Valley residents now have the latest 100 percent blade-free LASIK technology available to them thanks to Southwestern Eye Center, which recently expanded its technology suite to include the IntraLase iFS (femtosecond) laser. The iFS laser is the only FDA-cleared femtosecond laser proven with more than 10 years of clinical research improving both the safety and precision of LASIK.

The iFS laser offers a highly sophisticated way to prepare the eye for LASIK without a blade ever touching it. The IntraLase Method with the iFS laser makes it possible for the corneal flap to be 100 percent laser-created, allowing for flap customization and an individualized treatment. Doctors of Southwestern Eye Center specify flap diameter, depth, hinge location and width, and side-cut architecture to meet the patient’s individual needs.

Historically, the use of an oscillating metal blade, called a microkeratome, in the first step of LASIK caused the majority of LASIK complications. In addition to customization of the flap, the iFS laser creates a distinctive beveled-edge that allows for precise repositioning, alignment and seating of the LASIK flap for maximum stability – three times that of a blade-created flap.

Nearly four million LASIK procedures have been performed worldwide employing the IntraLase Method, which is now used in an estimated 61.1 percent of all U.S. LASIK procedures. The IntraLase Method has been among the fastest growing refractive surgical techniques worldwide, as traditional microkeratome LASIK procedures continue to decline.

Patients considering LASIK and are qualified for the surgery can now utilize this new technology at Southwestern Eye Center’s practices across the Valley. Most patients who choose the blade-free IntraLase method see better immediately, with recovery typically lasting a few hours, followed by a few days of mild eye irritation. For more information, visit www.sweye.com or call 602-787-9100.