-Light Outcomes: Clinical studies demonstrate that patients undergoing blade-free IntraLase LASIK experience fewer night-vision disturbances and sharper contrast in low-light environments.

To learn more about IntraLase refractive surgery, or to view a LASIK procedure, please call or email us. You can schedule a complimentary IntraLase consultation with Dr. Feldman, to ask your questions and voice your concerns, and Dr. Feldman will be glad to discuss options with you.

ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center provides IntraLase refractive surgery in the San Diego, California area. We offer this web page as general information. This information should not be considered formal medical advice. Please contact us today for formal advice during a complimentary IntraLase refractive surgery consultation in San Diego.