New Laser Technology Enhances LASIK Surgery Safety, Precision, Results

IntraLase Corporation's FS Laser is a Less-Invasive Approach Using a Computer-Controlled Laser Rather than a Blade in First Phase of LASIK Procedure

Overland Park, KS - A recent study completed here by Dr. Daniel Durrie has proven that an advanced laser technology provides better vision results than traditional LASIK.  Intralase-enhanced LASIK surgery makes the first phase of the procedure safer and more precise.  It is now available in the U.S. and is being introduced worldwide, thanks to IntraLase Corporation of Irvine, California. 

Dr. Durrie, of Durrie Vision, P.A.,  is the lead investigator in clinical trials of the IntraLase FS Laser.  "Our clinical research data shows that patients achieve significantly better vision, even at one day post-op, when we use the IntraLase laser to make the corneal flap.  In addition, the laser results in greater accuracy, more predictable outcomes and a higher level of safety," he said. 

Traditional LASIK surgery is a two-step process involving the creation of a corneal tissue flap using a hand-held mechanical device and blade and then applying the laser vision correction treatment on the inner layer of the cornea.   Although LASIK complications are rare, the mechanical device is most often the source for many reported complications.  With IntraLase-enhanced procedures, the surgeon uses a computer-controlled laser to create the corneal flap. Because no blade travels across the cornea, the risk of complications is reduced. 

IntraLase Corp. President and CEO Robert J. Palmisano said, "The IntraLase procedure-enhancing laser is revolutionizing the standard of care for patients who seek vision-correction surgery. In addition, because accuracy is improved, the IntraLase laser makes it possible to treat many patients who were dismissed as candidates for laser correction due to thin corneas." 

The IntraLase FS Laser was cleared by the FDA and became commercially available on a limited basis in 2001. In more than 69,000 surgeries using IntraLase, no severe complications were reported in U.S. clinical experience, according to data provided by the surgeons to IntraLase Corp. This is a dramatic improvement over the traditional blade - or microkeratome - procedure, which is generally known to be associated with vision-threatening complications in one to three percent of procedures. 

"Using IntraLase as a part of the LASIK procedure is extremely safe.  The risk of complications with LASIK was already very low, but creating the flap with a laser improves the safety even more," said Durrie. 

"IntraLase has become the essential ingredient in the process of providing the best possible vision for my LASIK patients," Durrie said. "The accuracy and architecture of the laser-created flap allows the laser to do its job with more precision, resulting in better quality vision." 

The speed of the laser pulse (in the femtosecond range) and the laser's accuracy (+/- 10 microns) is unmatched by any other current technology in vision-correction surgery. This precision was documented in studies conducted for the FDA clearance of the laser. Precise flap thickness also is critical to successful LASIK outcome, and IntraLase-created flaps feature a consistent thickness from edge to edge.

In addition, greater flap stability was also demonstrated with IntraLase laser-created flaps in studies for the laser's FDA submission. Although the incidence of flap slippage is rare in LASIK, the consequences can be serious. IntraLase laser-created flaps can be more securely repositioned making the procedure that much safer and more precise.

Although IntraLase-enhanced LASIK procedures may cost more, it seems to many patients to be worth the price. Surgeons who enhance their LASIK procedure with IntraLase may charge more for the procedure  primarily because it costs surgeons more to employ such advanced technologies in their practices,  but most patients agree that the added level of safety and assurance is well worth the additional cost when considering vision-correction surgery, said Palmisano.

IntraLase Corp. is in the process of introducing the IntraLase laser in Japan and Korea and is planning a European launch in 2004.

For more information about IntraLase, visit www.intralase.com

IntraLase is a registered trademark of IntraLase Corp., Irvine California.

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