Blade Vs Blade-Free Laser Vision Correction   by Dr James Genge

Blade free Laser Eye Surgery presents the pinnacle of technology for laser eye surgery. This allows laser eye surgery to reach the highest levels of accuracy and reliability, ease, comfort and wellbeing for subjects. In Blade free Laser Vision Correction, the corneal flap is produced by means of a Femtosecond Laser instead of a Microkeratome (an oscillating blade) that is used in traditional Lasik surgery.

The reasons Blade Free (Femtosecond Laser) LASIK is superior to Blade (Microkeratome) LASIK are numerous:

1. Blade-free Laser Vision Correction creates a correct flap on every occasion; this doesn't happen when using a blade. A Microkeratome can sometimes trigger a 'button hole' flap that fails to allow for treatment to go on and also creates a danger of scarring the cornea. Employing a Femtosecond Laser all but eradicates this danger. A perfect flap equals greater vision.


2. The thinner flaps made with a Femtosecond Laser are less hazardous in the long term in comparison to Microkeratome flaps as the cornea post op has improved stableness as it's wider. This cuts down on the chances of a problem called Ectasia, where the cornea can bulge forwards after a period of time, potentially necessitating a transplant of the cornea to correct.


3. Blade free (Femtosecond Laser) Laser Vision Correction regularly outperforms blade (Microkeratome) lasers in medical studies examining quality of vision. The flap profile and level of smoothness is better, offering vision as good as or better than that with eyeglasses.
   A flap produced by using a blade is thinner on the outside and thicker around the middle, this kind of unevenness could blur vision. A Femtosecond laser (blade free) produced flap is a consistent thickness spanning its total diameter, decreasing the risk of micro-wrinkles, the ideal flap profile presenting the best feasible vision in Laser Vision Correction.


4. Blade free (Femtosecond Laser) LASIK allows the placement of the flap to be created perfectly, an accomplishment very unlikely with a Microkeratome. The surgeon offers a digital image of the flap location superimposed over the patient's cornea and prior to creating it he or she is able to change and optimize the flap placement so it is perfectly centered every time. This gives greater vision and safety.


5. A Laser flap is made with a vertical side cut, which is again something not doable with a blade or Microkeratome flap. This enormously reduces the likelihood of a problem called epithelial ingrowth, when the surface tissue of the cornea get seeded beneath the flap. It also makes it possible for a superior flap profile as the flap slots back downwards like a tiny manhole cover.

LASIK has progressed in a thrilling new direction aided by the introduction of blade-free femtosecond laser flaps; it is at long last delivering on its guarantee of the stablest and most precise process feasible.