September 19, 2008, Newsletter Issue #133: LASEK Laser Types
Tip of the Week
It's important to note that LASEK, like LASIK, employs an excimer laser to ablate or burn off the cornea beneath the epithelium. LASEK has an advantage when your eye surgeon uses LASIK Wavefront or eye-mapping lasers and spot-tracking lasers (.8 to 2 mm diameter) that can better treat astigmatism. Wavefront guided lasers, in particular, give a more detailed picture of your corneal problems than traditional refractive surgery.
While eye-mapping lasers improve LASIK results overall, if you have thin corneas, your LASEK eye surgeon will work with all 250 microns of cornea underneath the epithelium, giving you, with your thin corneas, better results than you might have achieved with LASIK, especially if you have monovision and you're opposed to a microkeratome laser. However, thin corneas may be an issue because Wavefront mapping may reveal the need to remove more tissue than is safe for LASIK treatment. Consult your surgeon, especially if your surgeon has recommended LASEK eye surgery over LASIK.
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