Is all LASIK surgery the same?

When deciding to have LASIK, it is worth keeping in mind that not all surgeons use the same technology, and not all practices provide the same type of care. Some surgeons still use a microkeratome blade to perform the corneal flap, although this technique is out of date. And some practices may hand your pre- and/or post operative care off to a provider that is not your surgeon.

At our practice, we use the Intralase laser to perform the corneal flap. Use of the femtosecond laser to fashion the corneal flap, in contradistinction to use of the blade, is the safest option and the current gold standard in LASIK surgery. With the Intralaser laser, the corneal flap can be created in less than 45 seconds under complete visualization by your surgeon.

For the second step of LASIK, reshaping the corneal bed, we use the VISX laser along with CustomVue WaveScan technology. The beautiful thing about CustomVue is that it allows us to take a personalized wavefront map of the patient's eye prior to each treatment. This ensures that the treatment is customized to each individual's eye. The VISX laser is also equipped with iris registration, a safety mechanism which allows the laser to automatically stop treatment if the patient's eye moves.

Lastly at our practice, we try very hard to ensure continuity of care with your surgeon. That means, that almost all visits will be with your surgeon, from the initial consultation, to the day of surgery, and through your post operative course. As a cornea and refractive cataract surgeon, I often see my LASIK patients for months, if not years afterward, and am able to provide them with long term care well after the LASIK surgery is done.

It is a different paradigm and a more personalized style of care that we are proud of.