LASIK Surgeons
iLASIK is an advanced form of LASIK surgery that combines wavefront and bladeless technology. iLASIK corrects refractive errors, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, giving you freedom from glasses and contacts. Bladeless technology reduces the risk of flap complications, and wavefront means more precise corrections to your vision. The combination increases the likelihood of achieving 20/20 vision or better without creating problems with vision quality.
NASA and the U.S. Military Accept iLASIK
For many years, LASIK surgery was not an option for astronauts, military pilots, or people who were considering those careers. In 2007, that changed when the data came in on results for wavefront-guided blade-free LASIK. Prior to approval of iLASIK by NASA and the U.S. Military, PRK was an option for pilots, but the recovery time is longer than it is for LASIK.
The iLASIK Flap
iLASIK is also called femtosecond-assisted wavefront-guided LASIK.
In traditional LASIK, a blade called a microkeratome is used to make a flap in the outer layer of the cornea to give the excimer laser access the area of the cornea where adjustments will be made. In iLASIK, the flap is created with a femtosecond laser. Flap creation is more precise and the chance of flap complications during and after surgery is reduced.
The iLASIK flap seals more completely and heals more quickly than in traditional LASIK. The risk of the flap becoming dislodged after healing, due to trauma, is reduced.
A safer flap makes iLASIK a reasonable choice for people with careers and lifestyles that are risky for traditional LASIK patients. If you enjoy contact sports, swimming, or if you are a fire fighter, police officer or are otherwise likely to suffer a blow to the face, iLASIK is the safer choice for you.
Custom LASIK
Wavefront-guided LASIK is also referred to as custom LASIK because the procedure is highly customized to each eye. It starts with wavefront mapping which captures 1,200 data points from each eye to create a 3-D map. This detects the higher-order aberrations that cause vision problems which are not measured on the eye chart. These include:
- Poor contrast sensitivity
- Glare
- Halos
- Shadows
- Double vision
- Poor night vision
Is iLASIK Right for You?
iLASIK is an advanced form of laser vision correction. It is the optimal choice for many patients, but it is not the best option for everyone. If your LASIK surgeon determines that you are not a good candidate for iLASIK, you have other refractive surgery options.
If you are considering iLASIK or another type of laser vision correction, please search this directory for a list of LASIK surgeons near you and schedule your initial consultation.
