In conventional LASIK, a microkeratome that contains a disposable surgical blade is used to cut and form the hinged corneal flap. Since sometimes LASIK complications are associated with the abnormal cutting of corneal flap with a microkeratome, IntraLase Corp. (Irvine, CA) has introduced a variation of LASIK called bladeless LASIK.

Bladeless LASIK uses a type of high energy laser called femtosecond (FS) laser or IntraLase instead of microkeratome blade to create the hinged flap in LASIK surgery, while other steps are the same as conventional LASIK procedure.

Bladeless LASIK or IntraLase is claimed to significantly decrease the overall LASIK complication rates. However, LASIK surgery costs more – about $250 to $500 per eye – if you choose the IntraLase method. Usually, you will be given the choice whether you prefer a microkeratome blade or IntraLase in creating corneal flap but sometimes some surgeons only use IntraLase method and may bundle it into the overall LASIK fee.

It is important to know that the IntraLase FS laser is different from the laser used to reshape your corneal tissue. In IntraLase LASIK, the surgeon uses two types of laser in LASIK procedure – the IntraLase FS laser to cut the corneal flap and another laser to remove your corneal tissue. This is why IntraLase is sometimes promoted as bladeless or all-laser LASIK.

As the technology of refractive eye surgery continues to improve, a new method of laser eye surgery has been found. The new procedure is known as Custom LASIK or Wavefront LASIK. Some people may also call it Wavefront-guided LASIK. It is a variation of LASIK surgery that uses wavefront technology to precisely measure the irregularities in the way your eye processes images. Unlike the conventional LASIK that only uses the eyeglasses or contact lenses prescription to guide the laser in reshaping the coreal tissue, Custom LASIK or Wavefront LASIK customize all your visual irregularities in a 3-D map (wavefront map) and transfer it electronically to program the laser used in reshaping your cornea. This is because every eye’s focusing ability is unique, just like the fingerprint.

Because Custom LASIK uses a customized map in programming the laser treatment for your eyes, needless to say that Custom LASIK may bring better results compared to conventional LASIK such as sharper and higher quality vision. While traditional LASIK can only correct ordinary vision defects such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism, Custom LASIK is capable of correcting those ordinary refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism) plus other vision distortions due to higher order aberrations, that can not be corrected with glasses or contacts or even conventional LASIK surgery, such as glare, halos, starbursts, ghosting of images and poor night vision, which are the also the risks of post-LASIK complications.

But actually, not all ophthalmologists agree that Custom LASIK can treat above vision distortions. Some refractive surgeons argue that both Custom LASIK and conventional LASIK may cause these aberrations in some cases. However, research has shown that Wavefront LASIK may less likely to cause such aberrations than conventional LASIK.

The advent of Custom LASIK has increased the public interest in undergoing the customized LASIK surgery. But just like any other laser surgery, Custom LASIK or Wavefront LASIK may not be suitable for everyone. It is also not a surgical procedure to treat all kind of vision related problems so it is highly recommended to visit your ophthalmologist for a consultation and he or she will determine if you are a good candidate for Custom LASIK or not. Also the cost of Custom LASIK is a worth considerable thing because it is definitely costs more than conventional LASIK because it uses a wavefront scanner, called aberrometer, which is an expensive device.