EpiLift Epikeratome from Advanced Refractive Technologies (formerly VisiJet, Inc.)

Epi-LASIK combines the best of today’s most popular refractive surgeries, LASIK and PRK, but does not require the surgeon to cut the patient’s cornea or apply alcohol as is done in comparable procedures.

When the EpiLift System is used, the epithelium – the top layer of the eye – is cleanly separated, at a natural division point in the eye, from the Bowman’s layer membrane in an intact sheet of viable tissue. The tissue is then lifted away from the cornea so that a laser can be applied to reshape it. This entire process, Epi-LASIK, produces virtually instant visual results similar to LASIK but with the stable long-term visual outcomes of PRK.

LASIK surgery, currently a standard corrective vision surgical process, requires making a flap in the top layer of the eye before the laser is applied. This flap, once created, never fully heals, which can lead to complications and possible vision impairment in the future. Because it does not involve cutting the cornea or creating a permanent flap, the EpiLift System allows the eye to regrow the connections with the epithelium, resulting in a safer procedure with a significantly lower risk of complications.