Press Release: Atlantis Eyecare Now Offers the World’s Most Advanced LASIK Technology, Blade-Free INTRALASE

This ultra-precise, safe, vision correction procedure delivers exceptional visual results and fast recovery time.

Huntington Beach, CA September 2009 The world’s most advanced LASIK vision correction technology – the 100 percent blade-free IntraLase Method™ – is now available to Orange and Los Angeles county residents who want to trade their sight-diminishing myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) or astigmatism (oval corneal curvature) for 20/20 or better vision, without metal-blade surgery. The highly skilled physicians at Atlantis Eyecare join other leading ophthalmic surgeons across the country in offering this advanced technology. IntraLase enhances the safety of the LASIK procedure and will transport millions of Americans who suffer from these eye conditions to 20/20 and beyond.

“This new technology represents an emerging standard of care in LASIK worldwide, and patients now have the choice of blade-free LASIK with the advanced IntraLase Method compared to the traditional LASIK with the microkeratome blade,” said Dwayne K. Logan, M.D. “Given the safety profile of the laser over the blade, Southern California will have more reasons than ever to see if LASIK vision correction is right for them.”

With its excellent safety profile and superior visual outcomes, the IntraLase Method is among the fastest-growing refractive surgical techniques. Conversely, market data show that traditional microkeratome (metal blade) LASIK procedures are declining. Rapid growth of the IntraLase Method is expected to increase further as more leading physicians and their patients discover the benefits of the IntraLase® laser over the microkeratome.

How LASIK With the IntraLase Method Works

Available commercially in the U.S. since 2001, the IntraLase FS™ (femtosecond) Laser is used in the important first step of the LASIK procedure, the creation of a corneal flap. The second step involves reshaping the cornea using an excimer laser. Historically, the first step of LASIK was performed using a microkeratome, a hand-held device with an oscillating razor blade. While LASIK has proven to be a successful and relatively safe procedure, most complications and patient concerns have been associated with use of the microkeratome.

The IntraLase Method eliminates the microkeratome and its blade. With IntraLase, the surgeon precisely controls the first step of LASIK by using a computer-controlled laser that delivers rapid pulses of light, a quadrillionth of a second each, to a pre-programmed depth and position within the cornea. Each pulse forms a microscopic bubble. As the IntraLase laser moves back and forth across the eye, the bubbles are connected to form a corneal flap. Just prior to vision correction, the doctor gently lifts the flap to reveal a smooth corneal bed, optimized for reshaping.
Physician-programmed laser specifications include flap diameter, depth, hinge location and width, and side-cut architecture which are tailored to meet the individual patient’s needs. The IntraLase laser also creates a distinctive beveled-edge flap that allows for precise repositioning, alignment and seating of the corneal flap after LASIK is completed.

In clinical studies, the IntraLase Method resulted in superior visual outcomes and fewer complications. More than 95 percent of patients who choose this advanced LASIK achieve 20/20 vision or better, benefits which are optimized when the method is used during either standard or custom LASIK procedures.

The IntraLase Method takes about 20 seconds per eye, with the entire LASIK procedure often completed in both eyes in approximately 30 minutes. Patients see better immediately with recovery typically lasting a few hours, followed by a few days of mild eye irritation.

“Given the many benefits of the IntraLase Method, I’m sure that people who have delayed getting LASIK surgery will now decide to take advantage of this advanced technology,” said Dwayne K. Logan, M.D.