New iLASIK technology provides excellent outcomes for U.S. Navy aviators
June 8, 2009
Preliminary results of a study of U.S. Navy aviators receiving all-laser iLASIK treatment show 97 percent of eyes attain 20/20 or better uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) the day after surgery and 100 percent have 20/20 or better UCVA one week after surgery.
The study is investigating the effect of a new fifth-generation femtosecond laser, the iFS laser (Abbott Medical Optics, Santa Ana, CA) on LASIK outcomes for naval aviators.
According to AMO, the advanced features of the new laser include:
- Faster speed
- Lower energy (less likely to cause inflammatory tissue response)
- Creates a smoother corneal bed under the flap (for better visual results and easier flap lifting)
- Ability to create an inverted, bevel-in side cut (for greater flap stability after surgery)
- Ability to customize the angle of the side cut (to maximize flap stability)
When combined with AMO's CustomVue wavefront-guided LASIK, the new iFS laser is part of an all-laser custom LASIK procedure called iLASIK.
Study design
David J. Tanzer, MD, director of the U.S. Navy Refractive Surgery Program, recently described the preliminary results of a study of 32 eyes of naval aviators treated with the the iLASIK procedure. Prior to surgery all 32 eyes were nearsighted, ranging from -0.86 D to -4.58 D, with mean of -2.00 D.
Dr. Tanzer and colleagues compared the results of these iLASIK treatments with the results of 135 nearsighted eyes treated with all-laser LASIK where the corneal flap was created with AMO's previous generation FS 60 kHz femtosecond laser The range of myopia in this second group of eyes was -0.54 D to -6.94 D prior to surgery, with a mean of -2.41 D.
Study results
Analysis of the study data revealed:
- One day after surgery, 97 percent of eyes in the iFS group achieved 20/20 or better UCVA, compared to 82 percent of eyes in the FS 60 kHz femtosecond laser group.
- One week after surgery, 100 percent of eyes in the iFS group achieved 20/20 or better UCVA, compared to 97 percent of eyes in the FS 60 kHz femtosecond laser group.
- One week after surgery, 19 percent of eyes in the iFS group achieved 20/10 UCVA (twice as good as 20/20), compared to eight percent of eyes in the FS 60 kHz femtosecond laser group.
Dr. Tanzer noted that in addition to providing better visual outcomes, the other benefits of the new iFS femtosecond laser — specifically the surgeon's ability to adjust the side cut angle of the flap and create an elliptical flap — are highly valued for LASIK performed on military personnel. These advances help create a more stable flap and retain a stronger corneal structure after surgery when compared with previous methods of flap creation.