What is the advantage of Blade-free LASIK surgery?
Several clinical studies suggest that regardless of whether the LASIK flap is created with a blade (microkeratome) or created with a laser (Blade-free LASIK), the visual outcome is excellent. There does not seem to be a significant advantage of one way of cutting the flap versus the other in regards to the vision obtained after the surgery. However, Blade-free LASIK may offer a small advantage of safety over LASIK in which a blade is used the cut the flap. Very rarely, when a blade makes the flap, the flap can be made irregularly, having a tattered edge or perhaps a buttonhole in the center. This may occur if the blade (microkeratome) comes loose from the eye during its cutting pass. With a laser created flap in Blade-free LASIK, this risk of an irregular flap may be smaller. If the laser becomes detached from the eye during the cutting pass, unlike the blade, the laser can be reattached and the pass started over in most cases. As such, a portion of flap related complications may be av
