What is Wavefront Lasik?

    Custom Wavefront LASIK is the most advanced laser technology available. Wavefront 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 image of the eye. The information contained in the wavefront-map guides the laser in customizing the treatment to your individual visual system.

Benefits of wavefront vs normal Lasik

    Custom LASIK has the potential to treat both lower- and higher-order aberrations. Some of the potential advantages of wavefront LASIK vs normal Lasik are:
1) A greater chance of achieving 20/20 vision without glasses
2) A greater chance of achieving better than 20/20 vision
3) Reduces the chance of losing corrected vision
4) Reduces the chance of losing vision quality or contrast sensitivity
5) Reduces the chance of night-vision disturbances
6) Treat eyes that have previously had laser surgery and suffer from  unwanted side-effects

Procedure

    Before surgery there are several rules the patient must follow to guarantee success. Patients wearing contact lenses are instructed to stop wearing them 4 to 19 days before surgery. During a pre-surgery appointment the surgeon will examine the eye with a pachymeter to determine their thickness, and with a topographer to measure the counter of the eye surface. The operation is performed with the patient awake and mobile; however, the patient is sometimes given a mild sedative and anesthetic eye drops. The procedure itself is performed in three steps. The first step is to create a flap of corneal tissue. The second step is remodeling of the cornea underneath the flap with the laser. Finally, the flap is repositioned. The surgeon then creates a thin flap on the eye, folding it to enable remodeling of the tissue beneath with a laser. The flap is repositioned and the eye is left to heal in the postoperative period.

    Post-surgery patients are usually given antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops. These are continued in the weeks following surgery. Patients are usually told to sleep more and are also given a dark pair of sunglasses to protect their eyes from bright lights and protective goggles to prevent rubbing of the eyes when asleep and to reduce dry eyes. They also are required to moisturize the eyes with preservative-free tears and follow directions for prescription drops. It is also normally requested that the patients do not drive, and they find other arrangements to go home.

Am I a candidate for Lasik eye surgery?

   A candidate for any type of eye surgery must meet a few general pre-requisites. Patients should be at least 18 years old (and often times at least 25 years of age), demonstrate no change in eye sight for at least one year, and as with most surgeries have realistic expectations regarding the results of eye surgery. Patients who have experienced an eye infection or injury in the past year should not undergo the surgery. In the end this is something that only a doctor can decide. Normally, if you meet these requirements listed above you will be accepted.