subject: Femtosecond Lasers [print this page] For those who desire vision correction but don't relish the idea of a blade cutting into their eyes, the femtosecond laser offers the latest technological advancement in laser eye surgery. With its unprecedented precision and level of safety, the femtosecond laser offers the highest quality of laser vision surgery for flap creation.
Eye surgeons can create smoother corneal flaps during LASIK surgery with femtosecond lasers, making this tool the most preferred by ophthalmologists in your area. These higher pulse lasers are one of the most exciting advancements made available to eye surgeons in many years.
How the Femtosecond Laser Works
The reason that ophthalmologists like the femtosecond laser is because it offers the following improvements to traditional vision surgery correction with blades:
Ultra-fast
Tightly focused
Low energy laser
Highly precise
The femtosecond laser delivers laser pulses through a lens that your eye surgeon holds against your eye. This treatment causes the layers of the cornea to separate and thus creates a customized corneal flap to the patients' needs.
Using the Femtosecond Laser
With this particular laser, ophthalmologists can precisely cut tissue with virtually no heat development. By emitting ultra-short laser pulses with a diameter of 0.001mm at one-billionth of a second (10-15 sec), the femtosecond laser produces laser pulses that create a small gas bubble that separates the tissue. Ophthalmologists use the femtosecond laser in three types of eye surgeries:
Incisions in the interior of the cornea
Flap preparation in Lasik surgeries
Preparation of corneal tunnels for intra-corneal ring segment (ICRS) implantation
Femtosecond Laser Benefits
The Femtosecond Laser has several advantages over mechanical techniques, but most notably the laser does the following:
Improves patient comfort
Produces better and more predictable visual outcomes
Patient more likely to receive 20/20 or better vision
Using this innovative femtosecond laser gives eye surgeons a cutting-edge tool without the cuts and as a result, offers a much safer alternative to the metal blade for cutting the corneal flap during LASIK surgery. However, not all eye surgeons use the femtosecond laser, due to cost. Knowing about the latest technology that exists to restore your eyesight will help you choose the safest method for your vision correction surgery. After all, when it comes to your eyesight, the best outcome should be top on your list.
