At Mountain Valley Eye Institute, we are continually researching different types of LASIK technologies, analyzing their effectiveness and investing in the methods we feel will provide our patients with the very best vision outcomes. Currently, we are proud to offer our patients the following blade-free, custom LASIK technologies:
- CONTOURA® Vision for incredible analysis of your cornea and highly customized
- treatment
- WaveLight® FS200 IntraLase™ femtosecond laser for precise corneal flap creation
- WaveLight® EX500 excimer laser for tailored corneal reshaping
- VISX STAR S4 IR® excimer laser for tailored corneal reshaping
CONTOURA® Vision
CONTOURA® Vision allows us to take personalized, customized LASIK to a whole new level. This amazing topography-guided LASIK technology allows our doctors to analyze up to 22,000 data points on each eye, creating an extremely precise computerized map of each eye’s elevation points. It’s like a unique fingerprint of your eye, allowing our specialists to know exactly what areas of your cornea need to be reshaped to achieve the sharpest vision possible. By altering just those areas that are causing the refractive error, light entering your eyes will be better
equipped to land directly on your retina for superior vision.
Generally, this treatment is effective for people with astigmatism or those who are nearsighted. However, there are other considerations that must be examined to ensure this is the safest treatment option.
iFS® Femtosecond Laser
In any LASIK procedure it is necessary to create a corneal flap. This flap gives your doctor access to the underlying corneal tissue so it can be reshaped with an excimer laser to allow light to properly focus on the retina. Traditional LASIK methods involve using a hand-held blade (microkeratome) to make the corneal flap. At Mountain Valley Eye Institute, we also use bladefree LASIK in Park City, UT, to create the corneal flap in a faster, safer and more precise manner. For this process we utilize the iFS® femtosecond laser.
The iFS laser separates corneal tissue for flap creation by generating energy that produces tiny bubbles at a precise depth. The flap is folded over so an excimer laser can reshape the underlying tissue. The entire process is based on Wavefront technology that gathers hundreds of eye measurements to create an extremely customized vision correction plan for your unique eyes.
Blade-free LASIK has many advantages over the traditional method:
- Stronger, more stable corneal flap
- Reduced risk of complications
- Faster visual recovery
- Accurate, reproducible incisions
- Exceptional safety
- Customization for each unique eye
Excimer Lasers: WaveLight® EX500 & VISX STAR S4 IR®
Laser vision correction technology is truly amazing. By reshaping extremely small and precise areas of corneal tissue with an excimer laser, light entering your eye can land more directly onto your retina for clearer vision. Even if you’ve worn glasses your entire life, LASIK can upgrade your vision after a single treatment.
Our practice is a bit unique because we have 2 different excimer lasers on-site: Alcon WaveLight® EX500 and the VISX STAR S4 IR®. Both systems can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. After assessing your eye health, our doctors will know which system will be best for your unique vision challenges. Here is a general overview of the benefits of these lasers:
- Personalized, precise treatment: both systems use digital 3D information about your own unique eye characteristics gathered during pre-operative testing to correct specific areas on your cornea.
- Safety – PerfectPulse Technology®: eye tracking technology in the EX500 is incorporated to compensate for any involuntary eye movements which halt the process entirely until the eye is in the correct position.
- Safety – Iris Recognition (IR): eye tracking technology in the STAR S4 is incorporated to compensate for any involuntary eye movements which halt the process entirely until the eye is in the correct position.
- Quickness and comfort: these systems take just minutes to complete so the process is comfortable for most patients.
- Results: most patients achieve better vision after treatment than what they had wearing glasses or contact lenses – often 20/20 vision or better. This is because the system creates a fingerprint of your cornea so incredibly detailed information can be used for specific corneal reshaping.
Not all LASIK doctors in our area offer these advanced LASIK technologies. If you are considering LASIK in Park City, make sure you do your research and learn about the different types of FDA-approved LASIK technologies that exist so you can make an informed decision about which one is right for you. The only way to know if you are a good candidate is by having a free LASIK Consultation with our team. We will take time to fully explain every aspect of the LASIK process and what vision outcomes you can expect.
