But if you are considering laser vision correction of any kind-the popular and effective LASIK procedure or, if you are not a good candidate for that, an alternative such as LASEK or PRK-then it is no longer just a matter of passing interest. It is your responsibility to be an informed, prepared patient for any kind of surgery, so you need to learn the latest on LASIK technology used in LASIK eye surgeries as part of that preparation.

The best doctors and clinics want to ensure the very best possible results for their LASIK eye surgery patients, which often means having not one but several different kinds of equipment. There are technologies that are more appropriate for some patient conditions than others, which is why many practices are equipped with several examples of the latest equipment available.

There are at least five or six kinds of laser eye surgery equipment being used widely in the field today, and others are being developed all the time. Medical research and technology continues to make breakthroughs that improve and maintain people's quality of life, and the last few years have been particularly good ones for advances in LASIK treatment.

The WaveScanâ„¢ Wavefront® System used by many specialists in LASIK eye surgery works by creating a "map" that shows how your optical system, as a whole, processes perceived light. This results in something akin to a "fingerprint" of each eye's unique vision profile, meaning that each of your eyes can be treated for their own special imperfections during the LASIK eye surgery.

The VISX® Star S4â„¢ laser, according to many of its proponents, brings a new standard of accuracy to laser vision correction with a combination of two different systems known as Variable Spot Scanning and 3D ActiveTrak®. With a laser calibrated to .25 microns, this hybrid system offers astonishing precision, and can treat many borderline conditions that were once beyond the scope of other technologies. (For comparison, human hairs are 60-80 microns in diameter.)

CustomVueâ„¢ systems match a specially created profile (again, a kind of "fingerprint") of your vision to an "ideal" optical system. Once again using the VISX® Star S4â„¢ laser, this profile data ensures precise, uniquely personalized LASIK eye surgery. If you are one of the particular LASIK patients who qualify for this kind of procedure, CustomVueâ„¢ allows the surgeon to eliminate microscopic flaws in your vision that cannot be corrected with either glasses or contact lenses.

One of the newest developments on the scene is the IntraLase® laser. It uses a special technology and method for creating the corneal flap required in laser vision correction surgery. Replacing a standard metal blade, the IntraLase® laser produces a very precise flap.