The Intralase method of laser vision correction is a blade-free alternative to standard LASIK Surgery procedures. Instead of using a blade to create the flap in the cornea, it is created using a laser.

The Intralase method creates the corneal flap using fast pulses of laser light, rather than the metal blade used in standard LASIK. The laser is moved back and forth across the eye, creating microscopic bubbles at a predetermined depth specified by the surgeon.

Before performing the actual laser vision correction procedure, the surgeon creates the flap in the cornea by separating the tissue where the bubbles were formed. Once the flap has been created, the surgeon folds back the corneal flap, preparing the eye for the laser vision correction.

The Intralase method is superior to the standard method for creating the corneal flap (using a microkeratome) because the microkeratome is limited by the fact that it can only make a single, one dimensional cut across the cornea. This may lead to non-optimal post-operative vision due to an irregular surface once the flap has been lifted.

Due to the way that the Intralase method creates a microscopic layer of accurately positioned bubbles under the surface of the eye, the surface is left even and smooth even once the flap has been lifted. It's important to understand that with the Intralase method of laser eye surgery, your eye is never touched by a mechanical blade.