Technolas 217A Excimer Laser Approved

Bennett & Bloom Eye Centers recently installed Bausch & Lomb’s Technolas® 217 Excimer Laser System, for use in performing LASIK (Laser in-situ Keratomileusis), the fastest growing refractive procedure for vision correction.

Bausch & Lomb’s Technolas 217, when approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), far exceeded FDA guidelines by almost 15 percent. The FDA Pre-Market Approval (PMA) clinical study results show that following surgery, 87.3 percent of the patients could see 20/20 or better without glasses or contact lenses and 99.7 percent could see 20/40 or better.

“Offering the most advanced technology that will provide better surgical outcomes for our patients is the ultimate goal of Bennett & Bloom Eye Centers”, said Dr. Donald W. Bennett. “We’re excited to offer the most advanced approach to vision correction, yielding excellent immediate post-surgical results, fewer short-term side effects and overall better vision. This innovative technology will provide for fewer re-treatments and shorter recovery times after the surgery.”

Bausch & Lomb's Technolas® 217 goes a step beyond the current standard of broad beam (about 6 mm diameter) technology, creating a new therapeutic approach with a scanner-directed 2 mm flying spot beam. Following the computer's instructions, this precise spot of laser energy ablates the corneal tissue, allowing each pulse to polish the corneal surface for a smoother result. Unlike broad beam lasers, the Technolas® 217 scanner feedback mechanism ensures that every pulse is placed exactly as prescribed, and no laser shots are fired at consecutive locations, or overlap.

Using the latest in laser technology – the first true scanning/flying spot laser – the Technolas 217 effectively corrects the refractive error by utilizing its small beam profile to flatten the cornea centrally, and then “polishes” the periphery, or transition zone, to produce an extremely smooth cornea.

The Technolas 217, already widely established outside the United States as the market leader for treating both nearsightedness (myopia) and farsightedness (hyperopia), with or without astigmatism, is the only laser designed specifically for LASIK.

The Bausch & Lomb Technolas 217 laser is located in the new Bluegrass Surgery & Laser Center, the first Ophthalmology only surgical center which recently opened at 1400 Poplar Level Road. The center specializes in a variety of outpatient eye surgical procedures including cataracts, glaucoma, reconstructive and cosmetic eyelid procedures and now, LASIK!