Now you have more options than ever beforeWavefront-LASIK (Custom LASIK)The Latest in Laser Eye Surg...

1. Wavefront-LASIK (Custom LASIK) - The Latest Advance in
Laser Eye Surgery - Stanford Eye Laser Center
Now you have more options than ever before
Wavefront-LASIK (Custom LASIK)
The Latest in Laser Eye Surgery
Custom LASIK is the most advanced laser technology available. Custom LASIK laser treatments are
based upon the unique visual characteristics of your eye. Up until now, with glasses, contacts and
conventional LASIK surgery, corrections were quite similar for each type of prescription. Custom
LASIK involves measuring the eye from front to back with a special laser, using what's called
"wavefront" technology, to create a three-dimensional (3-D) image of the eye. The information
contained in the wavefront-map guides the laser in customizing the treatment to your individual
visual system.
Possible Benefits of Custom LASIK
Custom LASIK wavefront technology is revolutionary because it has the potential to improve not only
the quantity of your vision (i.e. the visual acuity measured by the standard 20/20 Snellen eye chart),
but also the quality of how well you can see (i.e. visual acuity measured in terms of contrast
sensitivity and fine vision). This may translate into a reduced risk of post-LASIK untoward side-
effects, such as difficulty with night vision.
How much you see depends on what lower-order and higher-order aberrations you have; lower-order
aberrations are also called refractive errors (i.e nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism).
Conventional LASIK treats these lower-order aberrations. How well you see can also depends on
what higher-order aberrations you have; higher-order aberrations are irregularities other than
refractive errors, and can cause such problems as decreased contrast sensitivity or night vision,
glare, shadows and halos. Higher-order aberrations do not always affect vision. Custom LASIK has
the potential to treat both lower- and higher-order aberrations. Some of the potential advantages of
wavefront LASIK are:
· Potentially a greater chance of achieving 20/20 vision without glasses
· Potentially a greater chance of achieving better than 20/20 vision
· A lasik surgery for aging eyes potential reduction in the chance of losing best-spectacle corrected
vision
· A potential reduction in the chance of losing visual quality or contrast sensitivity
· A potential reduction in the chance of night-vision disturbances
· The potential to use wavefront-LASIK to treat eyes that have previously had laser surgery and
suffer from untoward side-effects (Off-label use of technology)

2. Visx CustomVue WaveScan
Wavefront-guided excimer laser technology
The Visx Wavescan system was the first laser to be approved by the U.S FDA for the treatment of
nearsightedness and astigmatism. The VISX WaveScan system is made up of the Star S4 laser and
the WaveScan wavefront device. The company calls its custom LASIK procedure "CustomVue." The
FDA approval is for eyes with up to -11 diopters of myopia, with or without up to -3 diopters of
astigmatism. Surgeons can, for the first time, measure and treat visual disorders that previously
could not be detected.
In the U.S. FDA clinical trials, 94% of patients who had the Visx CustomVue procedure achieved
20/20 or better vision. The trial participants were four times more likely to say they were "very
satisfied" with their night vision following CustomVue than they were with their night vision with
their glasses or contacts.
How Custom LASIK Works
The surgeon will begin by using the wavefront device to transmit a safe ray of light into your eye.
The light is then reflected back off the posterior portion of the eye, out through the pupil, and into
the abberometry device. The reflected wave of light is received and arranged into a unique pattern
that measures both lower- and higher-order aberrations.
All of these visual measurements are then displayed as a 3-D map, referred to as a wavefront map.
This information is then electronically transferred to the laser, and computer-matched to the eye's
position, enabling the surgeon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usS63qoqOTA to customize the
LASIK procedure to your unique visual requirements.
Getting Custom LASIK
Like conventional LASIK, custom LASIK is a surgical procedure and has risks associated with it. It's
important to discuss its applications and potential complications with your eye doctor to determine if
you are a good candidate for this procedure.
View an article on Custom LASIK in the Stanford Report ,
and read more about Custom LASIK at the official VISX website for this procedure.
http://eyelaser.stanford.edu/procedures/wavefront-2.html