IntraLase^TM Method

A Blade-free Breakthrough

The IntraLase^TM Method is a 100% blade-free approach to creating your iLASIK flap – the thin flap of tissue that the doctor folds back in order to perform your iLASIK procedure. It can only be performed using the IntraLase^TM Laser.

Traditionally, doctors have used an instrument called a microkeratome – a hand-held blade that moves across the eye – for the creation of iLASIK flaps. Regular Lasik is very safe, but if complications do occur, the microkeratome is frequently the cause. The IntraLase^TM Femtosecond Unit removes this possible source of complication.

The IntraLase^TM Femtosecond Unit emits tiny pulses of laser light, a quadrillionth of a second each, that pass harmlessly through the outer portion of your cornea and form a uniform layer of microscopic bubbles just beneath the surface of your eye.

The exact dimensions of this layer of bubbles are determined by your doctor based on what’s best for your eye, and are computer controlled for maximum precision – things that are not possible with a hand-held blade. The IntraLase^TM flap creation process takes about 15 to 20 seconds per eye. In fact, patients are usually surprised at how quick and easy the entire iLASIK procedure is.

When it’s time for your iLASIK treatment to be performed, you doctor easily lifts the flap. When iLASIK is complete, a flap created using the IntraLase^TM Method is uniquely able to “lock” into place. Your eye begins to rapidly heal.

With the IntraLase^TM Method, patients may experience fewer iLASIK flap-related complications and fewer induced higher order aberrations that contribute to visual disturbances, such as glare and halos. It’s the most advanced treatment available and millions of procedures have been performed safely and effectively.

View Movie: Creating the iLASIK Flap