How does it work?

Laser eye surgery involves using a laser to adjust the patient’s vision by reshaping the cornea. There are several different procedures – and while all of these employ a laser, they do so in different ways. These include LASIK, LASEK and PRK as well as advanced surface ablation and Z-Lenticle Extraction laser correction.

Which is better?

Bladeless laser eye surgery has advantages over the old method:

• Although the risk of infection is always very small in laser eye surgery, eliminating the use of all blades reduces it further.
• Using a femtosecond laser to create a flap allows for ultra-precise and accurate work, because the surgeon can plot and plan the exact positioning of the laser.
• Corneal flaps created using bladeless laser technology are more robust and are less likely to lead to flap complications. That makes bladeless LASIK a better option for patients with thin corneas.

However, when considering blade or bladeless laser eye surgery, you might also want to consider the following:

• Bladeless LASIK is more expensive than the traditional procedure, due to the cost of the technology involved.
• Bladeless LASIK may take slightly longer than its blade equivalent – although either way, the procedure only takes around 10-15 minutes per eye.
• For around 1% of patients, a complication called ‘transient light sensitivity’ can occur in bladeless LASIK, involving temporary sensitivity to light.

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