LASIK Surgeons
Custom LASIK is also known as wavefront-guided LASIK. It uses a 3-D mapping system, called wavefront, to detect and correct problems with visual quality, such as halos and poor night vision. It also helps to prevent these problems from becoming worse. In people who have higher order aberrations, wavefront evaluation minimizes the risks of LASIK surgery.
Visual Quality vs. Visual Acuity
Visual acuity is your score on the eye chart. 20/20 is often referred to as “perfect vision”, but it does not always mean you see well. Problems with visual quality can mean poor vision, even if you have 20/20 vision or better.
Problems with vision quality include:
- Poor night vision
- Poor contrast sensitivity
- Glare
- Halos
- Shadows
- Double vision
These problems can be caused by higher order aberrations.
Higher Order Aberrations Can Be Sneaky. Wavefront Catches Them.
One of the risks of LASIK you have probably heard about is problems with night driving. This is one example of why custom LASIK can be a better option.
Higher order aberrations do not always cause noticeable problems with visual quality, but LASIK can exacerbate these problems. Wavefront mapping can detect higher order aberrations in people who are not experiencing symptoms, and wavefront-guided LASIK can correct them or avoid making them worse.
You can have a wavefront evaluation, and if everything comes up clear, you can still choose the traditional LASIK procedure.
Wavefront Technology
Wavefront technology is the same technology that has been used, for years, to adjust high powered telescopes. A wave scan light is used to create a 3-D map of your eye. It is accurate up to the hundredths of a diopter. In wavefront-guided LASIK the 3-D map is used to guide the laser in your surgery, for extreme precision.
Do I Need Custom LASIK?
If you have any of the symptoms of higher order aberration, custom LASIK is a no-brainer. But, even if you are not experiencing symptoms, wavefront evaluation protects you from, or greatly reduces your risk of, experiencing problems with visual quality as a result of LASIK.
If you are already living with visual quality problems, custom LASIK can treat those problems at the same time that your nearsightedness, farsightedness, and/or astigmatism are corrected.
That means, you could come out of custom LASIK seeing even better than you do with your current glasses or contacts.
Learn more about custom LASIK by talking to one of the experienced LASIK surgeons profiled in this directory.
