Intraocular lenses (IOLs) are permanent, plastic lenses that are surgically implanted to replace or supplement the eye’s natural crystalline lens. They have been used in United States since the late 1960s to restore vision to cataract patients, and more recently are being used in several types of refractive eye surgery.

It is possible to implant a lens in the eye without removing the natural lens. A flexible lens is inserted through extremely small incisions in front of the natural lens to correct nearsightedness or farsightedness. Once in the eye, the lens expands to its full size, allowing the eye to remain relatively untraumatized, thus reducing astigmatism and recovery time.

A Phakic intraocular lens (PIOL) is a lens implanted inside the eye for the correction of either extreme nearsightedness or extreme farsightedness. In effect, the lens becomes an internal contact lens rather than a contact lens on the surface of the eye. It is usually recommended for patients whose visual correction is outside the range that can safely be treated with LASIK.

Types of PIOLs:
Phakic IOLS (PIOLs) can be either spheric or toric-the latter is used for astigmatic eyes. The difference is that toric PIOLs have to be inserted in a specific angle, or the astigmatism will not be fully corrected, or it can even get worse. According to placement site in the eyes PIOLs can be divided into:
Angle supported PIOLs: those IOLs are placed in the anterior chamber. They are notorious for their negative impact on the corneal endothelial lining, which is vital for maintaining a healthy dry cornea.
Iris supported PIOLs: this type is gaining more and more popularity. The IOL is attached by claws to the mid peripheral iris by a technique called enclavation. It is believed to have a lesser effect on corneal endothelium.
Sulcus supported PIOLs: these IOLS are placed in the posterior chamber in front of the natural crystalline lens. They have special vaulting so as not to be in contact with the normal lens. The main complications with this type is their tendency to cause cataracts and/or pigment dispersion.

IntraLASIK is a form of refractive eye surgery similar to LASIK that creates a corneal flap with a femtosecond laser microkeratome rather than with a mechanical microkeratome, which uses a steel blade. The only difference between LASIK and IntraLASIK (also called ‘All Laser Lasik’) is the method by which the LASIK flap is created. IntraLASIK can be performed with any excimer laser that is able to perform LASIK, including conventional, wavefront-optimized, or wavefront-guided ablation. It can be used to surgically create monovision to enhance the ability to see objects both distant and near for those affected by presbyopia.

IntraLASIK is derived from IntraLase, the name of the first manufacturer to achieve Food and Drug Administration approval of a femtosecond laser for use in the United States, and the word ‘LASIK’ which is a surgical procedure. Although additional femtosecond laser manufacturers have entered the US market, the name IntraLASIK is commonly used.

Eye surgery techniques have come a long way in the past decade and in recent years, the development of IntraLasik has meant many people who formerly weren’t good candidates for treatment, can now enjoy it’s benefits.

Known as blade free lasik, IntraLasik has been described as one of the safest forms of eye surgery available.

It’s many benefits include better precision, better accuracy, greater safety and a better chance of achieving 20/20 vision and beyond. It’s precision and safety is unquestioned also it provides better vision for patients than the blade technique.

Basically, the Intralasik method involves two main steps.
Firstly, a small flap is established over the protective layer over the cornea and
Secondly, the cornea is then re-shaped and any errors are corrected.

CRegarding the cost, it has been determined that the cost of Intralasik treatment could be up to several hundred dollars more per eye however, this can vary greatly from patient to patient. To offset this, as opposed to the blade techniques, there is obviously the elimination of blade related complications developing and in the final analysis, lower surgery risk is a huge factor in whether candidates decide to go ahead with any procedure.

The best Option For Lasik Surgery is the Intralase Method. Improvisation is the key to better performance always, and this holds good for lasik surgery too. Over the years, scientists have been looking at ways and means to improve the quality of lasik surgery.

The surgery has involved two steps: cutting open a flap of the cornea and then making the required adjustment. Usually, the cornea is cut using a hand held device called a microkeratome having an oscillating metal blade.

With the invention of the IntraLase method, this inconsistency is now taken out of the equation. The IntraLase method, also commonly called ‘bladeless lasik’, is a breakthrough innovation in lasik surgery.

The IntraLase method takes away the need for a handheld blade during the surgery. The hand-held microkeratome while being extremely useful, came with its own set of problems.

While this process has been relatively safe, the one area where it has failed to deliver is the ability to provide consistency in depth and thickness while making an incision. This is primarily because of the inconsistency in the precision levels provided by the microkeratome. Besides there have been other risk areas, such as the flap being too thin, often leading to a tear in the flap, or the flap not being cut out entirely.

IntraLase is a computer-controlled technology used in lasik surgery that enables a surgeon to cut through the corneal surface and create the required flap with utmost accuracy and precision.

It delivers pulses of light in rapid succession, at intervals of one quadrillionth of a second to a specific depth. The depth to which the pulses are to be delivered can be fixed prior to the procedure itself, as also the position at which the flap is to be made.

IntraLase is the first of its kind used for lasik surgery, and the bladeless aspect of the procedure is a big plus for surgeons looking for the right depth and positioning.

While a microkeratome can create a cut that is one-dimensional, the IntraLase technology enables surgeons to detail all the specific aspects of the flap the thickness of the flap, the exact location on the cornea where it is to be created, the circumference of the flap, the angles of the edges of the flap.

This possibility enables surgeons to provide highly specific flaps for each patient, something that was not possible with the microkeratome. This is a huge advantage over other existing procedures of lasik surgery, as it increases manifold the accuracy and specificity of individual procedures for different patients.

One of the greatest advantages of the IntraLase is consistency in the positioning and dimensions of the flap. The second major advantage is that there is no physical contact of a blade with the eye , the cut is done using a laser.

There are considerably lesser side effects, with patients reporting reduced instances of inability to see well in places having a low light source. Besides, a corneal flap created using the IntraLase method of lasik surgery ensures that the flap falls back in the exact location after the procedure.

Intralase is a type of refractive eye surgery. It is one of the safest, most specific methods used in laser vision improvement these days. This is all-laser approach, less complications, more safety and improves exactness at every step, offering patients greater potential to attain exceptional results with 20/20 vision or better.

To best understand the benefits of Blade Free Intralase, it’s significant to be familiar with that Initialize is a two-step process. All through the first step, the eye surgeon creates a small flap in the protective covering of the cornea. In step two, an excimer laser is used to reshape the cornea and correct vision errors.

The IntraLase is a 100% blade-free approach to corneal flap creation and the serious first step in the method to take away spectacles. This latest process utilizes the IntraLase Femto-Second (FS) Laser for performing the surgery. The IntraLase laser places tiny pulses of laser light, a quadrillionth of a second each, that pass without risk throughout the outer portion of cornea and form a uniform layer of microscopic bubbles at a exact depth and position within the eye, thus creating a flap by separating tissues rather than cutting with a blade of traditional microkeratome. The exact dimensions of this layer of bubbles are computer controlled for maximum precision and the process takes only 15 to 30 seconds. The tissue where these bubbles occur can be easily separated and then folded back to create the corneal flap at the time of the laser vision correction. After laser vision correction, the flap firmly locks back into place allowing the eye to heal rapidly.

Vision threatening complications like Keractesia and DLK, while unusual, are recognized to microkeratome blade a microkeratome has a steel blade that oscillates back and forth, which can leave an irregular surface after the flap is lifted. This can affect the quality of post-operative vision.

The IntraLase, though, delivers micron-level accuracy, giving the ophthalmologist more control during the procedure and the ability to tailor the size, shape, and depth of the corneal flap for each person patient and each individual eye-factors that are critical to victorious customized vision correction. Therefore the IntraLase provide the ophthalmologist the skill to customize and individualize the treatment as per each patient’s specific need. The IntraLase is a Bubble-Powered technique for the ultimate Blade-Free LASIK Experience.

The IntraLase is not only an completely contact free and blade free. Amongst all laser procedure, the highest degree of exactness and obviousness in refractive surgery, but is also better suited to the eye and has the extra benefit of being able to treat patients that were not treatable under the traditional microkeratome method. Because the microkeratome relies on a physical process for creating the flap, a least thickness of the cornea was totally essential for safe vision correction and patients with thin corneas were denied for the procedure.

Now with the ease of use of the IntraLase with micron level exactness and computer controlled laser, yet patients with thin corneas can carefully get their glasses removed.