CALGARY, Sept. 12 /CNW/ - New IntraLase(R) laser technology replaces the hand-held, oscillating metal blade traditionally used to create a corneal flap prior to a LASIK procedure. The new technology is now available at Gimbel Eye Centres (Edmonton, Calgary) and Demong Associate Eyecentre (Calgary). "With the new silent, computer-guided IntraLase laser, surgeons can now create a more precise flap", says Dr. Howard Gimbel, Executive Medical Director for Gimbel Eye Centre.

Until the introduction of IntraLase, LASIK was not an all-laser procedure, and the risks associated with the use of a hand-held blade (or mechanical microkeratome) have kept many patients from considering LASIK. "The safety and precision of the laser virtually eliminates blade-related LASIK complications, and also helps to improve the visual outcomes of the LASIK procedure", says Dr. Thaddeus Demong, Medical Director and refractive surgeon of Demong Associate Eyecentre. "Many Albertan LASIK candidates," he believes, "have long awaited the development of this safer, 'bladeless' technology."

Evidence from multiple peer-reviewed studies and over 500,000 clinical cases show that the IntraLase laser can create a safer flap than the mechanical microkeratome, and can provide more patients with better than 20/20 vision.
How The IntraLase Laser Works
The ultra-fast IntraLase FS femtosecond (fem-to-second) creates a corneal flap using an infrared beam to produce a layer of tiny bubbles in exactly the desired depth location of the cornea. The flap is then opened and lifted to the side, in preparation for the LASIK procedure.

- IntraLase creates the flap from below the surface of the cornea, using an "inside-out" process.
- The silent beam of laser light is focused to a precise point within the stroma (central layer of the cornea) where each pulse of the laser creates a tiny 2- to 3-micron bubble of carbon dioxide and water vapor.
- Thousands of these microscopic bubbles are precisely positioned to define the flap's dimensions, as well as the location of the hinge. Bubbles are then stacked along the edge of the flap up to the corneal surface to complete the flap.
- The process from start to finish takes approximately 45 seconds.
- The surgeon then lifts the flap to allow for treatment by the excimer laser. When treatment is complete, the flap is repositioned.

For further information: contact Gimbel Eye Centre in Calgary at (800) 661-1138 or in Edmonton at (888) 211-4822, or Demong Associate Eyecentre at (403) 254-6007