INTRALASE SEES BIG DEMAND FOR NEW VISION CORRECTION TECHNOLOGY

Headquartered in Irvine, California, IntraLase Corp. has developed a way to reduce the risks of laser eye surgery, an increasingly popular operation that can correct farsightedness, nearsightedness, and distorted vision.

Laser eye surgery involves three steps: First, surgeons create and open a flap of tissue on the cornea. Second, an excimer laser beam is focused onto the exposed layer of the cornea to remove a prescribed amount of tissue in order to reshape the cornea. Lastly, the flap is carefully folded back into place covering the cornea. In most cases, patients realize excellent eyesight within 24 hours.

When problems do arise, however, they can often be traced to the first step—the creation of the corneal flap. Surgeons have traditionally performed this procedure using a hand-held razorblade known as a microkeratome. This device can be unpredictable, and a number of complications associated with laser vision-correction surgery are due to the microkeratome’s performance.

IntraLase was founded in 1997 to commercialize a laser-based process that would virtually eliminate sight-threatening complications reported with microkeratomes. IntraLase, however, required a fault-tolerant, highly reliable realtime operating system (RTOS) to run its new laser. “When a patient’s eyesight is on the line,” says Mr. Peter Goldstein, Director of Software Engineering with IntraLase, “absolute system reliability is vital.”

IntraLase initially considered using an embedded operating system to manage the control application’s realtime tasks and connecting it with a Windows-based host that would handle the graphical user interface (GUI). The company, however, dropped this approach, concerned that it lacked the fault tolerance and platform stability that eye surgery demands.

SEEING THE LIGHT WITH QNX
After evaluating its alternatives, IntraLase selected the QNX RTOS for its new INTRALASE® FS Laser. “We chose QNX for several reasons,” says Mr. Goldstein. “We liked the stability of the runtime module, the fast development cycle, and the native GUI, which was useful for prototyping. The modular architecture enabled us to create an interrupt-driven application, which needs to be extremely deterministic. As well, the extensive API allows a sophisticated realtime control and monitoring system to coexist on the same CPU with a fairly complex user interface and database manager.”

The application software runs on an industrial-grade PC that houses several peripheral interface boards. The control software of the INTRALASE FS Laser interfaces with a variety of digital and analog I/Os for control and monitoring as well as with the laser electronics. Serial communication is used to link with intelligent subsystems integrated in the laser, and a live video camera image is projected on the Photon microGUI®.

Quick Facts

• IntraLase has developed a new laser that reduces
  complications associated with laser vision-correction surgery
• The company chose to run the new laser using the QNX
  realtime operating system because of its runtime module
  stability, short development cycle, native Photon microGUI,
  modular architecture, and extensive API
• IntraLase expects its new laser to be used in over 100,000
  eye operations this year

QUICK TIME TO MARKET
IntraLase committed to introduce its INTRALASE FS Laser at a national ophthalmology trade show, leaving only 10 months to develop software. Despite the compressed schedule, the company delivered two working lasers on time. “The design-to-market cycle has been substantially shortened by the system architecture we were able to develop on QNX,” says Mr. Goldstein. “And as the product evolves and new clinical procedures are developed, these savings are repeated every time the software is enhanced.”

Eye-surgery patients also benefit from the new laser. No sight-threatening complications have been reported in more than 40,000 procedures performed to date, and the incidence of post-operative dry eye is reportedly reduced. The INTRALASE FS Laser and its proprietary IntraLASIK® software allow surgeons to create the corneal flaps with optimum control, predictability, and accuracy.

“Surgeons appreciate the safety and efficacy of the device and its software,” says Ms. Trudy Larkins, Director of Communications at IntraLase. “We expect the technology to gain widespread acceptance and be used in more than 100,000 eye operations this year.”

ABOUT QNX SOFTWARE SYSTEMS
Founded in 1980, QNX Software Systems is the industry leader in realtime, microkernel OS technology. The inherent reliability, scalable architecture, and proven performance of the QNX Neutrino RTOS make it the most trusted foundation for future-ready applications in the networking, automotive, industrial, medical, and smart device markets. Companies worldwide like Cisco, Ford, Johnson Controls, Siemens, and Texaco depend on the QNX technology for their mission- and life-critical applications. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, QNX Software Systems maintains offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, and distributes its products in more than 100 countries worldwide.

Contact us today to find out how QNX products can bring unprecendented reliability and performance to your next project.

www.qnx.com