Laser Eye Surgery

Although originally only for short sighted (myopic) patients up to –6.00, laser eye surgery can now be effective for high prescriptions as well as long sight (hyperopia) and astigmatism. The type of laser eye surgery best suited to each patient can vary according to corneal thickness and shape, but in general the most popular laser eye procedure is LASIK (using a corneal flap), followed by PRK or LASEK (surface treatments).

Blade Free Femtosecond-LASIK
Lasik combines the use of two technologies: the femtosecond laser  to create the flap, and the excimer laser to  treat the corneal bed where it re-shapes the cornea and thereby changes where the image focuses on the retina. Once treated by the excimer laser the flap is then laid back down and stays in position until healing is completed.

In the past, the corneal flap was created using a mechanical blade which was done prior to the laser correction itself.  Millions of such corneal flaps have already been created using this technique but often many people decide not to undergo this procedure because they are uncomfortable with the idea of their eyes being touched by a blade.

For several years now it has been possible to create the flap using a femtosecond laser. This means that no blade is involved in the procedure. Patients feel more comfortable, and the result is even better. Over three million patients have already undergone bladeless laser eye surgery.

Z-LASIK: The future of bladeless laser surgery

At Kirkwood Fyfe, we use Z-LASIK which is the most advanced innovation in bladeless surgery. This procedure uses a high-frequency laser. It is designed to create truly customized flaps, precisely, safely and pain-free. Its beam is a 100 times less intense than first-generation femtosecond lasers. Never before have safety, accuracy and patient comfort in laser eye surgery been so good, as proven by 750,000 successful Z-LASIK treatments.

What do ALL LASER Femtosecond-Lasik Procedures have in common?
Femto LASIK has been available for more than 5 years, and more than 3 million femto LASIK procedures have been performed successfully worldwide. The major advantage of femto LASIK over conventional LASIK is that the entire vision correction treatment is performed by a laser. The use of blades is no longer required.

Z-Lasik offers many advantages that lead to better results:

Faster Visual Recovery
Fast result: The recovery period is shorter than for other vision correction techniques. Visual improvement is noticeable within a few hours.

Total procedure time is shorter
The surgeon controls the optics of the laser, increasing accuracy and reducing contact time with the eye.

LDV technology uses an incredibly fast sequence of tiny light pulses to generate the smooth surface in the corneal tissue that is required for optimal vision correction. Within the few seconds required to create the corneal flap, the LDV will place around 400 million tiny, overlapping laser spots inside the cornea.  Z-LASIK has an extremely low impact on the eye: The procedure takes only a few minutes. The time the laser is in contact with the eye is reduced to a minimum.

Thinner Flaps
Thanks to the extremely high frequency of the laser pulses, the layers of the cornea are separated with unprecedented precision, creating an ultra-thin flap. Z-LASIK is therefore effective in patients who were previously not candidates for laser surgery, including those patients with extreme myopia or thin corneas.

Due to the high precision of the Z-LASIK procedure, thinner more predictable flaps can be created. Higher levels of myopia, astigmatism, and hyperopia can be treated with confidence.

Larger Treatment Areas
Z-LASIK enables the surgeon to enlarge the treatment zone which allows for improved quality of vision, especially at night or in poor lighting conditions. Few patients have experienced halo effects with refractive procedures, but with Z-LASIK, this undesirable phenomenon is even rarer.

Reduced Occurrence of Dry Eye Syndrome
Dry Eye Syndrome is a minor side effect of LASIK (it is observed in 4% of all treated eyes). With the gentler Z-LASIK procedure, the incidence of Dry Eye Syndrome is further reduced.

Reduced inflammation:
Z-LASIK technology uses light pulses with much lower pulse energy. Higher pulse energies used in other technologies can cause inflammation which may affect your vision and may cause pain for a few days. Such inflammatory response can be treated with medication and will not cause a permanent harmful effect. However, in Z-LASIK no such adverse reactions have been reported.

Surface Treatments

These do not involve the creation of a flap, but only the removal of the surface layer of cells (epithelium). A new layer of surface cells takes 4-7 days to re-grow, so the recovery time is longer. However a surface treatment may be indicated if there is a very thin or irregular cornea.