Laser Vision Correction and Wavefront Technology

Laser vision correction is any procedure that uses a laser to reshape the cornea to reduce or eliminate the need for contacts and glasses. LASIK, PRK, and LASEK are the most common procedures, applicable to most people wearing corrective lenses. Wavefront (also referred to as Custom) is a highly customized laser vision correction technique used for all the procedures, that can correct your vision more precisely than ever before.

Originally invented by NASA for use in high-powered precision telescopes, Wavefront technology is now available for medical use. Using a device called an aberrometer, the doctor is able to measure the way light travels through your entire optical pathway and compare it to the way light travels through an optically perfect eye. This creates a WavePrint™, a 3-D map of your cornea that is as unique to you as your fingerprint and 25 times more precise than a prescription obtained using conventional diagnostic equipment. The information from this customized "fingerprint" is transferred electronically to the laser, enabling your eye surgeon to adjust the laser to your unique visual requirements.

Wavefront LASIK - Improving the Quality of Your Vision

Several types of visual imperfections, referred to as lower- and higher-order aberrations, can exist within the eye and affect both visual acuity and the quality of vision. Previously, only lower-order aberrations (such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism) could be measured and treated either with glasses or contacts or conventional LASIK treatments. Higher-order aberrations, often linked to the visual glare and halos that cause night vision problems, could not be corrected and continued to affect quality of vision.

With the advent of Wavefront technology and Custom LASIK, however, surgeons now have the diagnostic tools to measure 217 unique points along the optical pathway to determine and ultimately correct both lower- and higher-order aberrations. Using the precision provided by the WavePrint™ map, both Custom LASIK and Custom PRK have the potential to not only correct how much you see, but also how well you see.

Who Can Benefit From Custom Wavefront LASIK?

Across the population as a whole, approximately 80% of refractive errors are due to lower-order aberrations, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Higher-order aberrations are thought to account for the remaining 20%. Those patients with a significant amount of higher-order aberrations may not have satisfactory results with conventional LASIK or PRK. A Wavefront guided laser eye surgery may be the only way to treat their refractive errors. There is also evidence that a customized Wavefront LASIK surgery can yield crisper post-operative vision and reduce the chance of night vision problems and glare - even in patients with low to moderate amounts of higher-order aberrations. The best way to determine how a customized procedure may benefit you is to have a comprehensive eye evaluation and to obtain a WavePrint map of your own individual visual "fingerprint."

What Results Have Been Achieved With Custom Wavefront LASIK?

Conventional LASIK has been, and continues to be, a very successful procedure. All of our patients have improved vision, and almost 100% of patients can legally drive a car without glasses or contact lenses. Custom Wavefront LASIK, however, makes good results even better.

VISX, Incorporated, a pioneer in Custom Wavefront technology, conducted a multi-center, FDA clinical study to assess the safety and efficacy of its Wavefront guided laser eye surgery for the treatment of nearsightedness and astigmatism. One year after having Custom LASIK, 98% of study participants could see 20/20 or better without glasses or contacts and 70% of participants could see 20/16 or better. And, 40% said that they could see better after their vision was corrected with Wavefront surgery than they did with glasses or contacts before surgery!

In addition, VISX continues to make improvements in vision technology. In December 2004, VISX became the first company to gain FDA approval for its wavefront guided treatment for farsightedness with or without astigmatism. A six-month evaluation of clinical study participants showed that 97.3% of farsighted patients without astigmatism were corrected to 20/40 or better and 66.2% of patients were corrected to 20/20 or better - a 10% increase over results with conventional LASIK! The evaluation also showed that more than four times as many people were " very satisfied " with their night vision after the procedure, compared to their night vision with glasses and contacts before surgery. The VISX clinical study results exceeded all of the FDA required measurements for safety and effectiveness.