Wavefront-guided laser vision correction, also known as Custom LASIK or
Custom laser surface ablation uses wavefront technology to measure
optical imperfections and aberrations in the human eye or cornea and
then uses this information to create a 3-D map which it feeds into the
laser computer to create a customized treatment profile. The customized
laser sculpting of the cornea attempts to improve the eye's optical
imperfections, potentially leading to a better contrast and quality of
vision. Wavefront technology was first developed for high-powered
telescopes, to sharpen the image of distant stars that were distorted by
the earth's atmosphere. More recently, the technology has been applied
by German scientists to the correction of human vision. It had later
been approved by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration,
and has matured significantly over the past couple of years.
Conventional laser vision treatment corrects only myopia, hyperopia, and
astigmatism based only on one point in the eye. Wavefront-guided or
Custom laser vision correction relies on a detailed map of the eye or
the cornea to additionally correct inherent optical aberrations, called
higher order aberrations. The latter are responsible for problems
with visual crispness, clarity, contrast sensitivity, glare, halos, and
starburst.
Many people will get excellent result with conventional treatments, and
might not appreciably benefit from this additional technology. However,
many others will be better off with custom treatment. Based on your
initial preoperative exam and imaging results, your doctor should be
able to give you the best advice.
