What Type of Laser is Used for Laser Eye Surgery?

Laser eye surgery, or laser vision correction, is a procedure that involves the use of lasers to reshape the front surface (cornea) of the eyes so that you can focus better. It can correct myopia, farsightedness, and astigmatism. The most common type of laser used in this procedure is the excimer laser, an ultraviolet laser that removes a thin layer of corneal tissue to give the cornea a new shape. This allows light rays to focus clearly on the retina.

LASIK surgery is performed with a laser programmed to remove a defined amount of tissue from the cornea. During the procedure, a small blade or sharp laser is used to create a hinged flap in the cornea. This flap is then separated from the front of the eye. It is important that the eye surgeon has a lot of experience if they decide to use a cleft scanning laser, as these have the highest risk of overcorrection or off-center ablation if the laser is not perfectly centered on the pupil.

Spot scan lasers are often used to treat people with irregular astigmatism, as they allow for personalized treatments and have the potential to produce the most gentle corneal treatments. Wavefront-guided treatments can be used with both slit and dot scanning lasers. Doctors often use wavefront-guided technology to evaluate the eye in detail before LASIK surgery. There are several lasers that are used to treat certain types of glaucoma.

These include dot-scanning lasers, slit-scanning lasers, and wavefront-guided lasers. It will take two to three months after surgery before the eye heals and vision stabilizes. While modern cataract surgery can offer excellent results, laser cataract surgery could improve these results. Patients with open-angle glaucoma can be treated with ALT (argon laser trabeculoplasty) or SLT (selective laser trabeculoplasty).When weighing the risks and benefits of refractive surgery, keep in mind that wearing contact lenses also carries some risks to eye health.

LASIK eye surgery is the best-known laser refractive surgery performed most frequently to correct vision problems. The WaveLight Allegretto laser at the Barnet Dulaney Perkins Eye Center can be safely adapted to both types of treatments.