Our Technology

Intralase™ FS laser
The Intralase™ FS Laser provides an all-laser approach to lasik surgery. It uses the laser to create the corneal flap. Not only does it have a new level of safety assurance but the computer-controlled laser provides unprecedented control and the ability to customize the flap for each of our patients.

Conventionally, a Microkeratome has been used to create the corneal flap. This is a mechanical, hand- held instrument that sometimes can contribute to LASIK complications. Though the complications are rare (1 in 2500 or 5000 cases) the Intralase™ makes LASIK much safer by reducing the rare occasion of complications.

IntraLASIK, is the term used when the combination of Intralase™ is used in conjunction with LASIK. Intralase™ uses a laser beam that is focused into a small spot of energy. This energy passes harmlessly through the outermost layers of the cornea until it reaches the exact measurement within the corneal layer needed to make the flap.

Researchers are exploring the possibility of using the Intralase FS Laser in other procedures, such as cornea transplants and glaucoma treatment.

Why the Intralase™ FS Laser:

• IntraLASIK is a safer procedure that eliminates the potential of complications from mechanical microkeratomes.
• IntraLASIK allows correction of higher refractive errors especially those with thin corneas because of the ability to make precise shallow flaps.
• IntraLASIK significantly adds precision and predictability by using an all laser procedure.
• IntraLASIK creates a better fitting flap, when put back into place form a tighter seal. This makes dislocation after the procedure more difficult.
• IntraLASIK is painless and a more comfortable procedure because there is less pressure placed on the cornea than with the laser Vsvs mechanical microkeratome.

Visx Waveprint™ System
No two people are the same. Like your DNA or your fingerprints, your eyes are unique. Previously, laser vision correction treatment was based on diagnostic technology that has been used for prescriptions of contacts and sunglasses. The new Waveprint™ system by VISX takes a step up in laser vision correction technology, by combining personalized diagnostics and the Excimer laser into one system.

This advanced diagnostic portion of the technology produces a precise, detailed analysis of you vision, providing a personalized correction to each individual. This Waveprint Map is interfaced with the VISX STAR S4 Active Trak™ Excimer Laser System to create one of the most advanced systems on the market. Also the eye tracker adds an advanced level of precision and safety.

Why choose the VISX Waveprint™ System:

• VISX Waveprint System consists of a diagnostic apparatus that maps the entire optical path of the eye. The Waveprint™ Map is called the “fingerprint of your vision” and gives the doctor exact and detailed information about your vision that will be used to personalize your treatment.
• The Waveprint Map reveals the way the entire optical system processes light. It provides more information than just the corneal surface of the eye. It also provides a new level of diagnostic information that was not available in the past.
• The Waveprint Map allows doctors to more accurately access whether patients are good candidates or not.
• VISX’s Active Trak™ allows the doctor to track any eye movement and keeps the beam centered correctly on the eye at all times which helps ensure precise results.
• ActiveTrak requires no pupil dilation, unlike other lasers, leading to a quicker recovery time.
• VISX Star 4 laser produces seven different sized beams which gives the doctor greater flexibility and more precise corneal shaping. The technology adjusts the beam size according to the treatment which minimizes corneal tissue removal.
• The VISX laser produces an extremely smooth surface on the cornea after the procedure which allows for faster healing time and better results in your vision correction.
• VISX laser systems also reduce problems with night vision by achieving an optical zone. The VISX laser also requires a shorter procedure time which gives more comfort to the patient and may reduce the risk of postoperative complications.

Wavefront Diagnostic Technology
In the past laser vision technology has always treated patients by using their optical prescription. Meaning if you were a minus-three prescription your glasses and laser vision correction would be programmed to a minus-three neutralizing your script to a zero. This would be the only available correction, one that every minus-three patient would receive. This is conventional laser correction.

Exiting news!! Today with the introduction of wavefront diagnostic technology our wavefront guided excimer laser is able to treat patients according to each individual prescription.

How Wavefront Works:
Originally Wavefront technology was developed in the field of astronomy and physics to help in reducing aberrations of imperfections in the optical systems of telescopes. Now using this same technology it is possible to produce an accurate picture of the optical imperfections found in the human eye. Wavefront enables us to measure the entire optical system of the eye; where before only the front surface of the eye could be tested.

Light travels in a procession of flat sheets known as wavefronts. These wavefronts enter the eye then pass through the optical system. This system consists of the cornea, lens and retina. They then are reflected back to the front of the eye. When this system is in perfect working order the wave fronts exit the eye as flat sheets. When there are irregularities in the cornea or the lens, they are called (high order) aberrations and the wavefront exits the eye in irregular curved sheets.

Wavefront technology captures the reflected wavefronts and compares these curved sheets to a perfect wavefront and a 3-D map of the eye’s optical irregularities is created. The cornea is then reshaped using the 3-D map that was transferred to the excimer laser, thus an individual correction can be obtained.

Wavefront technology results have shown a decrease in some of the unwanted side affects that are sometimes associated with conventional laser vision correction such as night vision glare and halos. This technology can potentially give patients 20/20 vision or better by combining the prescription correction with their high order aberrations correction.

Corneal Topography
The cornea is responsible for 70 percent of the eye’s focusing power known as “the front window of the eye”. Corneal topography creates a three-dimensional map of the cornea. An eye with normal vision has an evenly rounded cornea. Patients with irregular vision often either have too flat, too steep or unevenly curved corneas. Corneal topography can detect this by producing a detailed, visual description of the cornea. They are also used to diagnose and monitor various eye conditions. Corneal topography is used with other tests to determine exactly how much corneal tissue can be removed during laser vision correction procedures. Just like a topographic map of the earth shows changes in the land surface, this test uses different colors to identify different elevations and the shape of the cornea. This non-contact test is painless and brief.

Excimer Laser Technology
For over 25 years patients with vision problems have been treated by doctors using procedures such as Radial Keratotomy and Astigmatic Keratotomy. By the early 1980’s researchers soon began to look for lasers to improve the precision and outcome of these procedures. They found that the IBM’s laser that was initially used for etching computer chips was also available to be used medically as well. The Excimer laser is now used and adds a tremendous amount of precision, safety and control to treating patients with nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. With each pulse the Excimer laser removes up to 0.25 microns (0.00004 of an inch) of corneal tissue. Usually only 50 microns (about the thickness of a hair) of corneal tissue is removed to achieve the proper amount of correction. A “cool” light beam is produced by the Excimer laser that does not damage surrounding tissue. The laser produces high-energy photons that then break the molecular bonds a few layers at a time. Dr. Rahmani at the Rahmani Eye Institute has invested in several Excimer lasers so that he can match the unique capabilities of each laser to the specific needs of each patient.

VISX STAR S4™ Excimer Laser System
Millions of laser vision correction procedures in the U.S. have been performed using the VISX laser systems. More surgeons use VISX lasers to perform laser vision corrections surgery than any other systems. The VISX STAR S4 is one of the most advanced systems on the market today. This advanced technology offers faster treatments using variable spot beam technology and an eye tracking system which tracks in all three dimensions.

The VISX STAR S4 can be used in combination with VISX CustomVue software, to aid in the correction of the unique imperfections of each individual’s vision.

Why we’ve chosen the VISX STAR S4 Excimer Laser System:

• The STAR 4 beam technology allows the surgeon to treat patients with distinct laser beam sizes and shapes, which are determined by each patient’s visual needs.
• The VISX technology allows modification of beam size according to treatment, minimizing the amount of corneal tissue that needs to be removed.
• With eye-tracking technology, the lasers extreme accuracy can distinguish and counterbalance for small eye movements by guiding the laser beam to keep it centered precisely over the treatment area. Therefore, centralizing the beam appropriately on the eye helps ensure accurate results.
• VISX laser systems produce an exceptionally smooth surface on the cornea following the procedure. Smoother ablations promote quicker healing and result in better visual outcomes.
• Unlike other laser technology with eye tracking systems, this treatment requires no pupil dilation, resulting to a quicker recovery time.
• VISX laser system has the ability to accomplish an optical zone that may result in reduced problems with night vision.
• VISX laser systems entail a shorter operative time than many lasers, which promotes comfort and therefore the risk of postoperative complications of marginal.