At Maida CustomVision, we are pleased to offer our patients a highly developed LASIK procedure utilizing the femtosecond laser. It’s called “IntraLASIK,” one of the most exciting breakthroughs in refractive surgery history. With no mechanical incisions required, our all-laser IntraLASIK procedure is less invasive and offers patients unprecedented safety & precision. With the IFS™Advanced IntraLase – the latest generation femtosecond laser – flaps are created in as little as 10 seconds making the procedure one of the safest and most reliable in medicine.
Safe, Precise Laser Surgery
IntraLASIK also allows the doctors at Maida CustomVision maximum control and accuracy in customizing surgical parameters for each patient’s individual visual needs. With fewer risks and fewer possible flap complications, IntraLASIK is the safest, most predictable method of vision correction available today. It takes the fear out of the LASIK procedure. In fact, the doctors at Maida CustomVision have trusted this technology on themselves and their families.
With IntraLASIK we use a laser to create the corneal flap with a precisely predetermined pattern and depth. This painless approach enables us to safely create a flap of exact shape & thickness.
IntraLASIK offers added safety and increased precision in a less invasive manner. Feel free to ask our doctors and staff for more information about our new all-laser IntraLASIK procedure.
More about IntraLASIK
A lot of patients have LASIK eye surgery for the same reasons. They want to be able to do as many things as possible without their glasses or contacts. Most people who have already had LASIK had many of the same questions you do.
Q: Why IntraLase®?
A: LASIK (Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis) has proven to be a very successful procedure, freeing millions from their daily dependence on glasses and contact lenses. Yet, while LASIK complications are rare, all surgery carries some degree of risk. Now, advances in laser technology have made it possible to significantly reduce the majority of LASIK complications. This advancement is known as IntraLase®.
IntraLase® is the first blade-free laser technology for performing the critical first step in the LASIK procedure: creating the corneal flap. Prior to IntraLase®, this first step was done manually using a hand-held device with an oscillating metal razor blade, called a microkeratome.
IntraLase® virtually eliminates the severe sight-threatening complications seen with the microkeratome, improving safety and precision while providing predictably better visual results for the patient. IntraLase® is the most sophisticated and accurate technology for corneal flap creation available today and has given many patients greater confidence and assurance in choosing laser vision correction.
Q. Are There Any Alternatives to LASIK?
A. Yes – the excimer laser can be used to treat the surface of the eye without creating a flap. This is often referred to as surface ablation, PRK, or LASEK. This treatment has been proven to be equally effective as LASIK. The cornea has an outer lining or”skin” called the epithelium. Surface ablation results in disruption of the epithelium. As a result, following the procedure, the eye is more uncomfortable and the vision is more blurred than with LASIK. It takes a few days for the skin to re-organize. Although more uncomfortable, surface ablation is actually less invasive as no flap is required. Also surface ablation is better for patients with thin corneas, certain corneal dystrophies, and dry eyes.
Q: How does IntraLase® change the LASIK procedure?
A: LASIK is actually a two-step process. In the first step, the surgeon creates a flap of corneal tissue and folds it back to prepare the eye for the second step, in which an excimer laser is used on the mid-cornea to correct vision. This two-step process allows for rapid visual recovery with little or no patient discomfort.
Traditionally, the corneal flap was created with a hand-held microkeratome blade. While this method has worked well over the years, the performance of these devices can be unpredictable and is frequently the source of a majority of LASIK complications.
With IntraLase®, the surgeon uses the precision of a computer-guided laser to create the corneal flap. IntraLase® delivers micron-level accuracy 100 times greater than that of a microkeratome, giving the surgeon more control during the procedure and the ability to establish precise dimensions and thickness of the corneal flap, factors which are critical to a successful LASIK outcome.
This level of precision is unparalleled by any other technology in vision correction surgery. IntraLase® allows surgeons to tailor the corneal flap for each individual patient, and each individual eye. Because of its consistent accuracy, IntraLase® may make LASIK a viable option even for patients who previously didn’t qualify, such as those with thin corneas.
Q: Is IntraLase® safer?
A: Yes. IntraLase® improves the safety, precision and visual results of LASIK, whether you choose to have a standard or custom procedure.
This is a result of the superior precision provided by the computer-guided IntraLase® laser, as compared to that of a hand-held microkeratome, which houses a metal blade that cuts across the cornea to create the flap. In comparison, IntraLase® uses the precision of a beam of light to create a laser flap without traveling across the cornea, virtually eliminating severe sight-threatening complications as a result.
Its precision is the source of its safety. Accuracy of flap thickness has been demonstrated at +/- 10 microns. Precise flap thickness is critical to a successful LASIK outcome, and IntraLase® flaps feature a consistent thickness from edge to edge. This degree of accuracy is unprecedented in flap creation technology to date.
Flap stability is also an important factor, as the consequences of flap slippage can be quite problematic. IntraLase® flaps provide added assurance and peace of mind for many patients.
Q: Is traditional LASIK unsafe?
A: No, but IntraLase® reduces the risk of complications reported with the microkeratome and has given many patients more confidence in choosing laser vision correction. Utilizing a laser with micro-precision compared to a mechanical hand-held apparatus utilizing a metal blade, takes the fear out of the procedure.
Q: Is this the same as the customized procedure I have heard so much about?
A: No. Custom LASIK generally refers to an individualized visual diagnosis using technology called Wavefront, which allows for customized treatment with the excimer laser. Until now, there has never been a combination of technologies that have allowed for this type of personalized vision correction. The most exciting part is that while the patient has the opportunity for an optimized visual result, it can be done with unprecedented safety and precision.
Every patient’s eyes are different and therefore need to be evaluated independently and treated uniquely. Now all steps of the laser vision correction procedure may be personalized to the individual: custom diagnosis, personalized flap creation with IntraLase®, and wavefront optimized laser vision correction.
Q. Does LASIK Hurt?
A. Because the cornea is numbed with eye drop anesthesia, patients report little to no discomfort during the procedure. Some patients experience some scratchiness or grittiness for a few hours following while others did not experience any discomfort at all. We ask everyone to go home and take a nap immediately after his or her LASIK procedure. For any discomfort that remains after your nap, Advil or Tylenol is usually sufficient.
Q. When Will I Be Able to See?
A. Many patients notice an immediate improvement in their vision and have functional vision the very next day. Full visual results are typically reached within one to three weeks but individual results do vary
Q. When Can I Return to Work, Drive and to My Normal Activities?
A. You can resume most normal activities such as driving, working, walking and exercising the day after your procedure. For women, eye makeup cannot be worn for three days and they should purchase new mascara. Swimming or contact sports such as basketball or racquetball should be delayed for two weeks.
Q. What if My Eye Moves During the Treatment or I Blink?
A. During the procedure a device will gently hold your eyelids open, which will prevent you from blinking. In addition, at Florida Eye Specialists | Maida CustomVision, the laser we use involves advanced eye tracking technology. In fact, Florida Eye Specialists uses the only Advanced Control Eye Tracker (ACE) available in Jacksonville, the most comprehensive eye tracker available in the US. This technology offers improved predictability and better visual outcomes, particularly for patients with astigmatism. If, at any time, your eye moves too quickly or out of range, the laser will track even the tiniest movements.