LaHayeSIK™: BEYOND Traditional PRK and LASIK

At LaHaye Total Eye Care, we never stop pursuing perfect vision. That’s why we spent years developing – and getting FDA clearance – on our next-generation laser vision correction procedure called LAHayeSIK™. This revolutionary approach to LAHayeSIK™ was undertaken by leading refractive surgeon Leon C. LaHaye, MD with a single goal in mind: enhance the overall safety, precision and accuracy of the traditional PRK and LASIK procedures while improving outcome and reducing the need for enhancement or retreatment.
When compared at every level to traditional PRK and LASIK, LAHayeSIK™ is safer and quicker, has more predictable outcomes, reduces complications and significantly reduces the need to perform secondary re-treatments. It accomplishes this by performing the entire procedure in a more controlled, sterile and safer surgical environment than traditional LASIK, which includes NONE of the 10 specialized tasks (see below) utilized by Dr. LaHaye in his LAHayeSIK™ procedure.

TRADITIONAL PRK and LASIK

During the past two decades, traditional PRK and LASIK have become the safest, most successful and most popular laser vision correction procedures ever developed. More than 10 million men and women around the world today enjoy crisp, clear, unaided vision thanks to traditional PRK and LASIK. As impressive as that sounds, Dr. LaHaye continued his development of the LAHayeSIK™ technology in an effort to help perfect the traditional PRK and LASIK operations..

LAHayeSIK™ – 10 WAYS IT’S BETTER THAN Traditional PRK and Traditional LASIK

The LAHayeSIK™ surgical method utilizes a single, multifunction instrument designed and developed Dr. LaHaye to facilitate and standardize each surgical maneuver and address sub-optimal issues associated with PRK and LASIK.

LAHayeSIK™ accomplishes 10-plus specialized tasks providing the surgeon with exquisite, single-instrument control to shorten procedural time, reduce complications and significantly reduce the need for secondary retreatment in most cases.

The majority of complications – and less than desired outcomes we see today – include infectious keratitis, diffuse lamellar keratitis, epithelial ingrowth, de-centered ablation, corneal haze, under-correction and over-correction. Most can be attributed to contamination by surgical debris, inconsistent hydration and dehydration, extraneous instrumentation, inconsistent laser effectiveness due to masking or blocking of the laser beam by moisture and surgical plume, inaccurate laser treatment because of fast saccades, and other factors. Because of these issues the need for additional surgery and subsequent treatments can range from 4% and higher.

Here are the TOP 10 Benefits of the LAHayeSIK™ procedure vs. Traditional PRK and Traditional LASIK.

I. Surgical Field Isolation and Fluid-tight Containment
The LAHayeSIK™ handpiece outer cone and lower ring design downsizes and contains the surgical field providing unparalleled isolation of the highly absorbent corneal tissues to protect against possible contamination by irrigating fluids, eyelashes, eyelid margins, glandular secretions, backwash, etc.

II. Secure Control of Eye Position
Surgeon-controlled fixation helps ensure accurate treatment and reduces total dependence on complex, sensitive eye tracker systems; saccadic contamination is avoided and patient anxiety is reduced by eliminating their responsibility to fixate.

III. Tamponade
The base of the handpiece tamponades the small vessels surrounding the cornea to help better manage problematic bleeding. Abrasive sponging to the flap bed margins and procedural delay is minimized or eliminated.

IV. Corneal Flap Management
A pedestal within the handpiece anatomically supports and protects the delicate flap from excessive hydration and pooling fluid contamination.

V. Target Tissue Hydration Control
Selective use of LAHayeSIK’s™ filtered O2 feature uniformly evaporates only the laser beam blocking moisture from the cornea surface to ensure consistent results. There is no need to touch the cornea with sponges or instruments that may contribute to target stromal roughness, and cause excessive or spatial dehydration resulting in attenuation of laser effectiveness.

VI. Surgical Smoke Evacuation
Seven ports designed into the LAHayeSIK’s™ handpiece instantly remove plume at-the-source, eliminating the smokes vertical travel and beam masking variability thereby avoiding errors and other possible complications.

VII. Sterile Surgical Field Irrigation and Cooling of the Treated Area
Pulsing, sterile, antibiotic-fortified irrigation via 4 ports in the LAHayeSIK’s™ handpiece rinses and re-hydrates the corneal tissues easily and consistently while avoiding pooling and backwash thereby providing the means to ensure the cleanest, most consistent and reproducible procedure possible. In addition, the chilled irrigation solution promotes less post operative pain and inflammation thereby reducing complications such as corneal haze and slower healing.

VIII. Aspiration of Surgical Debris
Aspiration channels within the instrument instantly remove surgical debris, glandular secretions and other contaminants from the corneal flap and stromal bed. In addition, safely and effectively removes mitomycin used in PRK procedures.

IX. Controlled Environment
Aeration, irrigation and aspiration combine to maintain a consistent hydration of the cornea, which is essential to predictable and consistent outcomes.
X. Precise Flap Replacement (LASIK)
The hinged pedestal allows proper, precise flap repositioning in a single motion. Excessive flap manipulations, “refloating” maneuvers, and instrumentation are avoided while pooling and backwash problems are eliminated.

XI. Rapid Flap Adherence (LASIK)
LAHayeSIK’s ™ O2 aeration feature accelerates and achieves uniform flap adherence in under 15 seconds; extraneous, potentially abrasive instrumentation and sponging is avoided as well as the usual 2 to 5 minute wait for flap bonding.