IntraLase / IntraLASIK - Los Angeles (LA), Lancaster, Santa Clarita

Dr. Rabinowitz is dedicated to helping his laser vision correction patients achieve safe, rewarding results. To help patients obtain this goal, he is proud to offer his Santa Clarita, Lancaster and Los Angeles (LA) IntraLase patients this blade free method to creating the necessary corneal flap, which is the first step to the all-laser IntraLASIK procedure. Please read the information provided below to learn more about this leading-edge technology and technique.

LASIK laser vision correction is a two-step process. First a thin flap of the eye's corneal tissue is created and folded back. Then a laser reshapes the interior of the eye, and the flap is replaced. In conventional LASIK surgery the corneal flap is created with a hand held device that houses a blade, called a mickrokeratome. While this generally provides good results, most complications associated with LASIK can be attributed to the blade (see studies below).

IntraLASIK is a revolutionary bladeless technology that does not use a blade to create the corneal flap. Instead the IntraLase (femtosecond) laser's energy passes through the outer layer of the cornea until it reaches the its exact focal point in the central layer. The laser then works in an 'inside out' process, precisely defining a flap and the amount of tissue below that plane. The resulting corneal flap is folded back and vision correction treatment is accomplished as usual. Then, the corneal flap is folded back onto the eye to complete the surgery.

Dr. Rabinowitz is proud to offer the IntraLase FS laser and the software for IntraLASIK in Los Angeles at Laser Eye Associates located in the Mark Goodson building located at the Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Visit the company’s website at www.intralase.com for more information about this new femtosecond technology.

Dr. Rabinowitz is now one of the select few surgeons in the country using this revolutionary new technology. " We are now able to perform the surgery with computer controlled accuracy" says Dr. Rabinowitz, a leading researcher in laser vision techniques and Clinical Professor at U.C.L.A. School of Medicine. "That means that patients can feel more confident in choosing vision correction surgery". More than 90% of his patients are now choosing to have their LASIK done with this new bladeless technology. And more people are now finding themselves to be good candidates for laser vision correction due to improved technology, adds Dr. Rabinowitz. " In the past patients with certain corneal thickness and prescription ranges were turned away as candidates for conventional blade LASIK. That has now changed. The bladeless all laser technology is allowing us to make vision correction surgery available to more patients"

He also says that many of his patients cited the fear of a surgical knife and its associated risk as the main reason why they chose not to have vision correction in the past. Now since this bladeless technology has become available in Los Angeles, at Laser Eye Associates, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Mark Goodson building, they have gone ahead and had their vision correction procedures and are pleased with the visual outcome as well as the reduced fear factor Dr. Rabinowitz said" Those patients live lives freed from dependence of glasses or contact lenses which has dramatically improved the quality of their lives.

The following two peer reviewed studies in the literature compare the outcomes of LASIK using the conventional blade vs. the new all laser IntraLASIK procedure.

	Intraoperative flap complications using a conventional blade 1062 eyes (from Stulting, RD et al. Ophthalmology 1999:106:13-20)	Intraoperative flap complications using femtosecond bladeless technology (from Nordan, L. J. Refractive Surgery 2003:19:8-14)
Complication	No of eyes	No of eyes
free cap	10	0
incomplete flap	8	0
Buttonhole flap	6	0
Smaller flap	5	0

Other Statistics:

Blade	All Laser LASIK
Thicker flap More common standard deviation 40 microns Creates flap thinner in center large variation in flap shape and size and depth	Thinner flap Less likely standard deviation 10 microns Creates more uniform planar flap allows you to customize flap shape tailored to individual patient

Click here to learn more about LASIK.

Dr. Rabinowitz is proud to offer his LASIK Los Angeles, Santa Clarita and Lancaster patients the all-laser IntraLASIK procedure with the IntraLase femtosecond laser. He also helps Santa Clarita corneal transplants patients and those seeking treatment for keratoconus in Lancaster with their vision correction needs.