If you’re thinking about getting LASIK, chances are you’re surfing the web to gather all of the information you can before scheduling your procedure. When researching LASIK surgery, it is not uncommon to come across a plethora of different phrases, types of LASIK and medical jargon. All of this differing info can be confusing, to say the least. Here at Balin Eye & Laser Center, we value patient education and strive to make LASIK surgery a little clearer for our patients.
iLASIK is one of the many different types of LASIK available. What makes iLASIK different from other procedures? Let’s find out!
What Is iLASIK? How Is It Different from LASIK?
LASIK surgery is a procedure that aims to reshape the surface of the eye (the cornea) to allow light to focus properly onto the retina. This procedure is used to correct common refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. There are two basic steps to LASIK: create a corneal flap using a blade or femtosecond laser, and reshape the eye using an excimer laser.
LASIK has been around for a while, and since its inception, it has changed in a lot of ways. Today, there are many types of LASIK with small, but important, differences. iLASIK is one type of LASIK surgery.
What makes iLASIK different? iLASIK is both bladeless and completely custom. iLASIK is completed in three simple steps:
- Custom corneal mapping. During this preliminary process, your surgeon will use wavefront technology to create a detailed map of the surface of your eye. During conventional LASIK, your surgeon has to rely on your prescription to determine how to reshape the eye. However, your prescription only gives your doctor an idea of your lower order aberrations, or vision problems. During custom iLASIK, the wavefront technology gives your surgeon information on both lower and higher order aberrations, providing them with the full spectrum of your visual profile.
- Flap creation. During iLASIK, a specialized femtosecond laser called Intralase is used to create the corneal flap. This step allows your surgeon access to the inner layers of the cornea for treatment during the next step. This is completely bladeless!
- Reshaping. The last step, our surgeon will use a powerful excimer laser to remove microscopic amounts of corneal tissue. To do this, we use the Advanced CustomVue system, which uses the information from step 1 to guide the laser and make all of the necessary adjustments. The system also monitors the eye during the procedure to see when the optimal results are achieved. Once reshaping is finished, the corneal flap is smoothed over and you’re done!
iLASIK Offers Extreme Customization
The iLASIK procedure is popular because it is extremely customizable. Every person’s eyes are different, so every person’s vision correction procedure should be different too! iLASIK surgery does not take the “one size fits all” approach.
The results? After iLASIK surgery, the vast majority of patients are able to toss their contact lenses and glasses to the side. Those who still need glasses and contact lenses for certain activities still see a remarkable decrease in their need for visual aid.
If you are interested in learning how iLASIK can change your life, contact Balin Eye & Laser Center in Northampton to schedule a LASIK consultation!
