Is Bladeless Lasik the "Gold Standard"?

Without a doubt, having your LASIK procedure performed using the bladeless technique is the preferred method, and has been for several years. You will hear different terminology regarding this technique: bladeless LASIK, all laser LASIK, bladeless SBK and others are all referring to the same technique, which is using a femtosecond laser to create the flap, which is the important frist step of LASIK. I began performing Laser Vision Correction in 1994 with PRK, then moved to the mechanical... more

Bladeless LASIK, also known as all-laser LASIK, IntraLase LASIK, or no-blade LASIK, involves the use of a Femtosecond laser to create the corneal flap. The alternative method is to use a microkeratome, an automated mechanical surgical instrument which contains a surgical blade. Both work well... there are studies which show less risk of dry eye, and a lower overall risk of flap complications such as a free cap, incomplete or buttonhole flap, or irregular flap with the bladeless approach. Studi more

To say bladeless LASIK is the gold standard, or the standard of care are strong statements subject to interpretation. What I can say is that since introducing bladeless LASIK in 2001 we have progressed to a point that in the last several years we only offer bladeless to our patients because we believe it is a much better way to do LASIK. There are several reasons for this. First as you say there has been shown to be less dry eye problems due to the increased gentleness of the procedure. ... more