Improving The Lasik Surgery Process

A lot of nearsighted people who'd rather not wear glasses or contacts opt for Lasik surgery, a laser procedure that reshapes the cornea to correct vision.

Last year doctors performed about 3 million procedures worldwide. Roughly half of those were in the U.S.

Before the actual laser procedure, doctors need to form a corneal flap to prepare the eye. For that first vital step, most doctors don't use a laser at all. They use a special surgical blade known as a microkeratome.

IntraLase Corp. (ILSE) says it has a better way: using a laser it developed just for that first step. And a growing number of ophthalmologists and patients have become believers.

Four years after its launch, IntraLase's laser is used in about 25% of all Lasik procedures in the U.S. They're also used in many outside the U.S.

Speeding Things Up

Roger Steinert, vice chairman of ophthalmology at the University of California, Irvine, first came into contact with the laser in 2004.

"It took me about two weeks to realize it was better (than the blade)," said Steinert, who now serves on IntraLase's scientific advisory board.

In terms of safety, reliability and outcome, the IntraLase FS laser has shown to be more effective than the traditional blade, experts say.

The problem was, the laser didn't work as fast. That might change with the recent launch of the 60-kHz IntraLaser, the fourth-generation model. The new model cuts the procedure time nearly in half, to about 18 seconds.

"With the latest 60-kHz they have probably removed the last remaining objection many doctors had," said Phil Nalbone, medical technology analyst with RBC Capital Markets. "The market was already migrating towards this technology because of the greater measure of reliability, safety and predictability. Speed takes it to another level in terms of acceptance."

IntraLase's stock moved up sharply after the company unveiled its newest model in March at the annual American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting in San Francisco.

The new model started shipping April 1. IntraLase wouldn't say how many orders it's lined up.

The 60-kHz IntraLaser costs the same as prior models — $375,000 each. Upgrade packages are available for customers with older models.

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