Ziemer Femotosecond Laser

Blade-Free LASIK

There are two steps to LASIK; the creation of the corneal flap, and the reshaping of the cornea. Femtosecond technology allows the first step to be 100% Blade-Free. Femtosecond technology is a 100% Blade-Free approach to creating your corneal flap, the thin flap of tissue the doctor folds back in order to perform your LASIK procedure.

Traditionally centers have used a microkeratome blade for the creation of corneal flaps. The microkeratome is a hand-held bladed device that moves across the eye, creating the corneal flap as it goes. While LASIK is extremely safe, if complications do occur, the microkeratome is often the cause. The Ziemer FEMTO LDV (link to Ziemer site) enables our surgeons to perform the first step to LASIK without a blade.

Advanced Technology and Speed

With Colorado’s first Ziemer FEMTO LDV, tiny pulses of laser light, a quadrillionth of a second each, pass harmlessly through the outer portion of your cornea to form a uniform layer of microscopic bubbles just beneath the surface of your cornea. The exact dimensions of this layer of bubbles are determined by our surgeons based on what is best for your eye, and are computer controlled for maximum precision. The Blade-Free flap creation takes 20 seconds.

When it is time for step two of the procedure, our surgeon easily separates the tissue where these bubbles occur and then folds it back, creating your corneal flap. When LASIK is complete, the flap is uniquely able to “lock” back into place. Your eye begins to heal immediately.