New model femtosecond laser available

IntraLase Corp. has introduced its new IntraLase FS30 laser, and patients and surgeons alike are benefiting from its faster procedure time, tighter spot placement, and lower energy compared with its predecessor, the IntraLase FS.

Operating at 30 instead of 15 kHz, the FS30 femtosecond laser can be used to create a LASIK flap in less than 30 seconds. The reduced procedure time has positive implications for patients and surgical efficiency.

"The time it takes me to create a flap with this new laser has been cut in half and now averages in the 27- to 29-second range," said Tom I. Tooma, MD, medical director for all TLC Laser Eye Centers in California. "This shortened procedure is more comfortable for patients, but also enhances patient throughput, a benefit that is particularly important for a busy surgical center."

"Now the duration during which IOP is elevated is comparable to that associated with use of a conventional microkeratome," Dr. Tooma said. "However, the laser flap procedure is much safer because the suction pressure used and amount of IOP elevation occurring is much lower."

With the speed of the laser doubled, it has become possible to reduce the raster separation as well as the spot separation. Those features translate into superior dissection quality that enables flap elevation.

"Raising the flap is now extremely easy and not much different from elevating a flap created with a mechanical microkeratome," Dr. Tooma said.

The IntraLase FS30 operates using an energy of as little as 0.7 mJ compared with more than 1.3 mJ using the original system. The benefits of that feature include a reduced potential for postoperative inflammatory response as well as a smoother intracorneal surface.

"Using the new FS30 laser, the incidences of DLK and flap edema are minimized and so my 1-day UCVA outcomes are consistently excellent," Dr. Tooma said. "For most patients, UCVA on the first day after surgery is 20/15 or 20/20."