LASIK Surgery Techniques For residents of Houston, Texas and the surrounding area contemplating LASIK (Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis) eye surgery, which is an intricate eye-operating procedure in which the Houston LASIK surgeon or eye specialist reshapes the corneas of the eyes using a laser system to improve the corneas’ ability to refocus light on the retinas, should consider their local-area options as far as finding a LASIK surgery clinic, private practice, or Houston LASIK surgeon. Patients choose LASIK eye surgery for a number of medical reasons, the most common being for eye conditions such as astigmatism (when the cornea is ellipsoidal in shape rather than spherical, which can affect and blur vision), far-sightedness, near-sightedness, and for those who wish for a lasting eyesight-correction treatment that will rid them permanently of their contact lenses or eyeglasses. Whatever your reason or reasons for considering LASIK eye surgery in Houston, Texas, something you’ll want to consider when choosing a Houston LASIK surgeon or LASIK surgery clinic, and something you’ll want to find out after you’ve already made your decision, is the type(s) of procedures and techniques that will be used for operating on your eyes. After all, it’s important for you to find out from your Houston LASIK surgeon exactly what will be done to your eyes to “fix” them, and how it will be done. The basic “essence” of LASIK eye surgery, as opposed to other types of eye surgery, such as LASEK (Laser-Assisted Sub-Epithelial Keratomileusis) and PRK (Photo-Refractive Keratectomy), involves the use of a laser system—specifically, a microkeratome metal blade in order to cut a thin flap into the cornea and then an excimer laser to reshape the cornea and the eye—in order to correct the cornea and improve overall vision. The cornea flap is then returned to its original spot following this laser-based operation. This procedure is generally considered basic LASIK surgery, or conventional LASIK, and may or may not be the preferred method used by your particular Houston LASIK surgeon, or the surgeon you’re considering. However, more and more clinics and private practices in Houston (and other parts of the U.S.) that offer LASIK surgery either exclusively or as one option amongst other eye-operating procedures are using more advanced and specialized LASIK procedures and techniques. For example, a LASIK technique referred to as Custom Wavefront LASIK or Custom Vue LASIK is becoming more popular amongst LASIK eye specialists and surgeons worldwide. This technique differs from the tradition surgery in that special technological software called “Wavefront” is used to guide the excimer laser. Wavefront essentially “maps” out the optical system so precisely that this highly advanced software is actually 25% more accurate than conventional LASIK, thereby improving vision even more. Your Houston LASIK surgeon could also inform you that he or she specializes in a technique called Conventional IntraLasik. In this procedure, a specialized device called the femtosecond Intralase laser is used instead of the traditional microkeratome metal blade to cut the flap into the cornea before the laser-based reshaping occurs. The advantage to using the Intralase laser over the metal blade is that a much thinner and much more precise flap can be cut and created, thereby eradicating possible flaws and imperfections the microkeratome may cause. However, this procedure tends to be a bit more expensive, and the incision using the laser takes about a minute, rather than the mere seconds required by the microkeratome blade. A LASIK technique known as Custom Vue IntraLasik combines Custom Vue LASIK and Conventional IntraLasik by utilizing both the Intralase laser to cut the flap and then the Wavefront software technology to guide the excimer laser in reshaping and correcting the cornea for maximum results. Keep in mind, however, that this type of LASIK surgery is generally the most expensive. Ask your Houston LASIK surgeon about Custom Vue IntraLasik, whether or not he or she is trained, skilled, and experienced in this method, and about the specific costs involved. Finally, consider a LASIK clinic in Houston or a particular Houston LASIK surgeon familiar with the latest, newest, and most advanced technology in LASIK eye surgery: the ALLEGRETTO WAVE® Eye-Q Laser System. This new, innovative, and revolutionary WaveLight laser system is actually specifically designed for Wavefront technology; other excimer laser systems, on the other hand, have to be adapted for Wavefront LASIK surgery. In the U.S., the Allegretto laser system is currently the fastest LASIK vision-correction procedure available on the market and yet is still precise—something that many patients, yourself included, will find highly desirable. |
