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Epi Lasek or Intralase Lasik (Both with Wavefront)

asked 4 months ago by Chris_perth in Australia
Latest answer by Christopher Coad, MD
Question viewed 219 times
Tags: alternative, options

I am led to believe that these are currently the most advanced laser eye surgery techniques to date. I am leaning towards lasek because it seems it is just as effective these days with less complications (eg less likely to get long term dry eyes) but a slower recovery time? I could be convinced otherwise if one had better long term results but they are both relatively new.

4 answers to Epi Lasek or Intralase Lasik (Both with Wavefront)

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Recovery Difference for Lasik and Epi Lasik

IntraLase Lasik (or iLASIK) certainly has much faster recovery, usually 1-2 days. Epi Lasik can take 2-4 weeks or more for visual recovery. The first week can be quite painful. I have not found much difference in dry eye issues, especially if dry eyes were not a problem before the laser vision treatment.
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The difference is the laser

When you ask about the most advanced form of laser eye surgery, the only difference is in the laser used. Custom WaveFront gives better vision than the others. Then the decision is whether you want the slower healing with Surface Ablation or the speedy recovery of LASIK. No definitive studies have shown significant differences over the long term. Most of my patients find the much faster recovery from LASIK to be a big advantage. The final decision is whether... more
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Epi-LASEK or Intralase?

We offer both Epi-LASEK and Intralase in our clinic and have many patients in both categories. There is some data that suggests that Epi-LASEK might provide slighter better long term vision performance results over Intralase but the choice of one over the other is not always clear and certainly varies from patient to patient. Other studies suggest that Intralase might have a shorter recovery time and better safety profile. There are many factors to... more
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EpiLASEK vs IntraLase

First of all, you and all the readers need to be clear that epiLASEK is noncutting, and IntraLase is cutting. many offices market IntraLase as "bladeless" which i suspect is a semi-intentional way to "confuse the public" and think that IntraLase is non-cutting, which is not true all IntraLase is is cutting your cornea in half with a laser, instead of a metal blade. it is slightly safer than cutting with a metal blade, as you can make the flap both thinner (which... more

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