No More Blades and No Fear 20/20 for Washington DC and Baltimore Area Residents

LASIK eye surgery has scared many people away from the freedom to see a clear new world. Washington and Baltimore residents can now place their fears aside because LASIK is out and IntraLASIK is in. In traditional LASIK the eye is cut with a hand-held mechanical blade, but with IntraLASIK there are no more blades, and no more cutting. The procedure is now a safe, all-laser procedure.

No Fear 20/20

Contact:

Paul B. Rousseau

Clinical Director

Liberty Laser Eye Center

571-234-5678

prousseau@libertylasereye.com

Advanced Laser Technology in D.C. Area Boosts Patient Confidence and Results in Having Vision Correction Surgery

Use of Femtosecond Laser Safe, Significantly Reduces the Risk of Complications for Patients of Liberty Laser Eye Center, Home of the Only IntraLASE® FS Laser in Greater D.C.

    (Vienna, VA.) -- Laser vision correction is now safer than ever, thanks to the new femtosecond laser Nancy A. Tanchel, M.D. is now using for her patients at Liberty Laser Eye Center in Tysons Corner, VA.

    The IntraLASE FS Laser she uses instead of the traditional blade is an entirely new way to create the corneal flap, the first step in the LASIK vision correction procedure. Traditional LASIK surgery uses a cutting blade, inserted into a mechanical hand-held device called a microkeratome, which is a major source of complications related to LASIK.

    Instead of using a blade to create the corneal flap, Dr. Tanchels skill and the precision of the new laser customizes the creation of the flap for each patient with micron level accuracy. The laser-created flap is more accurate and precise than previous methods and eliminates the risk of complications associated with the microkeratome in U.S. clinical experience.

"Patients trust us with their eyesight, and the femtosecond laser enhances our ability to provide the best vision correction experience for patients while eliminating their fears" notes Dr. Tanchel who has performed over 8,500 IntraLASIK, LASIK, and PRK procedures since 1997.

Fifty-seven IntraLASE FS lasers are being used by 80 eye surgeons in the U.S. and more than 60,000 surgeries using the laser have been performed in the United State to date.

Dr. Tanchel, whose patients come from Baltimore to Richmond to West Virginia, is the only surgeon in the greater D.C. area, and the first female surgeon employing the laser. She is among an elite group of key opinion leaders nationwide adopting IntraLASIK to ensure maximum precision and peace of mind for their patients.

"Were now able to create corneal flaps with computer-controlled accuracy." said Dr. Tanchel. "That means patients can feel more confident in choosing vision correction surgery with IntraLASIK." And more people are finding themselves to be good candidates for laser vision correction due to the precision of the laser" adds Dr. Tanchel. "In the past, patients with thin or irregular corneas and other problems were turned away as candidates for LASIK. Thats

changed. The new laser allows us to make vision correction surgery available as a better option to more patients."

For more information about the IntraLASE laser, contact Dr. Tanchel at (571) 234-5678 or visit: www.LibertyLaserEye.com.

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About LASIK and IntraLASIK:

LASIK laser vision correction is a two-step process. First, a thin flap of the eye's corneal tissue is created and folded back. Then a laser reshapes the interior of the cornea, and the flap is replaced. In traditional LASIK surgery, the corneal flap is created with a mechanical hand-held device that houses a blade, called a microkeratome. While this generally provides good results, the procedure can cause complications because it is difficult to ensure an accurate depth and consistent thickness of the flap with blade technology.

IntraLASIK®

IntraLASIK does not use a blade to create the corneal flap. Instead, the IntraLASE® FS (femtosecond) laser's energy passes through the outer layers of the cornea until reaching its exact focal point in the central layer. The laser then works in an "inside out" process, precisely defining a dissection plane and then leaving an uncut section of tissue on the surface to act as a hinge. The resulting corneal flap is folded back and the vision correction treatment is accomplished as usual. Then, the corneal flap is folded back onto the eye to complete the surgery.

The IntraLASE® FS Laser and accompanying IntraLASIK® proprietary software are registered trademarks of IntraLase Corp., Irvine, California. Visit the companys website at www.intralase.com for more information about the femtosecond laser technology.

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