Las Vegas Eye Institute: Does The Laser Your Lasik Surgeon Uses Matter

Las Vegas, Nevada -

Las Vegas Eye Institute (LVEI), based in Nevada, is reaching out to help their community understand whether the laser their eye surgeon uses makes a difference during LASIK treatment. The clinic confirms that the type of laser used does influence the procedure’s outcome, but there are other factors at play that patients should be aware of before they make any decisions.

To make it easier for patients to learn more, the clinic has published an article that explores the subject on their website: Does the Laser Your LASIK Surgeon Uses Matter. In it, the clinic says, “The simple answer is: Yes! But it’s like any tool in life; the device is only as good as the person using it. So you need great LASIK lasers, great diagnostic equipment, and a great surgeon to put it all together for the best possible LASIK outcomes.”

To emphasize this point, Las Vegas Eye Institute is pleased to share that they recently invested in the new Alcon EX500 laser with Contoura Technology. While the clinic already boasted an impressive LASIK suite, they believe there is no substitute for the best, especially not where their patients are concerned. Prior to the new laser’s arrival in July 2022, the clinic had achieved great results with their previous excimer laser. However, all tools need to be replaced as time goes on, and the clinic found that this laser was starting to deliver under expectations. Further, the manufacturer could not adequately demonstrate their ability to meet the clinic’s high standards. After much debate, they decided the right decision was to move on and re-examine the industry’s offerings.

While patients generally tend to care solely about their LASIK treatment’s outcome, the clinic remarks that many other aspects of the experience can be influenced by the type of laser used. For instance, Las Vegas Eye Institute points out that the new laser has a much higher pulse rate, and this means treatments now do not take as long as they once did.

“This doesn’t necessarily improve outcomes,” the article clarifies, “but it allows for very fast treatments. We have found that our patients prefer to have their treatment completed as quickly as possible, and with this new technology, most of our treatments are completed in under 10 seconds. This higher laser speed also comes with much higher eye tracking speed. Our Visx laser was tracking the eye 60 times per second while placing 20 pulses per second; in comparison, the EX500 tracks the eye 1050 times per second while placing its 500 pulses per second. Incredible speed requires incredible eye tracking, and the Alcon EX500 delivers in this regard.”

However, every patient must note that the laser used is by no means the only factor that will contribute to the quality of their treatment’s outcome. In fact, LVEI strongly recommends that they begin their search by looking for the best LASIK surgeon in their area (the clinic says the surgeon should ideally have advanced fellowship training in Cornea and Refractive surgery). Then, and only then, the clinic emphasizes, should the patient inquire about the technology at the surgeon’s disposal. This refers to both the laser they intend to use during the LASIK procedure as well as their overall diagnostic tools.

The clinic had other compelling reasons to choose the Alcon EX500 as well. For instance, they say it is able to perform Contoura Topography-guided LASIK treatments, which means their team can utilize upwards of 22,000 analyzed data points to receive precise information on the shape of the patient’s cornea. Since this topographic information greatly improves the LASIK surgeon’s accuracy and precision during each procedure, patients are assured the most technologically advanced treatment possible.

Founded by Dr. Swanic in 2013, Las Vegas Eye Institute's goal has always been to bring the highest quality of vision correction to the Las Vegas Valley. To facilitate their community’s understanding of their recent acquisition, the article goes into greater detail about the new Alcon EX500 laser with Contoura Technology. It also explores the other technologies the clinic uses in conjunction with the Alcon EX500 to ensure every patient receives the best experience and outcome possible.

A patient may contact Las Vegas Eye Institute to schedule a consultation if they are interested in getting LASIK. Every procedure is preceded by a consultation and thorough evaluation to determine the patient’s candidacy, and the clinic encourages all interested parties to use this as an opportunity to pursue any further inquiries they may have.