Femtosecond lasers cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as of May 1, 2012: FEMTO LDV, iFS Laser System, IntraLase, Technolas, Femtosecond, VisuMax, and WaveLight FS200. (Source: Farjo, et al. Femtosecond Lasers for LASIK Flap Creation: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmology, Vol. 120, Issue 3, e5–e20.)
The latest LASIK industry hype is all-laser LASIK, which involves cutting the flap with a femtosecond laser instead of a blade. Eliminating the use of a blade on your eye sounds like a good thing intially, but wait until you read about the problems, risks, and complications of this technology.
"As for femtosecond's presumed advantage of fewer complications, Dr. Patel has yet to see definitive evidence." Ophthalmology Management, September 2010
Barry N. Wasserman, MD: "There are large billboards advertising “bladeless” LASIK and radio ads that suggest that LASIK can be done without going under the knife. As doctors, we should all take pause. This is absolutely and grossly misleading to the public! Patients come in thinking they will have LASIK without cutting a flap. Except there is a flap and there are still associated flap risks. Again, I ask, should we be purposely misleading the general public? Should we trick them into coming into our offices?" EyeNet Magazine, March 2008
Vincent P. de Luise, MD: "...a flap is a flap is a flap. Not making a flap is safer than making a flap, regardless of the method employed. True, the femtosecond laser creates a safer flap than a mechanical microkeratome, but it's still a flap no matter how you slice it." Ophthalmology Times, June 1, 2008
Problems from femtosecond-LASIK (bladeless LASIK)? File a MedWatch report with the FDA online. Alternatively, you may call FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 to report by telephone, download the paper form and either fax it to 1-800-FDA-0178 or mail it to the address shown at the bottom of page 3, or download the MedWatcher Mobile App for reporting LASIK problems to the FDA using a smart phone or tablet.
Patients with LASIK complications are invited to join the discussion on FaceBook
Helicopter pilot suffers melting of the cornea after bladeless LASIK
Bucci MG, McCormick GJ. . Idiopathic peripheral necrotizing keratitis after femtosecond laser in situ keratomileusis. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2012 Jan 19.
From the full text: In April 2010, a 31-year-old helicopter pilot presented to our clinic for LASIK evaluation... The Femto LDV laser was used for flap creation, and a Customvue laser ablation was performed with the Visx Star S4IR excimer laser (Abbott Medical Optics, Inc.)... The next day (postoperative day 3), the patient returned to the clinic reporting "stinging" in his right eye. Slitlamp examination revealed progressively worsening corneal infiltration with stromal necrosis in several areas at the flap margin... The inflammation resulted in flap margin necrosis and a scalloped flap edge in both eyes.
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