Intralase Achieves One Million Blade-Free Lasik Procedures With [13+]

INTRALASE ACHIEVES ONE MILLION
BLADE-FREE LASIK PROCEDURES WITH ITS
FS LASER – THE TECHNOLOGY FOR
ALL-LASER LASIK

INTRALASE ACHIEVES ONE MILLION
BLADE-FREE LASIK PROCEDURES WITH ITS
FS LASER – THE TECHNOLOGY FOR
ALL-LASER LASIK
Company Celebrates Rapid Procedure Volume Growth: Nearly 50 Percent in 2006
IntraLase Surgeons Leverage the Ultra-Fast Laser and Its Promise of Safety and Better Vision to Drive Patient Demand for Blade-Free LASIK with the IntraLase Method
IRVINE, Calif., (November 08, 2006) /PRNewswire/ -- IntraLase Corp. (NASDAQ: ILSE) announced today that more than one million LASIK procedures using the IntraLase Method have been sold worldwide to date, confirming the demand for IntraLase FS Laser technology as blade-free LASIK grows among surgeons and patients.

The IntraLase FS laser is the first technology for a truly all-laser, blade-free LASIK procedure, replacing the hand-held microkeratome blade historically used in creating LASIK corneal flaps - the first step of the procedure - with a computer-guided, ultra-fast femtosecond (fem-to-second) laser. The IntraLase laser virtually eliminates the majority of the most severe sight-threatening LASIK complications related to use of the microkeratome and, by creating an optimal corneal surface below the flap, provides for better visual outcomes -“ taking many patients to 20/20 vision and beyond.

"Accomplishing one million advanced IntraLase Method procedures sold speaks to the rapid adoption of our technology world-wide among the top LASIK surgeons in the field - a fact we are very proud of," said Robert J. Palmisano, president and chief executive officer of IntraLase Corp. "We are building upon the success of our LASIK platform to create a versatile refractive and therapeutic instrument for ophthalmic surgeons."

IntraLase continues to make impressive worldwide gains in both sales and procedure volume as surgeons convert to the all-laser LASIK platform as a means of invigorating their practice. With 518 lasers installed worldwide as of September 30, 2006, the company reported approximately 363,000 procedures sold in the first nine months of 2006, representing a near 50 percent increase in volume over the same period in 2005.

"We have seen a significant improvement in our visual acuity outcomes and a meaningful reduction in our LASIK complication rate using the IntraLase Method. The blade-free approach is a very comforting message to patients, since it addresses one of their primary obstacles -“ fear of the surgery," said Richard L. Lindstrom, M.D., founder and attending surgeon at Minnesota Eye Consultants, national medical director of TLCVision and past president of the International Society of Refractive Surgery. "Adding the IntraLase all-laser LASIK platform to our patient offering has been a very positive experience for our patients, referring doctors and surgeons."

More than 1,200 surgeons worldwide have incorporated the blade-free IntraLase Method into their LASIK practices. In fact, the majority of the top ophthalmic teaching institutes including Duke University Medical School, the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins, the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at University of Miami, and Stanford University use the IntraLase FS laser technology to train future generations of LASIK surgeons. These early adopters are well positioned for success as the blade-free approach continues to gain the attention and favor of LASIK candidates.