Z-LASIK

Welcome to Z-LASIK eye surgery, the bladeless, gentle way to restore sharp vision.

LASIK improves your vision by reshaping your cornea – the surface of the eye that helps focus light to create an image on the retina. LASIK, an acronym for “laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis,” is the process of using a laser to gently reshape the cornea, correcting the following refractive vision issues:

Myopia, or nearsightedness
Hyperopia, or farsightedness
Astigmatism

Advanced Z-LASIK uses a state-of-the-art laser to create a flap in the corneal tissue during the first steps of the surgery. This new technology replaces the need for the surgeon to create the flap with a small blade.

After this life-changing surgery, many patients report seeing better than 20/20.

The latest technology

Advanced technology and cutting-edge innovations have significantly improved patient care and visual outcomes in recent years. We use the latest, most sophisticated equipment for your procedure.

iDesign

The iDesign system creates a custom map of your cornea prior to wavefront-guided LASIK. The iDesign scan collects over 1,200 data points, making this system 25 times more accurate than normal measurements for standard prescriptions. iDesign assisted LASIK surgery is much more precise and effective than standard laser eye surgery.

Ziemer Femtosecond and Excimer Lasers

The femtosecond laser is used in bladeless Z-LASIK procedures to create a flap in the corneal tissue during the first steps of the surgery. This new technology replaces the need for a blade, or microkeratome, which was once used in first-generation LASIK procedures. After a precise flap is created, the excimer laser reshapes the cornea according to the desired treatment.

Advantages of Z-LASIK

Z-LASIK offers many advantages that lead to better results:

Z-LASIK has an extremely low impact on the eye. The procedure takes only a few minutes. The time the laser is in contact with the eye is reduced to a minimum.
Z-LASIK is comfortable and painless. You are given medication to help you relax, and your eyes are numbed with eye drops prior to the procedure. Your head is not fixed during the procedure.
Precision: A wave scan of your eye is done the day of your surgery to create a detailed map of your eye and guide your laser vision correction. It is 25 times more accurate than previous LASIK laser systems and can detect even the most subtle eye abnormalities. This provides a new level of precision and accuracy for optimizing each patient’s vision based on their specific eye.
Z-LASIK helps in severe cases. Thanks to the extremely high frequency of the laser pulses, the layers of the cornea are separated with unprecedented precision, creating an ultra-thin flap. Z-LASIK is therefore effective in patients who were previously not candidates for laser surgery, including those patients with extreme myopia or thin corneas.
No inflammation: The laser energy used for Z-LASIK is 100 times less powerful than with other laser procedures. This is more gentle to the corneal tissue and prevents temporary inflammatory reactions of the eye.
Fast results: The recovery period is shorter than for other techniques. Visual improvement is noticeable within a few hours.
Fewer side effects: Z-LASIK enables the surgeon to enlarge the treatment zone. This reduces the risk of undesirable side effects such as dry eyes, deteriorated night vision or haloes (rings of light that surround point sources of light).

The Four Steps of the Z-LASIK Procedure

Pre-operative Exam

Your physician performs a series of tests to ensure that your eyes are healthy and suitable for laser vision correction. Then, your eye is electronically measured in detail. Thousands of data points are surveyed to create an accurate three-dimensional image of your eye’s surface. From this image, the computer calculates the laser treatment that will best correct your refractive error.

Flap Creation

A few minutes before the laser treatment, you are given numbing eye drops. A lid speculum is placed between your eyelids to keep them open and to prevent you from blinking during the procedure. Next, your eye is prepared for the correction itself by creating the corneal flap. The top layer of the cornea (approx. 0.1 mm thin) is separated with the laser and folded back.

Corneal Correction

The curvature of the cornea is reshaped for the desired refraction. An excimer laser ablates corneal tissue within seconds and precisely to the hundredth of a millimeter. This procedure is performed inside the cornea; the outer, very sensitive layers of the cornea are not touched by the laser. Finally, the treated area is recovered with the flap that heals quickly. The whole procedure takes only a couple of minutes. Immediately after treatment, you can open and close your eye normally.

Easy Aftercare

Many patients notice improved vision immediately following Z-LASIK. Most continue to notice improvement over several weeks after surgery. You will need to use eye drops the first weeks following surgery to promote healing. Your doctor will review all postoperative instructions with you at your evaluation.