We know the decision to have LASIK surgery is a big one, so we take great care to determine what’s best for you as our patient. That’s why we offer blade-free LASIK treatment using the IntraLase method.

With the IntraLase method, pulses of laser light create your corneal flap, which is then lifted so the next step of LASIK—the reshaping of your cornea—can be performed. When your LASIK treatment is over, the flap is securely repositioned into place. This bladeless, computer-guided technology is 100% more accurate than most of the mechanical microkeratomes (hand-held devices with a thin metal blade) that surgeons may also use to create a corneal flap.

IntraLase Assurance and Comfort

The IntraLase method has been used successfully on hundreds of thousands of eyes and we trust this advanced technology to deliver exceptional results. Our commitment is to provide you with the ultimate in comfort, safety, and outstanding vision. LASIK with IntraLase can help you achieve all of this—while it delivers the added assurance of knowing you’re being treated with the most advanced technology there is.

LASIK performed with IntraLase is preferred by patients.
In a survey of clinical practices, the vision in the IntraLase-treated eye was preferred up to 3 to 1 by patients over the vision in the mechanical blade–treated eye (among those who stated a preference).

LASIK performed with IntraLase delivers superior visual results.
In a clinical study comparing the IntraLase laser to the leading microkeratome, more patients achieved 20/20 vision or better in standard and custom LASIK surgery when the IntraLase method was used to create the corneal flap.

How the IntraLase Method Works
Unlike mechanical instruments, IntraLase technology is uniquely able to program the dimensions of your flap based on what’s best for your eye. Then the IntraLase laser creates your flap from below the surface of the cornea—without ever cutting it. How?

1. Ultra–fast pulses of laser light position microscopic bubbles at a precise depth determined by your doctor.

2. The laser light passes harmlessly through your cornea. Then the laser creates rows of these bubbles just beneath your corneal surface as it moves back and forth across your eye in a uniform plane.

3. Next, the IntraLase laser stacks bubbles around your corneal diameter to create the edges of your flap. These bubbles are stacked at an angle that is determined by your doctor and is individualized to the way your eye is shaped.

4. The process takes only about 30 seconds from start to finish— it’s quiet and it’s comfortable.

5. Your doctor then gently lifts the flap to allow for the second step of your LASIK treatment. When treatment is complete, the flap easily “locks” back into position and rapidly begins to heal.

The IntraLase FS Laser Revolutionizes LASIK

There are two steps in the LASIK procedure.  First, the surgeon creates a micro-thin corneal flap, which is lifted to expose the inner cornea for step two, tissue ablation by an excimer laser.  The IntraLase FS laser introduced the concept of blade-free LASIK in 2001, representing the first improvement to the procedure's first step.  Surgeons have found statistically and clinically significant difference in the vision patients achieve - better than 20/20 to 20/15 and even 20/12.5 -- when the laser is used to make the corneal flap.  

 The surgeon creates a micro-thin corneal flap

  Tissue ablation by an excimer laser

With its excellent safety profile, patient comfort and superior visual outcomes, LASIK with the IntraLase Method is among the fastest-growing refractive surgical techniques in the country today.  As of the third quarter of 2006, the 518 IntraLase FS lasers in use worldwide have performed approximately one million blade-free LASIk procedures.  In the U.S., more than 25 percent of all LASIK procedures incorporate the advanced IntraLase Method.

"This new technology is the emerging standard of care in LASIK.  The accuracy of Advance CustomVue with Iris registration coupled with the safety of IntraLase gives people more reason than ever to see if LASIK vision correction is right for them, " Dr. Jenkins says.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the IntraLase Method?

The IntraLase Method is a 100% blade-free approach to creating your corneal flap - the thin flap of tissue that the doctor folds back in order to perform your LASIK procedure.

How does it differ from other methods of creating a corneal flap?

The only other way to create a corneal flap is by using an instrument called a microkeratome. A microkeratome is a hand-held steel blade that makes a cut as it travels across the cornea. With the IntraLase Method, a blade never touches your eye.

How does the IntraLase Method work?

Tiny pulses of laser light pass harmlessly through the other portion of your cornea and form a uniform layer of microscopic bubbles just beneath the surface of your eye. Just prior to LASIK surgery, the doctor can lift the corneal flap by gently and easily separating the tissue where these bubbles have formed.

Besides being blade-free, what other benefits are there to the IntraLase Method?

The IntraLase Method virtually eliminates the most severe sight-threatening complications. While LASIK complications are rare, when they do occur they are primarily related to the use of the microkeratome. Also, in clinical studies, more patients achieve vision that is 20/20 or better when their LASIK procedure is performed using the IntraLase Method. And patients report better quality of vision overall, particularly in terms of their ability to see well in low light.

Is the IntraLase Method proven?

To date, the IntraLase Method has been used in over one million LASIK procedures around the world.

How long does it take to creat a flap using the IntraLase Method?

The creation of the flap itself takes only about 30 seconds per eye. Including preparation time, the LASIK procedure takes about 10 minutes total.

Is it painful?

No - the doctor applies drops to numb the eye.


Fore more information on the Intralase method Click on the link below:

Contact us today to schedule a complimentary screening to see if you're a LASIK candidate!
Call Dr. Jenkins' office at 808-591-9911 or Dr. Omphroy's office at 808-625-5577 or email info@pathwaytovision.com