A
Review of Current LASIK Lasers, Which Are The Best?
If you have been looking for a facility for your
LASIK procedure, you have probably been given a pamphlet with
information on the type of laser that is used. Most LASIK facilities
declare that their laser is the best laser, and oftentimes consumers
are very confused as to what type of LASIK laser they should look
for or if it even matters. In order to simplify the confusion
concerning lasers, here is a brief discussion about the different
types of current lasers on the market today and if they really
do make a difference during LASIK surgery.
One of the main things to keep in mind about LASIK
lasers is that not all of them are FDA approved, or they are only
FDA approved for specific procedures. It is very important that
you ask your doctor if laser used is FDA approved and approved
for the surgery being performed. In addition to FDA approval,
specific types of LASIK lasers are used for certain conditions
or procedures. Many FDA approved LASIK lasers are created to work
within certain parameters of myopia or astigmatism. If your myopia
or astigmatism is outside of the lasers parameters, you may need
to go elsewhere.
Another thing to keep in mind when you are reading
information about LASIK lasers is that most of the changes to
these lasers have been relatively minor. LASIK surgery facilities
like to tout their laser as the best laser thanks to new innovative
technology, but this frequent boast does not usually measure up
to its claims. The three most important things about the LASIK
laser that is used for your surgery are: is the laser FDA approved,
is the laser approved for your type of LASIK surgery, and is your
surgeon familiar with the laser. Research has shown that the results
of LASIK have very little to do with the type of laser used, and
more to do with the surgeon’s technique and level of experience.
That being said, there are four major companies
which create LASIX lasers and laser systems. These companies are
Alcon, Bausch & Lomb, Nidek, and VISX. If you want to use
a type of LASIX procedure that uses custom Wavefront technology,
than you will need to have your LASIX surgery performed by either
an Alcon laser, a Bausch & Lomb laser, or a VISX laser; currently
Nidex lasers are not FDA approved for use with Wavefront technologies.
So how do you know which type of LASIX laser is
best for your surgery? First you will need to find out what type
of surgery you need, then check to see if the laser if FDA approved
and approved for that type of surgery. Ask your doctor of course,
but confirm with your own independent research. As an extra precaution,
you may want to check to see if your doctor has been evaluated
by the nonprofit organization USAEyes; this organization reviews
doctors, and the lasers they are using, in order to increase LASIX
consumer safety. In addition, always make sure that your doctor
is using laser equipment that was purchased within the United
States, and that no third parties have made any adjustments or
installations on the laser.
