LASIK lasers
Laser eye surgery is a popular form of corrective eye surgery that allows you to correct your vision with a same day surgery. The most popular and spoken about form of laser eye surgery is LASIK. Most people do not realize that with LASIK eye surgery, there are still some differences. Not all LASIK eye surgeries are the same, in fact, depending on the laser used, and the technician or MD using it, your results can vary. The following is a look at the various LASIK lasers available, and what they should mean to you, a potential candidate for LASIK eye surgery:
No matter what type of LASIK you get, your LASIK eye surgery center will use a modern Excimer laser. These are the same laser types used in other forms of eye surgery, such as PRK. However, there are a few different types of Excimer lasers used for LASIK. They are as follows:
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Slit scanning lasers:
Slit scanning lasers are lasers that use relatively small beams of laser light linked to a rotational device with slit holes that enlarge. The way this laser works is the laser beams scan across these holes during surgery, producing a gradually enlarging ablation zone. The benefit to this laser type is that the approach provides a uniform beam and as an effect, a potentially smoother ablations than the now obsolete broad-beam lasers. So what are the down sides? Well, the disadvantages include a slightly greater risk of decentration and overcorrection unless an eye-tracker is being used with the laser.
Spot scanning lasers:
Spot scanning lasers, also referred to as "flying-spot" lasers, are the most common lasers used for LASIK eye surgery. They are lasers that use small-diameter laser beams (0.8 to 2 mm) which are scanned across the cornea to produce the ablation zone. So, what is the benefit to this laser type? This approach has the potential to produce the smoothest ablations, and this type of laser is easier to customize, or in other words, it more readily allows customized ablations. In addition to this, it is better treat irregular astigmatism.
Wavefront-guided lasers:
A wave-front guided laser is an excimer laser that is connected to a device that detects and "maps" defects in the eye's optical system, based on how lightwaves travel through the eye. Most of modern day excimer lasers are attached to a wavefront device for better results. These wavefront devices individually guide the way the eye's cornea is reshaped to achieve a custom LASIK ablation. In other words, it is used to see what areas of the cornea need to be changed and reshaped on your specific eye to get the best results. Both slit scanning and spot scanning lasers have the ability to be used for wavefront-guided treatments, and these are commonly referred to as custom LASIK.
Eye tracking:
In addition to wavefront technology, most modern excimer lasers have automated eye tracking systems to keep the laser beam on target. This means that the laser is not pointed at the eye manually, rather a computer is used to map where the laser will target the beam. Studies have shown that eye trackers produce better outcomes and decrease LASIK complications compared with past lasers that did not use eye tracking systems, they are more accurate, and there is far less room for error.
