Archive for the ‘Intralase’ Category

LASIK for Pilots (and Astronauts)

Sunday, September 23rd, 2012

Thanks to advanced LASIK, many more now are pilot candidates.

Used to be if you weren’t blessed with naturally good vision, you were disqualified from becoming an airforce pilot or astronaut. Thanks to LASIK eye surgery and some of the newer innovations in vision correction surgery, all of that has changed. After years of study, the Air Force has decided to change their long-standing policy which disqualified applicants who have had LASIK surgery from flight training and navigator training. Prior to the change, officers who had had the surgery, prior to flight school could not become Air Force aviators. Under the old policy, a select-few pilots and navigators who had already graduated from flight training could apply to have the surgery and become part of an on-going study group. The change also removes the altitude and high-performance aircraft restrictions for people who have had LASIK.

The results of the study are in, and the Air Force found that there was little to no effect on LASIK-treated eyes when subjected to high G-forces of combat fighter aircraft, the wind blast experienced during aircraft ejection, or exposure to high altitude.

Due to stresses placed on the eyes during flight combined with the active lifestyle of military members, the recommended refractive surgeries are Wave Front Guided Photorefractive Keratectomy, or WFG-PRK, and Wave Front Guided Laser In-Situ Keratomileusis, know as WFG-LASIK, using the femtosecond laser (IntraLase). The eyes are more trauma resistant after surgery using one of these methods compared to other forms of refractive surgeries.

Shortly after the Airforce and Navy removed the LASIK restriction for fighter pilots, NASA followed suit in allowing LASIK for astronauts. Prior to the removal of these restrictions, poor vision was one of the most common causes for disqualification of aviator candidates. Now thanks to LASIK eye surgery, the future is looking a lot brighter for those who want to reach for the stars. Of course, as with any surgery, there are no guarantees and individuals interested in an aviation career must still meet the vision standards dictated by the armed forces.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Intralase, lasik, wavefront | No Comments »

What is the Best LASIK?

Monday, September 17th, 2012

Many consumers are confused by the various claims made by advertisers about LASIK. Many LASIK providers claim to have the “latest technology” or “most advanced technology”. Some consumers assume that LASIK provided anywhere is the same. Is there a difference between different types of LASIK and is so is there any “best LASIK”?

LASIK is a general term referring to a vision correction procedure consisting of two steps: the creation of a flap and reshaping of the cornea underneath the flap. Both steps of the LASIK procedure have had refinements over the years and several different medical companies have offered instruments used in the procedure. LASIK surgeons are free to use instruments from any company they choose to perform vision correction. And just like the making any purchase decision: a car, a computer, a dishwasher etc., a variety of factors, including cost, quality and reliability can come into play in deciding what instruments a LASIK surgeon decides to use. Not surprisingly, the better quality instruments cost more to purchase and use than lower quality instruments.

So what are the various choices in LASIK technology? Basically it comes down to customization and precision. The more “customizable” and precise the technology, the safer and more reliable the oucome.

The iFS model of IntraLase laser is the most sophisticated laser to make the LASIK flap.

For the flapmaking step of the LASIK procedure, at present, the most sophisticated and safest method is using AMO’s iFS laser. It has the lowest complication rate and offers the most secure flaps.

AMO’s CustomVue technology uses wavefront mapping to yield the highest quality vision with fewest side-effects.

For the vision correction part of the LASIK procedure, the undisputed best method to reshape the cornea is using AMO’s CustomVue technology. This method gives the highest percentage of 20/20 results and the lowest incidence of night time side effects such as starbursting around headlights.

So while selecting the “best” car or refrigerator may not be obvious, the clear choice for the best LASIK procedure is the OmniLase technique: the combination of a customized LASIK flap with the iFS laser combined with AMO’s CustomVue technology.

 

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Intralase, lasik, LASIK Complications, lasik cost, wavefront | 1 Comment »

LASIK: Not Everyone “Keeps Up With the Times”

Sunday, May 6th, 2012

Most patients know that today’s modern LASIK is better than conventional LASIK offered 20 years ago. But many patients don’t realize that most LASIK providers do not offer the latest, safest technology.
The most common question that we field from the newly interested LASIK candidate remains ” How much does LASIK cost?” The inquirer presumes that LASIK is a product that is equivalent, no matter who the provider. Imagine how shocked the novice inquirer is to find out that almost40 percent of LASIK cases performed in the United States are still done with a blade. And, the majority of all-laser LASIK cases are still performed with earlier generation lasers that lack all the safety features of the latest generation lasers.
LASIK, like any medical procedure, has risks and potential complications. Over the years incremental improvements in technique and technology have been introduced to boost safety and results. But there is nothing to require LASIK providers to adopt newer techniques and technology. That is where the informed consumer come in. If you are willing to accept LASIK as it was performed ten years ago, then by all means, just look for the lowest price. If, on the other hand, you are interested in safety then you owe it to yourself to investigate the technology being used.
LASIK complications like wrinkled or irregular flaps, night vision problems and dry eye can be prevented or minimized with newer lasers and techniques. For those interested in understanding differences in LASIK technology and what the exact benefits are to you as a LASIK patient, we’d like to point you to an e-book available for free download on our website: http://www.visionauthorities.com.
If you’ve been waiting for LASIK to get safer, you’re in luck: it is. But, to get that safer LASIK you’ll have to do your homework and locate a provider who can offer the latest technology and the newest generation of lasers.

Not everyone stays "up to date".

The iFS laser is a fifth generation IntraLase laser

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Intralase, lasik, LASIK Complications, lasik cost, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Avoiding LASIK Flap Complications.

Sunday, March 18th, 2012

LASIK with the iFS IntraLase laser

Most patients know that there are two steps to the LASIK procedure. The first step, and the one most likely to lead to a complication, is the creation of a LASIK flap. LASIK flap complications are basically one of two types: an irregular/inadequately sized flap or a flap that slips after it is replaced. Traditionally the LASIK flap was cut with an instrument with a rapidly vibrating blade, the microkeratome. Various “tweaks” to microkeratome technology have occurred over the years in an effort to make this step safer and more precise but using a blade to create a flap limits the ability to customize the flap to a patients unique corneal architecture.
A few years ago, the femtosecond laser was introduced as a new method to create a corneal flap. The Ziemer Corporation introduced a laser that essentially replicates a blade in cutting a flap but does so more precisely. However, both of the basic types of flap complications: irregular/inadequately sized flaps and slipped flaps can still occur with similar frequency to the best microkeratome.
The IntraLase corporation, however, took a different approach to flap creation. Their femtosecond technology used an “inside-out” approach. Unlike the Ziemer laser, flap creation is visible to the surgeon. Flap creation is a result of closely spaced “bubbles” that are closely spaced. This means that flap creation is not complete until the perforations are broken by the surgeon using a thin spatula. Why is this important? Because it give an opportunity for a second chance. In addition, the configuration of the flap is similar to a manhole rather than the single plane cut of the Ziemer laser. This innovative approach means that the flap is less likely to slip.
Both the Ziemer laser and IntraLase laser are capable of making a flap. Only the IntraLase laser decreases the incidence of irregular and slipped flaps.

For more on LASIK technology download the free LASIK ebook here:

LASIK technology

To watch a video on a LASIK flap made with an IntraLase laser, click here: LASIK with the iFS IntraLase laser

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Intralase, lasik, LASIK Complications, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

What Causes Myopia?

Sunday, November 13th, 2011

  The debate about what causes myopia (nearsightedness) rages on. The fact that myopic parents tend to produce myopic children seems to indicate that myopia has a genetic basis. There is abundant evidence, however, that environment plays a role.

A 1968 investigation by Dr. Frances Young, who led a research team to Alaska to study Eskimo families that were being assimilated into the modern American lifestyle is cited as evidence of the role of reading in the production of myopia. This provided a unique opportunity to test the genetic theory because the parents were illiterate whereas their children were the first generation to go through school. According to the genetic theory, the parents and the children should have almost identical visual systems with little or no myopia.

What Dr. Young discovered stunned the eye care profession. Only 2 out of 130 parents were myopic and the amount of myopia was very small. This was expected because they were living the traditional Eskimo lifestyle of hunting and fishing. In contrast, more than 60% of the children had measurable amounts of myopia! The children obviously didn’t inherit the myopia so Dr. Young concluded that the myopia was caused by long periods of reading as the children went through school.

Another, more recent study, found an association between the use of night lights and the development of myopia. Whatever the environmental influence, the incidence of myopia is clearly increasing in our modern society. Various efforts to prevent or reverse myopia in children such as the use of reading glasses and bifocals have proven ineffective in affecting the course of myopia. Various eye exercise programs have also been a failure.

Thankfully, vision correction procedures such as IntraLase LASIK and implantable contact lenses are becoming safer and more successful allowing millions of patients afflicted with myopia freedom from glasses and contact lenses.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Intralase, lasik | No Comments »

LASIK: A Good Procedure Gets Better

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

LASIK has it’s roots in a procedure first performed over 50 years ago.  A Columbian ophthalmologist described performing a procedure termed “keratomileusis” or corneal reshaping procedure to correct extreme amounts of nearsightedness using a bladed microkeratome and a lathe.  Others began performing the procedure and refined it with better instrumentation and techniques to yield better results and improved safety.  Eventually the excimer laser was introduced to replace the lathe in the reshaping part of the procedure and the term LASIK (laser assisted in-situ keratomilieusis) was applied to the “new” procedure. With the improved precision brought about by the excimer laser came wider acceptance of the procedure and eventual FDA approval.
  As with most things in medicine, continued improvements and refinements have taken place.  Two of the bigger refinements were the addition of wavefront technology to improve the final optics of the reshaped cornea and the introduction of a second laser: the femtosecond laser (IntraLase).  Today’s LASIK procedure is far advanced from earlier generation procedures.  Outcomes are improved with higher levels of 20/20 vision, lower levels of side-effects such as night vision difficulties and a safety profile that surpasses that of contact lens wear. 
   If you are contemplating LASIK or any other vision correction procedure, you should not presume that you will automatically benefit from all the refinements that have taken place.  Upgrading and replacing equipment is an expensive proposition and some doctors and LASIK centers may not be willing to invest in new technology.  That puts the responsibility on you, the patient, to investigate and determine if you are comfortable with the technology to be used in your procedure.  If you have made the decision that improvements in the LASIK procedure have now made it a viable option for you, it is up to you to determine whether you, in fact, will be receiving this better procedure.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Intralase, lasik, wavefront | No Comments »