SBK, PRK, LASIK, LASEK, IntraLasik, etc. etc - the alphabet soup of LVC (Laser Vision Correction)
So many times patients come to our practice asking for a second opinion about their status as a candidate for laser vision correction (LVC). Often, they are confused because they were informed that they were an "ideal" candidate for any number of "new" procedures with unfamiliar abbreviations. Typically, these abbreviations merely represent anatomic designations or iterations of procedures which have been offered for years.
All forms of LVC effect their change upon vision by subtly altering the curvature of the cornea, the outer window of the eye. There are only two basic methods to do this, by applying excimer laser energy to the surface of the cornea, or by applying the excimer laser energy just underneath the surface of the cornea, following creation of a flap.
Listed below are the procedural abbreviations and the actual terms of some of the more frequently referenced laser vision correction procedures.
PRK - photorefractive keratectomy
ASA - advanced surface ablation
LASEK - Laser Assisted In Situ Epithelial Keratomileusis
Each of the three procedures listed above involve some methodology of applying laser energy to the surface of the cornea. The difference between the three terms represents the surgeon's choice of terminology as it applies to how he/she manages the eye prior to and immediately after excimer application to the outer aspect of the cornea. As these procedures are essentially the same, the outcomes are essentially the identical.
LASIK - Laser Assisted in Situ Keratomeleusis
All-Laser LASIK or "No-Blade" LASIK - LASIK performed without a blade, using a femtosecond laser in tandem with an excimer laser
IntraLASIK - All - Laser LASIK, where the femtosecond laser is a specific laser - an IntraLAse Laser
SBK - Sub - Bowman's Keratomileusis
Each of these procedures involve a flap being created, with a critical difference between LASIK and the other processes - LASIK typically connotes that the flap is created with an instrument that uses a blade. In 2001, Flap creation via a femtosecond laser was approved by the FDA. In 2003, we were among the first practices in the nation to adopt this technology. Now, some four femtosecond laser upgrades since, we feature this system in tandem with the Allegretto Eye Q laser to offer out patients the region's most advanced laser treatment options.
Sub-Bowman's Keratomileusis is a form of No Blade LASIK where the flap is planar (essentially shaped like a perfect disc) and ultra-thin. The SBK designation began to gain momentum in 2005 as IntraLase gained market share. We at the NorthEast Laser Center applauded thus designation, as we had been utilizing the Intralase femtosecond system to create flaps with these specifications at least two years earlier!
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