LASIK Surgery Technology

VISX Laser

Dr. Phinney at Eye Surgeons Associates uses the VISX Excimer Laser which has successfully treated more than six million eyes in the U.S. alone – more than all other brands combined.** The excimer laser beam works without heat. During the LASIK procedure, the laser is activated in single pulses, each of which removes ten-millionth of an inch of tissue in twelve billionths of a second. Guided by the expertise of the surgeon, the laser precisely reshapes the cornea without disturbing the surrounding area of the eye.

3-D Eye Tracker

The laser’s infrared cameras actively follow the tiniest motions of your eye in all three dimensions. The 3-D Eye Tracker tracks your natural pupil and doesn’t require your eye to be dilated like other laser systems. You do not need to worry about moving your eye during the procedure as the tracker will follow the movement and adjust the laser accordingly. If the movement is too great, the laser automatically stops treatment, and will resume exactly where it left off.

FDA approved Advanced CustomVue™

Traditional LASIK surgery can provide excellent results when correcting a wide range of vision problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. These vision problems are known as lower order aberrations. Advanced CustomVueTM individualized laser vision correction procedure from Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) goes beyond reshaping your cornea based on your prescription for eyeglasses or contacts. The Advanced CustomVue procedure measures and corrects the unique imperfections of each individual’s eye. Now more than 94% of eligible candidates* may potentially benefit from Advanced CustomVue laser vision correction. WaveScan technology, originally developed for use in high powered telescopes viewing distant objects in space, identifies and measures imperfections in an individual’s eye 25 times more precisely than standard methods used for glasses ad contact lenses treating previously undetectable and untreatable vision problems. Dr. Phinney uses this information to treat individuals with the CustomVue procedure.

• Market Scope Data, US Vision Population, 21 years of age or older, 2005 Advanced CustomVue and VISX are trademarks of VISX, Incorporated.
•• Market Scope Data, October 2004

Blade – Free LASIK
(using IntraLase Technology)

The world’s most advanced LASIK vision correction technology – the 100 percent blade-free LASIK using IntraLase Laser Technology - is now available at Eye Surgeon Associates. Dr. Richard Phinney joins other leading ophthalmic surgeons across the country in offering this advanced technology, which enhances the safety of the LASIK procedure. More than 1,000,000 procedures have been performed comfortably and effectively using blade-free LASIK. With its excellent safety profile and superior visual outcomes, the IntraLase Laser Technology is among the fastest growing refractive surgical techniques.

Blade – Free LASIK is a 100% blade-free approach to creating your corneal flap, the thin flap of tissue that Dr. Phinney folds back in order to perform your LASIK or Custom LASIK procedure. The IntraLase method uses tiny rapid pulses of laser light to create your corneal flap. Each pulse of light passes harmlessly through the outer portion of your cornea and forms a uniform layer of microscopic bubble beneath the surface of your eye. The exact dimensions of this layer of bubbles are determined by Dr. Phinney 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 flap creation process takes about 15-30 seconds.

The tissue easily separates where these bubbles occur and folds back creating your corneal flap. Dr. Phinney then proceeds with your laser vision correction. After LASIK is completed, the distinctive beveled edge created by the IntraLase laser allows for precise repositioning, alignment and seating of the corneal flap.

What are the benefits to you?

• In clinical trials more patients achieved 20/20 or better vision when their LASIK procedure was performed with Blade – Free LASIK than with other techniques.(Tanzer D.J. Schalhorn SC, Brown MC, et al. Data on file, IntraLase Corp., 2005)
• Patients reported better quality of vision overall, particularly with low light or night vision.(Durrie D.D. Data on file, IntraLase Corp., 2005)
• The Blade-Free LASIK procedure gives the surgeon the ability to tailor the dimensions of your corneal flap based on what’s best for your eye contributing to excellent post-operative outcomes.

As with any type of surgery, risks are involved. It is important to discuss any concerns with your surgeon and with the risks and potential benefits.