Custom
- Wavefront LASIK
Custom LASIK surgery,
also known
as Wavefront LASIK, uses 3-dimensional
measurements of how your eye processes
images to guide the laser in re-shaping
the front part of the eye (
cornea).
With a Wavefront measurement system,
some extremely precise, individualized
vision correction outcomes may be
achieved that would be impossible
with traditional
LASIK
surgery, contact
lenses or eyeglasses.
You should be qualified before custom
wavefront LASIK would be considered
for your eye condition. Depending
on the custom laser system used and
other factors such as appropriate
thickness of your cornea, you might
be considered a candidate if you
have mild to moderately high degrees
of common vision defects such as
myopia,
hyperopia and
astigmatism.
With custom LASIK, your eye's ability
to focus light rays is measured,
and a 3-D map is created that demonstrates
irregularities in the way your eye
processes images. Information contained
in the map guides the laser in customizing
the treatment to reshape your eye's
corneal surface so that these irregularities
can be corrected.
Standard prescriptions for glasses,
contacts, or traditional LASIK procedures
can correct ordinary vision defects
such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism.
But other irregularities associated
with the eye's optical system could
not be addressed until the advent
of Wavefront and related technology
used in custom LASIK.
Wavefront LASIK creates a highly
individualized laser correction of
your eye's surface, guided by precise
analysis of vision errors that occur
as light rays travel through your
eye.
Potential
Benefits of Wavefront- Custom
LASIK
|
Wavefront technology is groundbreaking
because it has the potential to improve
not only how
much you can see, visual
acuity measured by the standard 20/20
eye chart, but also how
well you
can see, in terms of contrast sensitivity
and fine detail. This translates
into a reduced risk of post-LASIK
complications, such as glare, halos,
and difficulty with night vision.
How
much you see depends on vision
defects known as lower-order aberrations
associated with common refractive
errors including myopia, Hyperopia,
and astigmatism, which traditional
LASIK can treat.
How well you see can depend on presence
of the type and numbers of visual
distortions known as
higher-order
aberrations, which can include
irregularities other than common
refractive errors.
These higher-order
aberrations can
create problems such as decreased
contrast sensitivity or night vision,
glare, shadows, and halos. However,
higher-order aberrations do not always
affect vision. Unlike traditional
LASIK, custom LASIK treats both lower-
and higher-order aberrations.
Custom LASIK's advantage lies in
the area of quality of vision:
•
|
Greater
chance of achieving 20/20
vision
|
•
|
Greater
chance of achieving better
than 20/20 vision
|
•
|
|
•
|
Reduced
chance of losing visual quality
or contrast sensitivity
|
•
|
Reduced
chance of night-vision disturbances
and glare
|
VISX
CustomVue™ Wavefront
System
|
Our practice is proud to feature
the VISX CustomVue™ wavefront
system for individualized laser eye-surgery
treatments. The VISX CustomVue™ wavefront
system provides an extremely precise
level of measurement and correction
that was never before possible, setting
a new standard in laser vision correction.
The system allows the surgeon to
see aberrations on the eye clearly
and map them on a computer using
WaveScan
®, a technology so powerful
that it was originally developed
to create distortion-free pictures
of distant objects in high-powered
telescopes. WaveScan
® records
the unique "fingerprint" of
the eye and is 25 percent more precise
than traditional refractive-error-measurement
methods used for glasses and contact
lenses. Because of its precision,
WaveScan
® can measure more than
just nearsightedness, farsightedness,
and astigmatism; the system can also
accurately measure more detailed
imperfections on the eye.
Information from WaveScan
® is
transferred directly to the VISX
Star S4™ laser so that it can
perform a personalized LASIK eye
surgery treatment. Because each person's
vision is unique, no two VISX CustomVue™ surgeries
are exactly alike. This LASIK treatment
process also uses iris registration
technology to align the cornea with
the machine for the greatest accuracy.
