Two Respected Eye Surgeons Debate Blade Vs Bladeless LASIK - In this eye surgeon debate, Brian Boxer Wachler... | Bladeless, Lasik, Term, Wachler, Boxer

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Two Respected Eye Surgeons Debate Blade Vs Bladeless LASIK

In this eye surgeon debate, Brian Boxer Wachler, MD, of Boxer Wachler Vision Institute in Los Angeles, and Vance Thompson, MD, Sioux Valley Clinic refractive surgery director (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and assistant ophthalmology professor at the University of South Dakota School of Medicine, help clarify opinions about the pros and cons of blade versus bladeless LASIK flaps.

These eye surgeons use both techniques but differ in their opinions about which method should be emphasized in uncomplicated LASIK procedures. Both are on AllAboutVision.com's editorial advisory board.

Some LASIK surgeons favoring microkeratomes have objected to the term "bladeless" in IntraLase advertising. Should the term "bladeless" LASIK be used?

Thompson: I agree with that term. It's very important that there be truth in advertising, and the truth is that no blade is used. Really, though, this technology typically is referred to as "all laser" LASIK.

Boxer Wachler: Technically IntraLase is bladeless. So the term is probably reasonable. Some people weren't happy about the use of the word "bladeless" because this implies that the microkeratome, which uses a blade, is scarier to the patient. This was perceived by some as "hitting below the belt" because of the implication that a microkeratome is somehow more risky, when in fact it's not.

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