Two Mississippi ophthalmologists perform IntraLase “blade-free” Lasik procedures

Thressa Baker, a 42-year-old mother of three from Gulfport, had suffered from “horrible” lifelong vision, extreme dry eye problems and other complications.

A few years ago, Baker had developed the ophthalmic condition, “dry eyes,” which radically worsened when she became pregnant with her last child. As a result, she no longer enjoyed wearing contact lenses and, for various reasons, was a poor candidate for Lasik laser vision correction. She also was developing early cataracts. Her sibling had double detached retinas, which put Baker at risk for detachments during surgeries, especially with her high myopia. However, Baker’s job involves reading daily so correcting her eye problems was high priority.

Baker was referred to Rainna Bahadur, MD, a Biloxi ophthalmologist at Eye Associates of the South, and reportedly one of only two ophthalmologists in the state using the IntraLase “blade-free” Lasik procedures.

Bahadur carefully planned a specialized cataract surgery to implant custom-ordered, powered cataract replacement lenses in both eyes to fully correct Baker’s nearsightedness. To prevent detached retinas, a peripheral retinal laser treatment was performed on Baker in advance. Bahadur used a phaco machine—an ultrasonic device that breaks down and removes cloudy human lenses—at 50 percent during Baker’s cataract surgery to minimize the impact on Bakers’ fragile eyes.

The results were stellar.

“The weekend after I had my eyes fixed, I looked at the beach and just started crying,” Baker said. “I couldn’t stop crying because I never in my life had seen a view like that – never. I see better than I have in my whole life.”

“We aren’t simply fitting people for eyeglasses and contact lenses,” said Bahadur, board certified and fellowship trained in corneal/external diseases of the eye and refractive surgery. “Everyday procedures can have profound, positive life-changing effects.”

Much of Baker’s life had been limited by her poor vision.   

“They hold themselves back from life and don’t realize that it’s their vision,” Bahadur said. “If we can improve or even restore their vision, they’re so happy and they can look forward to a better quality of life.”

Jackson ophthalmologist Kirk Jeffreys, MD, who launched Eyecare Professionals in 2002, and recently expanded and moved into the former location of Nick’s restaurant, also performs IntraLase “blade-free” Lasik procedures.

Board-certified with a special interest in cataract and refractive surgery, Jeffreys embraces the technology in his field that continues to evolve at a dizzying pace. The new option replaces the use of a microkeratome blade in the first step of the procedure, the creation of the corneal flap. The physician uses tiny pulses of laser light to create a layer of microscopic bubbles beneath the surface of the eye, after which the IntraLase laser stacks bubbles around the corneal diameter to create the edges of the flap. The entire procedure takes about 10 minutes.

“It allows for thinner and more precise corneal flaps, and fewer potential complications,” said Jeffreys. “It also allows some potential patients who may not have been candidates for traditional Lasik to be candidates for the blade-free procedure. I think it’s definitely the future of Lasik, and we wanted to be among the first to offer it. The technology allows us to do things in such a quicker and better way now than we used to be able to.”

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