For those that have undergone problems with lasik surgery, did you have
"conventional" lasik or "wavefront" lasik?  Also was the flap made with
a microkeratome or the all-laser intralase?

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In the last six months or so, most of the complications patients I am
hearing from on email have had Wavefront LASIK, basically reflecting
the fact that more laser centres are using it.

Microkeratomes have specific types of complications which are not
applicable to the intralase, and also by reason of less predictable
flap thickness and thicker overall flaps are more likely to be
associated with ectasia, which is a serious long-term complication. But
Intralase has some of its own unique problems as well.

My unsolicited 2 cents - good equipment is very important; a doctor
that really knows his equipment up down left right and inside out is
even more important; and a doctor with real surgical expertise and
specialised in refractive surgery is even harder to find but probably
worth it.

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Rebecca, would you care to share who you think are the best?  Public or
private would do.


<rebeccaNO_SPAM@lasermyeye.org> wrote in message
news:1104119490.322331.136820@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com..
> In the last six months or so, most of the complications patients I am
> hearing from on email have had Wavefront LASIK, basically reflecting
> the fact that more laser centres are using it.
>
> Microkeratomes have specific types of complications which are not
> applicable to the intralase, and also by reason of less predictable
> flap thickness and thicker overall flaps are more likely to be
> associated with ectasia, which is a serious long-term complication. But
> Intralase has some of its own unique problems as well.
>
> My unsolicited 2 cents - good equipment is very important; a doctor
> that really knows his equipment up down left right and inside out is
> even more important; and a doctor with real surgical expertise and
> specialised in refractive surgery is even harder to find but probably
> worth it.
>

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We have found that the vast majority of unresolved complications
relate directly or indirectly to dry eye induced or exacerbated by
LASIK.  Dry eye is thought to be caused by severing of nerves within
the cornea and thereby disrupting the signals required for normal
tearing.  This is caused by LASIK whether the microkeratome is laser
or mechanical, and whether the ablation is conventional or
wavefront-guided.

Intralase flaps may be an improvement on flap creation and wavefront
may be an improvement on ablation, but the basics mechanics of LASIK
remains the same.  Other problems have diminished dramatically and
visual quality has increased overall, but dry eye and its consequences
remain.

Glenn Hagele
Executive Director
Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance

Email to glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org

http://www.USAEyes.org
http://www.ComplicatedEyes.org

I am not a doctor.

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