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your fingerprint. Your surgeon then transfers
this precise data directly to a VISX® laser, and uses
it to custom-tailor your individualized treatment.
Who is a candidate for the Advanced
CustomVue procedure?
Treatments are available for a variety of
patients, including those with astigmatism, whether the astigmatism
is associated with nearsightedness, farsightedness or mixed
astigmatism. As a result, more than 94 percent of the U.S.
population that requires vision correction, 21 years of age
or older, are eligible for this life-altering procedure. If
you are 21 years of age or older and wear glasses or contacts
to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and/or astigmatism,
you may benefit from the Advanced CustomVue procedure. If
you meet the criteria, you should see your eye doctor for
more information.
What is WaveScan technology?
WaveScan technology was originally developed for use in
high-powered telescopes to reduce distortions when viewing
distant objects in space. This technology has now been applied
to laser vision correction, measuring imperfections in the
eye never before measured using standard methods for glasses
and contact lenses. WaveScan-based digital technology identifies
and measures imperfections in an individual's eye 25 times
more precisely than standard methods. Physicians use this
information to treat individuals with the Advanced CustomVue
procedure.
Why is WaveScan technology so important
to the Advanced CustomVue procedure?
Until now, physicians were forced to practice one-size-fits-all
vision. An off-the-shelf lens corrects an individual's vision
fairly well, but it is not uniquely tailored to "The
Fingerprint of Your Vision®." Now, with WaveScan
technology, we can custom tailor a correction for the unique
characteristics of each individual's vision.
What is Iris Registration Technology?
It's the first fully automated method of aligning and registering
wavefront corrections for Advanced CustomVue treatments. It's
normal for the pupil to shift positions from the point of
wavefront measurement to the point of treatment. Iris Registration
Technology centers the treatment correctly, independent of
changes in the pupil center from measurement to treatment.
Will I need glasses or contacts after
the Advanced CustomVue procedure?
Probably not. One year after the clinical study presented
to the FDA for treatment of myopia (nearsightedness), all
participants saw well enough to drive a car without glasses
or contacts. Ninety-eight percent had 20/20 vision or better.
However, individual results
may vary.
A significant result was that one year
after the Advanced CustomVue procedure:
- 100 percent of participants could pass
a driving test without glasses or contacts
- 98 percent of participants could see
20/20 or better without glasses or contacts
- 70 percent of participants could see
better than 20/20 without glasses or contacts
What is the IntraLase Method™?
The IntraLase Method is a 100% blade-free technique used to
perform the critical first step in the LASIK procedure: creating
the corneal flap. The creation of the corneal flap prepares
the eye for the second step of the LASIK procedure, where
an excimer laser is used on the inner cornea to correct vision.
How does the IntraLase Method work?
The IntraLase Method uses tiny, rapid pulses of laser
light to create your corneal flap-instead of using a metal
blade-during the first step of LASIK. Each pulse of light
passes through the top layers of your cornea and forms a microscopic
bubble at a specific depth and position within your eye that
is determined by the doctor. The IntraLase laser moves back
and forth across your eye, creating a uniform layer of bubbles
just beneath your corneal surface.
Just prior to applying laser vision correction, the doctor
creates your corneal flap by gently separating the tissue
where these bubbles have formed. The corneal flap is then
folded back so the doctor can perform the second step of your
LASIK treatment.
What is the difference between a corneal
flap created with the IntraLase Method and one created with
a microkeratome?
The microkeratome is a hand-held instrument, which contains
a steel blade that moves back and forth and creates a cut
as it travels across the cornea. A microkeratome is only capable
of making a single, one-dimensional cut across the cornea.
As it cuts, the blade oscillates back and forth, which can
leave an irregular surface after the flap is lifted. This
can affect the quality of your postoperative vision.
Because of the unique way in which the IntraLase Method creates
a precisely positioned layer of bubbles just beneath the surface
of your eye, it creates a smooth even surface after your flap
is lifted. With the IntraLase Method, a blade never touches
your eye.
How is the IntraLase Method different
from Epi-LASIK or photo-refractive keratectomy (PRK)?
These procedures differ from one another in the way they
prepare the surface of the cornea for the second step of LASIK.
Epi-LASIK uses an epikeratome-a blunt separator-to make a
superficial flap. Similarly, photo-refractive keratectomy
(PRK) is performed by gently scraping the surface layer of
the cornea, which may lead to corneal scarring. Both the Epi-LASIK
and PRK procedures can be painful and require more postoperative
medication. In addition, healing times may be longer than
with procedures performed with the IntraLase Method.
What's the reaction of patients who
have experienced the IntraLase Method?
In a clinical survey of LASIK patients who had their corneal
flaps created using a microkeratome in one eye and the IntraLase
Method in the other, the vision in the IntraLase-treated eye
was preferred 3-to-1 (among those who stated a preference).
Is the IntraLase Method right for me?
If you are looking for a 100% blade-free LASIK experience
that virtually eliminates almost all the most severe, sight-threatening
complications, the answer is yes. But to get this procedure,
you have to ask your physician for the IntraLase Method by
name.
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