THE EXCIMER LASER – HOW IT WORKS

A simple way to imagine how the laser works is to think of it as placing the curvature from your glasses or contact lenses onto the front surface of your eye, allowing you to see without corrective eyewear.

The following description applies only to the VISX STAR S4 Excimer Laser. The VISX STAR S4 Excimer Laser is the best laser available on the U.S. market today:
The energy output of the excimer laser is precisely controlled by diluting the active argon and fluorine gases within the laser cavity with inert helium gas. This is the coarse control of the energy output of the laser. The fine control of the energy output is acquired by applying varying amounts of high voltage across the laser cavity. In this manner, the energy output of the excimer laser, called fluence, is precisely controlled.