What is Custom Wavefront LASIK Eye Surgery?

Custom wavefront LASIK eye surgery is a LASIK procedure that utilizes wavefront technology to treat the eye (see What is LASIK Eye Surgery?). Wavefront technology has been around for decades. It was first developed in the 1970s to measure the imperfections in telescopic mirrors and lenses. The technology was

used to remove visual distortions from the atmosphere to enable astronomers to get a more accurate view of stars and planets through their telescopes. Wavefront technology was later applied to correcting visual imperfections in the human eye and was approved for use in refractive eye surgery by the FDA in 2002.

The human eye is made up of tiny imperfections that can affect a person’s ability to see well. These imperfections are called aberrations. Low order aberrations are responsible for vision problems like near-sightedness, far-sightedness, and astigmatism and are often addressed with corrective lenses, like contacts and glasses. High order aberrations are responsible for things like contrast sensitivity, halos, starbursts and other vision problems that are not treatable through corrective lenses. While traditional LASIK is able to correct low order aberrations, wavefront technology enables a surgeon to correct both low order aberrations and high order aberrations.

Wavefront technology enables ophthalmologists to take extremely precise 3-dimensional measurements of a patient’s eyes. These measurements identify tiny eye imperfections that are impossible to detect or treat through traditional LASIK eye surgery; they are used to create a definitive map for an excimer laser to follow as it reshapes the cornea during the LASIK procedure. In this way, a wavefront LASIK procedure is tailored to address the unique needs of an individual’s eyes.

Patients who undergo custom wavefront LASIK eye surgery generally achieve superior results. Since both low order aberrations and high order aberrations are corrected, patients often experience exceptional clarity and quality of vision after their surgery.

For more information on custom wavefront LASIK eye surgery, be sure to talk to your ophthalmologist. Not all people are good candidates for wavefront LASIK, so if you are considering LASIK eye surgery, be sure to find out if wavefront LASIK is the best type of surgery for you unique circumstances.

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