Carter Eye Center Lasik Vision Correction Blog - Dr Harvey Carter, Dallas TX

There are some differences when it comes to the laser used to perform LASIK, but these differences don’t seem to matter much to the average LASIK patient. They simply want their vision improved. Fair enough. However, laser technology moves quickly and the laser that was the go-to technology ten years ago is not necessarily the best piece of equipment for your eyes today. As a result, there is more than one kind of candidate because there is more than one kind of laser.

Types of LASIK Lasers

The types of excimer lasers used in LASIK include:

• Spot scanning lasers – commonly used and scanned across the cornea to produce the area to be cut, or ablated. These lasers allow customized ablations and treat astigmatism

• Slit scanning lasers – small beams linked to rotational devices with slits that enlarge. Scanned across the holes during your LASIK procedure to create the area of ablation. If an eye tracker is used with the laser, there is less chance that there will be overcorrection and less risk of decentration (glare, halos, and double vision)

• Wavefront guided laser – Wavefront-guided lasers first create a map of the eye and then shape the cornea in exactly the way the patient needs it. Slit scanning and spot scanning can use wavefront-guided lasers

There are many different lasers within these types. The kind of laser used depends on your pupil size, the ablation speed, and more.

If you would like to learn more about LASIK lasers and are in the Dallas, Texas area, please contact the experienced LASIK doctors at the Carter Eye Center today.