Milwaukee Office St. Lukes Physician Office Building- Suite 170, 2801 W. KK River Pkwy Milwaukee, WI 53215
Mequon Office 1249 W. Liebau Road Suite 102 Mequon, WI 53092
Layton Office 2000 E. Layton Ave, Suite 110 Milwaukee, WI 53235
Most people would be surprised to know that traditional LASIK is only partly performed by a laser. The first step, creating a corneal flap, is performed using a mechanical blade to cut into the surface of the eye. Only the second step, reshaping the eye under the flap, is performed using a laser. The Intralase (femtosecond laser) replaces the hand-held microkeratome blade with a silent, computer-guided laser. With the precision of a laser there is greater assurance of a safer procedure and an excellent result.
Since Laser Vision Correction was introduced a decade ago, there have been steady advances in the safety and outcomes of the procedure. Dr. Hirsch has chosen to use the Intralase laser because it avoids the potential complications related to the microkeratome, a mechanical device with a metal blade. The traditional microkeratome uses a very high level of vacuum to hold and flatten the cornea through a suction ring as the metal blade slices across to create the flap.
The Intralase Laser creates the flap under very low vacuum, delivering the laser energy directly to the desired layer of the cornea through a disposable glass lens. The Intralase affords greater flap stability as well as a higher degree of accuracy in both depth and size of the flap. This stability and accuracy results in better results and quicker healing. Any flap related complications are a thing of the past. The procedure is completely painless.
How does Intralase Work?
The Intralase laser uses a long wavelength (1053 NM) that is not absorbed but instead can pass through the cornea with absolutely no effect on tissue until it reaches the pre-programmed target. The Intralase beam is optically honed into a 3-micron spot size and precisely delivered via computer software to the prescribed intracorneal location. The laser pulses are placed close together to create precise subsurface incisions .
These femtosecond laser pulses separate the corneal cells at the exact desired location selected by the surgeon. The spots are placed close together to create a subsurface incision, and then are consecutively stacked along the periphery of the resection plane until a separation to the corneal surface is made. The Intralase laser's computer is programmed to leave an untreated section of tissue on the surface so that the flap may be folded back for the excimer treatment. The result is a remarkably safe.
IntraLase Information Sheet
Intralase is the use of a laser for performing the first step of the LASIK procedure: the corneal flap creation.
This first step previously was done manually with a high-speed oscillating blade called a microkeratome. Although traditional LASIK is a highly successful procedure, the rare complication usually occurs during the flap creation.
Intralase increases the safety of the LASIK procedure. Through the use of a laser rather than the traditional microkeratome blade, the potential complications of flap-creation are virtually eliminated.
Flaps created with Intralase are more predictable in size that flaps created with a microkeratome
Flaps created with Intralase can be customized to the individual needs of the patient.
Dry eye symptoms are reduced when flaps are created with Intralase compared to microkeratome created flaps
Since Laser Vision Correction was introduced a decade ago, there have been steady advances in the safety and outcomes of the procedure. Dr. Hirsch has chosen to use the Intralase laser because it avoids the potential complications related to the microkeratome, a mechanical device with a metal blade. The traditional microkeratome uses a very high level of vacuum to hold and flatten the cornea through a suction ring as the metal blade slices across to create the flap.