Blade Free LASIK
LASIK surgery is a big decision, and the team of LASIK specialists at Pacific Eye Associates will determine what’s best for you as our patient. That’s why we offer blade-free LASIK in San Francisco using the IntraLase method.
There are two steps in LASIK. The first step is creating a flap. IntraLase offers another alternative method of better vision for those patients that are intimidated by the microkeratomes (hand-held devices with an oscillating metal blade) used in traditional LASIK.
The IntraLase method uses pulses of laser light to create your corneal flap, which is then lifted so the next step of LASIK- the reshaping of your cornea – can be performed. When your LASIK treatment is over, the flap is securely repositioned in place.
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.
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?
- Ultrafast 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.
Because of the superior accuracy of the IntraLase method, certain patients who were ineligible for LASIK may now be able to have treatment. Ask your doctor today if you are a candidate.
