Archive for the ‘Wavefront Technology’ Category

If you are considering having laser eye surgery performed, it is important to remember that this is a surgical procedure. As such, even though the success rate is extremely high, there is the potential of something happening that is either unforeseen or due to human error.

That is why, in order to have safe laser eye surgery performed, it is critical that you are completely comfortable with the laser clinic that you have selected, the staff and the surgeon who will be performing this procedure. To minimize your risk, it is therefore important that a number of processes be accomplished to check the experience and reputation of the clinic.

First of all, it is important to know that safe laser eye surgery is the common experience for many who undergo this procedure. However, a checklist evaluating the clinic and staff would include asking for referrals and asking the staff a number of questions that will increase your level of comfort with those that will be attending you.

The Safety of Laser Eye Surgery

One of the common concerns expressed by those who are considering laser eye surgery is the potential of losing their eyesight. It is important to understand that there have been significant strides in laser eye surgery. It has been recently reported in various medical journals that the incidences of complications has been reduced significantly.

The reality of safe laser eye surgery has become so commonplace that the miniscule percentage of patients experiencing difficulties were reduced from a reported five percent down to one percent of patients who received the surgery. Furthermore, those complications were not permanent and negative results were resolved through additional treatments. Additionally, it is important to note that permanent or partial loss of eyesight, due to complications, was exceptionally rare.

The Key to a Positive Experience

Choosing the right surgeon to perform the operation is the foundation to a safe laser eye surgery experience. Selecting the right surgeon can be accomplished through a number of processes. These processes include the use of referrals from your regular eye doctor, friends, neighbors and business acquaintances who may have undergone this successful procedure.

In addition, when investigating the various surgeons available, there are numerous web sites and associations that can be contacted that will provide a list of certified surgeons that can perform safe laser eye surgery. Also, a reputable surgeon will take you through the various steps that will explain the procedure and your being a good candidate for the Lasik surgical procedure.

Another key aspect to safe laser eye surgery is being comfortable with the staff at the eye care clinic. The technicians and other supporting staff should give the air of professionalism. Also, you should be comfortable with their knowledge and expertise in the familiarity with the equipment that will be used in the performance of the surgery. It is highly recommended that, because it is your precious eyesight, that you ask numerous questions. These questions should be answered to your satisfaction and should leave no doubt in your mind and heart as to the capability of those that will be assisting in the surgical procedure.

Custom LASIK surgery, also called Wavefront LASIK, analyzes the way light travels through your eye. This data is compared to the way light travels through an eye with perfect vision and a 3-D map is created of your vision. The surgeon, then, uses your Wavefront map to customize your LASIK surgery.

The Wavefront analyzer, also called an aberrometer, was introduced to the world of LASIK eye surgery in 2003. Doctors say it can result in you having clearer and sharper vision than ever before. It analyzes the way light travels through your eye, compares that data to the way travels through an eye with perfect vision, and creates a 3D map of your vision, demonstrating aberrations in your vision.

That map is programmed into the laser, and then the laser can treat your eye based on that custom map. You may be a good candidate for Custom LASIK if you have mild to moderately high degrees of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, combined with what is called “higher order aberrations” in your eye. These are small imperfections in the eye that are linked to halos, visual glare and other problems such as poor contrast sensitivity, that are not treatable with today’s eyeglasses, contacts, or conventional LASIK. It is even likely that night vision will improve.

Pupil size and the thickness of the cornea may indicate a procedure other than Wavefront. Also, if your higher order aberrations are not pronounced, you may be better off having the less expensive Conventional LASIK surgery.

The actual procedure is identical in Wavefront LASIK and Conventional LASIK. It is in the pre-operative testing and the technique for programming the computer with your individual treatment parameters where the two procedures differ. Surgeons who use the Wavefront analyzer say that it brings a whole new level of accuracy to the surgery. The Wavefront system provides information on more than just the surface of the eye and refractive error. It demonstrates how the whole optical system processes light. It is said that the difference in results with the two surgeries is like the difference between standard television and high definition television.

Wavefront LASIK is still a very new procedure, as it was just approved in 2003. The medical profession understands a lot about the eye’s lower-order aberrations and their stability, but far less is known about higher-order aberrations. So, not even the most skilled surgeon can predict how higher-order aberrations will change over the years.

You have to understand that this is still surgery and complications are still possible. Although it is possible that you will not ever need glasses or contact lenses again, it is by no means guaranteed. It is even possible that your quality of vision will diminish.

Not everyone is eligible for Wavefront or Custom LASIK eye surgery. But for those who are, this new technology improves the possible results, diminishing complications and giving new hope to those with halo, glare and contrast sensitivity issues that cannot be corrected with standard LASIK or corrective lenses.

Lasik eye surgery is an amazing procedure that has been used around the world to improve the vision of a multitude of people. The key to successful Lasik surgery is to link the information regarding the patient’s visual system to the Lasik laser. In this way, the cuts performed on the cornea of the eye are customized to fit the patient’s individual needs. Currently, wavefront technology is the most promising method for collecting this necessary information.
What is Wavefront Technology?
Wavefront technology is a system that is capable of providing a measurement of refraction at multiple points on the eye as light is reflected upon it. This creates a “map” of sorts, which is like a fingerprint of the patient’s eye, because it is completely unique to the individual.
Certain conditions within the cornea affect refraction. Some of these are considered higher-order aberrations, which have been traditionally associated with irregular astigmatism. The ability to correct these aberrations can result in a better outcome after Lasik surgery. This includes a greater possibility of achieving 20/20 vision, or better. In addition, wavelength technology helps reduce the likelihood of losing the best-corrected vision, of losing visual quality and of having difficulty with night vision. In fact, clinical trials showed that nearly 80% of Lasik eye surgery patients undergoing custom surgery achieved 20/20 vision. This is a higher number of people reporting quality vision after surgery than those who underwent traditional Lasik surgery.
In addition, wavefront can help determine what patients are not ideal candidates for Lasik surgery. For some people, Lasik surgery can actually exacerbate existing visual problems and make them even worse.
How is Wavefront Technology Used?
Traditional eye exams can only detect two corneal abnormalities, these being cylindrical and spherical. A cylindrical abnormality results in astigmatism, while a spherical abnormality results in myopia and hyperopia (near sightedness and farsightedness).
Wavefront technology, on the other hand, can detect an infinite number of aberrations. It accomplishes this by using a fixation target along with an input laser beam. The laser beam generates a light source, which is a wavefront sensor that is used to measure the slope of the wavefront as it exits. The software then determines the excimer ablation’s characteristics.
The visual fixation target is used to help the patient maintain the proper view while the measurement is taking place. As the patient fixates, the laser beam is shined into her eye. This light is then reflected from the retina and back through the pupil. The wavefront of the light leaves the pupil and is relayed to the wavefront sensor. The refractive properties of the human eye then distort the wavefront.
As the laser beam enters the eye, it produces a flat wavefront. In the theoretically perfect eye, a wavefront that is still completely flat will reflect back. In reality this beam of light will travel through a crystalline lens that is imperfect. The light then goes through an irregular cornea and other parts of the eye. All of this in combination causes the wavefront beam to become irregular, which results in valuable data to help determine the present shape of the cornea.
After wavefront is used to evaluate and diagnose existing aberrations in the eye, it is used to create the prescription for reshaping the cornea.
History of Wavefront
Wavefront technology has actually been around for quite some time, but it has only recently been used to aid in the correction of human vision. In fact, wavefront has been used for several years by astronomers for adjusting the optics in their telescopes for a similar purpose. When the reflecting mirror inside a telescope becomes deformed (as the cornea of an eye) it can be adjusted using wavefront data. This data is used to remove aberrations, like the Earth’s atmosphere (just like removing the aberrations found with astigmatism in the eye).
What are the Wavefront options?
There are currently three wavefront manufacturers in the United States. These manufacturers go by the trade names of CustomVue (Visx S4 laser), CustomCornea (Alcon LADARVision laser), and Zyoptix (Bausch & Lomb Technolas 217z laser). Each of these has the ability to create a customized prescription for individual patients.
Wavefront technology is an advanced method for creating precise and individualized prescriptions for Lasik eye surgery patients. With wavefront, patients have an increased likelihood of having a successful Lasik experience.