What is the Best Technology for LASIK?
I had a patient recently ask, “Aren’t all LASIK procedures performed the same way?”
Their comment took me by surprise. As an eye surgeon for more than 30 years, I had forgotten that patients may not be familiar with the technology we use in surgeries or some of the other nuances that differ between surgeons and eye centers.
The reality is that many of us use similar technology, but not all devices are created equal. At Horizon Eye Specialists, we’ve been careful to select only best in class technology for the eye procedures we provide.
To help familiarize you with some of the different LASIK laser eye surgery options, and the associated technology eye surgeons use, here’s a brief overview.
ILASIK
This is the type of laser eye surgery that many people refer to as “bladeless LASIK.” With iLASIK, we use a computer-guided laser to resurface the eye’s cornea and create a flap on a microscopic level. This gets rid of refractive errors and fixes vision problems, without the use of any blades.
PRK
For this procedure, we use the same laser technology as iLASIK, but in a different way. Instead of creating a flap in the cornea like we do with iLASIK, we apply the laser to the eye to correct refractive errors directly in PRK.
CustomVue Technology
When you get iLASIK or PRK eye surgery at Horizon Eye Specialists, your surgeon is also using CustomVue Technology. This technology enables us to do a laser mapping of each eye, which we use to analyze and determine your amounts of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. CustomVue is considered top of line in the eye surgery field.
ICL
ICL stands for Implantable Contact Lens or Implantable Collamer Lens. If you’re not an ideal candidate for LASIK or PRK, you might want to consider ICL. The technology does exactly what it sounds like: helps us implant a version of a contact lens (different from the ones you might typically wear) in your eye to give you improved vision long-term. ICL corrects moderate to severe nearsightedness.
RLE
Refractive Lens Exchange is used to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia (the gradual loss of near vision that anyone over 40 experiences). We use the leading RLE technology to remove the eye’s natural lens and replace it with a small permanent prescription Intraocular Lens (IOL). As a surgeon, it’s nice to have the option to use RLE for patients who have very high prescriptions or need multiple vision problems to be corrected at the same time.
KAMRA
One of the lesser known LASIK procedures we provide at Horizon is KAMRA, which improves near and intermediate vision. We use this technology to insert an inlay into the cornea, which focuses light as it comes into the eye. As you might’ve guessed by its name, KAMRA uses technology that functions like a camera’s shutter to improve sight without the need for glasses or contacts.
So there’s an at-a-glance overview of the different technologies we use every day as we perform LASIK procedures at our eye center. As a surgeon, it’s my privilege and honor to help my patients see better and experience all the wonderful rewards that come with that. If you have any questions or would like a consultation with me or my fellow doctors, please contact us.