Intralase® Blade-Free LASIK
The decision to have LASIK surgery is an important one. At Holladay LASIK Institute, we take great care to determine what's best for you as our patient. That's why we offer blade-free LASIK treatment using the IntraLase method.
IntraLase Assurance and Comfort
The
IntraLase Method has been used successfully on hundreds
of thousands of eyes
and we trust this advanced technology to deliver exceptional
results. Our commitment is to provide you with the ultimate in comfort,
safety, and outstanding vision.
LASIK with IntraLase can help you achieve all of this - while it delivers the added assurance of knowing you're being treated with the most advanced technology there is.
IntraLase® LASIK Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the IntraLase Method?
- How does the IntraLase Method work?
- What is the difference between a corneal flap created with the IntraLase Method and one created with a microkeratome?
- How is the IntraLase Method different from Epi-LASIK or photorefractive keratectomy (PRK)?
- Are there other benefits to using the IntraLase Method?
- Is the IntraLase Method painful?
- Is the IntraLase Method safe?
- How long does it take to create a flap using the IntraLase Method?
- What’s the reaction of patients who have experienced the IntraLase Method?
- Is the IntraLase Method right for me?
What is the IntraLase Method?
The IntraLase Method is a 100% blade-free technique used to perform the critical first step in the LASIK procedure: creating the corneal flap. The creation of the corneal flap prepares the eye for the second step of the LASIK procedure, where an excimer laser is used on the inner cornea to correct vision.
How does the IntraLase Method work?
The IntraLase Method uses tiny, rapid pulses of laser light to create your corneal flap — instead of using a metal blade — during the first step of LASIK. Each pulse of light passes through the top layers of your cornea and forms a microscopic bubble at a specific depth and position within your eye that is determined by the doctor. The IntraLase laser moves back and forth across your eye, creating a uniform layer of bubbles just beneath your corneal surface.Just prior to applying laser vision correction, the doctor creates your corneal flap by gently separating the tissue where these bubbles have formed. The corneal flap is then folded back so the doctor can perform the second step of your LASIK treatment.
What is the difference between a corneal flap created with the IntraLase Method and one created with a microkeratome?
The microkeratome is a hand-held instrument, which contains a steel blade that moves back and forth and creates a cut as it travels across the cornea. A microkeratome is only capable of making a single, one-dimensional cut across the cornea. As it cuts, the blade oscillates back and forth, which can leave an irregular surface after the flap is lifted. This can affect the quality of your postoperative vision.Because of the unique way in which the IntraLase Method creates a precisely positioned layer of bubbles just beneath the surface of your eye, it creates a smooth even surface after your flap is lifted. With the IntraLase Method, a blade never touches your eye.
How is the IntraLase Method different from Epi-LASIK or photorefractive keratectomy (PRK)?
These procedures differ from one another in the way they prepare the surface of the cornea for the second step of LASIK. Epi-LASIK uses an epikeratome — a blunt separator — to make a superficial flap. Similarly, PRK is performed by gently scraping the surface layer of the cornea, which may lead to corneal scarring. Both the Epi-LASIK and PRK procedures can be painful and require more postoperative medication. In addition, healing times may be longer than with procedures performed with the IntraLase Method.
Are there other benefits to using the IntraLase Method?
There are several benefits to using the IntraLase Method:
- Better outcomes. More patient get better outcomes when their LASIK procedure is performed with the IntraLase Method. Patients report faster recovery, fewer LASIK flap-related complications, and fewer induced higher order aberrations. Higher order aberrations may contribute to visual disturbances such as halos and glare.
- Ability to tailor the procedure to your eye. The IntraLase Method gives your doctor the ability to tailor the dimensions of your corneal flap based on what’s best for your eye. Everything from the diameter of your flap to the angle of its edges can be precisely determined. This is important because everyone’s eyes are shaped a little differently. Having a corneal flap that’s individualized to the patient contributes to excellent postoperative outcomes. In addition, a corneal flap created with the IntraLase Method also “locks” back into position after the LASIK procedure is performed.
Is the IntraLase Method painful?
Prior to creating the flap, the doctor applies drops to numb the eye, and then applies a special ring and an instrument that gently flattens your cornea in preparation for the IntraLase Method. This part of the process is not painful — patients report feeling only slight pressure.
Is the IntraLase Method safe?
Millions of procedures have been performed safely and effectively using the IntraLase Method.
How long does it take to create a flap using the IntraLase Method?
The creation of the flap itself takes only about 15 to 20 seconds per eye. Including preparation time, the entire LASIK procedure takes about 10 minutes.
What’s the reaction of patients who have experienced the IntraLase Method?
In a clinical survey of LASIK patients who had their corneal flaps created using a microkeratome in one eye and the IntraLase Method in the other, the vision in the IntraLase-treated eye was preferred 3-to-1 (among those who stated a preference).
Is the IntraLase Method right for me?
If you are looking for a 100% blade-free LASIK experience that virtually eliminates almost all the most severe, sight-threatening complications, the answer is yes. But to get this procedure, you have to ask your physician for the IntraLase Method by name.
LASIK with IntraLase is preferred by patients.
In a survey of clinical practices, the vision in the IntraLase-treated eye was preferred up to 3 to 1 by patients over the vision in the mechanical blade - treated eye (among those who stated a preference).2
LASIK with IntraLase delivers superior visual results.
In a clinical study comparing the IntraLase laser to the leading microkeratome, more patients achieved 20/20 vision or better in standard and custom LASIK surgery when the IntraLase method was used to create the corneal flap.3
How the IntraLase Method Works
Unlike mechanical instruments, IntraLase technology is uniquely able to program
the dimensions of your flap based on what's best for your eye. Then the
IntraLase laser creates your flap from below the surface of the cornea - without
ever cutting it. How? 
- Ultra-fast pulses of laser light position microscopic bubbles at a precise depth determined by your doctor.
- The laser light passes harmlessly through your cornea. Then the laser creates rows of these bubbles just beneath your corneal surface as it moves back and forth across your eye in a uniform plane.
- Next, the IntraLase laser stacks bubbles around your corneal diameter to create the edges of your flap. These bubbles are stacked at an angle that is determined by your doctor and is individualized to the way your eye is shaped.
- The process takes only about 30 seconds from start to finish - it's quiet and it's comfortable.
- Your doctor then gently lifts the flap to allow for the second step of your LASIK treatment. When treatment is complete, the flap easily "locks" back into position and rapidly begins to heal.
REFERENCES:
1. Wang M. Femtosecond technology: is now the time to buy? Refractive Eyecare
for Ophthalmologists. 2003;7(5). 2. Durrie DS: Randomized prospective clinical
study of LASIK: IntraLase versus mechanical keratome. Subsets presented at:
Meeting of the International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American
Academy of Ophthalmology; November 14-15, 2003; Anaheim, Calif; the American
Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Symposium; May 1-5, 2004; San Diego,
Calif; Refractive Surgery 2004: International Refractive Surgery: Science and
Practice; October 22-23, 2004; New Orleans, La; and the American Society of
Cataract and Refractive Surgery Symposium; April 15-20, 2005; Washington, DC.
3. Tanzer DJ, Schallhorn SC, Brown MC. Data on file. IntraLase Corp. 2005.
© 2005 IntraLase Corp. All Rights Reserved. IntraLase is a registered trademark of IntraLase Corp. Mkt Doc 213 Rev. A
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Affordable LASIK in Houston, Texas
During your comprehensive LASIK screening, be sure to ask about our Interest-Free LASIK Financing that makes your LASIK vision correction extremely affordable.
Many patients have discovered that Excimer Laser LASIK is a very affordable alternative to glasses and contact lenses. When you consider how much you will spend on frames, lenses, contact lenses, cleaning solutions and eye exams, you will see how LASIK is a practical alternative.
Dr. Holladay's Laser LASIK representatives will be glad to discuss with you during your free screening the affordable Zero Percent financing for up to 24 months we have made available to qualified candidates.
More Information on LASIK?
Dr. Holladay is happy to provide potential candidates for LASIK Eye Surgery in Houston, Texas with additional information on these procedures in printed brochures. Simply visit our Patient's Contact Form page to have these articles mailed to your house.
Finally, if you have a particular question not covered on this website, , or call one of our LASIK Specialists by phone at (713) 668-7337. We're happy to assist you!
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