The Most Important Question to Ask About LASIK

You’ve been thinking about it. You hear your friends talking about it. You are finally ready to make that first move toward finding out if LASIK is right for you. Before you can make the decision on whether or not to have LASIK surgery, you need to do your research and investigate the procedure for yourself. There are so many questions to ask about LASIK that you may not know where to start. No worries, we’re here to help!

"Does your practice use a blade or a laser to make the flap during LASIK surgery?"

Finding out if the practice you’re evaluating performs blade or bladeless LASIK should be your top priority! It’s important to understand that LASIK is a two-step process:

1. Make the flap. – This can be done with either a blade or a laser.
2. Reshape the cornea. – This can only be done with a laser. This is the step that actually corrects your vision.

Not All LASIK Practices Perform Bladeless LASIK

You may be asking yourself, “do practices actually still use a blade to perform LASIK surgery?” Sadly, yes, they do. Despite the giant leap in technology that occurred in the early 2000s with the release of the femtosecond laser in the United States, there are some practices in the Charlotte, NC region that have not opted to invest in this technology to perform bladeless LASIK.

Blade vs. Bladeless LASIK

There are four reasons why you want to make sure your LASIK procedure is done with a laser and not a blade:

1. Precision – A laser creates a smoother, more precise flap.
2. Safety – A laser has a lower complication rate than a blade.
3. Optimal Results – A laser has fewer side effects than a blade.
4. Comfort – A laser feels better than a blade.

At Providence Eye & Laser Specialists, Dr. Mozayeni has been performing all-laser, bladeless LASIK since 2003! Why? Because he knows it’s better for the patient, and that’s always his number one priority.

You may call a LASIK practice and they don’t know if they use a blade or a laser (this could be a possibility if you reach a call center) or they tell you yes, they do use a blade and not a laser. If so, this would be your first indicator that this LASIK practice does not have the patient as their number one priority. The lack of investment in their technology, which is today’s standard of care, should indicate that other corners are being cut and that this may not be a practice you want to consider.

If you find out a LASIK practice is using a blade, you should do the following:

• Continue researching online by searching for “bladeless LASIK practices near me”.
• Read online reviews.
• Ask for recommendations on social media.
• Schedule a consultation at two different LASIK practices so you can see the difference between a practice that does blade vs. bladeless LASIK. At Providence Eye, we know that not all LASIK is created equal.

If you are ready to take the next step towards all-laser, blade-free LASIK, contact Providence Eye & Laser Specialists to schedule your complimentary LASIK with Dr. Mozayeni. We’ve never used a blade since we opened in 2003 and we never will!