Custom-LASIK and Custom-ASA

No two eyes are alike, and like your DNA or fingerprint, your vision is unique. For hundreds of years, glasses have been used to correct vision by eliminating one or more of the three basic elements of blurring; nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. However, advances in optics have demonstrated that these three basic elements are only part of the picture. There are tiny imperfections or distortions in every eye, even when the perfect glasses or contact prescription is used. To understand this further, imagine two people who visit the eye doctor and obtain exactly the same glasses prescription. Using standard laser correction, those two individuals would be treated with exactly the same laser treatment plan, despite the fact that their eyes each have a unique set of naturally occurring tiny imperfections and distortions. And while we have achieved excellent results by treating only these three basic elements (nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism), we can now offer even more.

Dell Laser Consultants offers the technological advantage of Custom wavefront-guided laser vision correction. Custom laser correction involves a diagnostic device that maps the entire optical path of your eye, including the tiny distortions and imperfections naturally present in all eyes. This is effectively a unique "fingerprint of your vision," and provides us with extremely precise and detailed information about your vision. The technology involved is highly complex, and is based upon mathematical techniques used to improve the performance and image quality of deep space telescopes. This customized unique map of your eye is then loaded into the computer of the excimer laser, which generates a wavefront customized treatment appropriate for the individual "fingerprint" (video) of your eye.

Results of an FDA clinical trial of this technology demonstrated that an incredible 94% of patients treated were able to see 20/20 or better without glasses. Four times as many people in the trial were very satisfied with their night vision after LASIK, compared to their night vision before with glasses or contacts. These results are superior to those obtained with standard laser correction, and the dramatic improvement in night vision may be the greatest single advantage of custom laser correction. Custom correction can be applied to both LASIK and Advanced Surface Ablation photorefractive keratectomy (ASA) treatment (video).

You are probably already familiar with one application of wavefront-guided optical technology. In December 1993, Space Shuttle Mission STS-61 installed the COSTAR (Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement) upgrade to the Hubble Space telescope to correct spherical aberration in the lens system of the telescope. Spherical aberration is one of the main phenomena corrected by Custom wavefront guided laser vision correction.

Custom LASIK | Austin

 


Dr. Dell in front of the Keck Observatory - Mauna Kea volcano, Hawaii

The premier astronomy telescope on earth, (Keck Observatory), uses a wavefront guided system to control its adaptive optics.  This is the world’s largest optical and infrared telescope.  Adaptive optics allow this telescope to resolve images that no other telescope in the world can. This telescope now produces images with greater crispness and detail than those resulting from the Hubble Space Telescope.

 

The United States Navy used our laser to prove that wavefront-guided LASIK to correct myopia combined with Intralase (bladeless flap creation), significantly improved night driving visual performance and was significantly better than non-custom (non-wavefront guided) LASIK. Ophthalmology 2009;116:702-709

This study was revolutionary for showing that our LASER technology greatly increased night vision versus other technologies. It was also instrumental in the approval of our laser technology for all fighter pilots in the military and NASA astronauts.

Iris registration is what allows our LASER to correct your prescription with unparalleled accuracy. Almost everyone has some amount of astigmatism, and if your treatment is misaligned even slightly, it could result in poor vision. This video illustrates how even minor misalignment can be detrimental to your vision (video). Only our laser uses iris registration to ensure you the best possible vision.

The VISX Iris Registration Technology

  • As a part of the VISX CustomVue™ wavefront-guided laser vision correction procedure, accurate alignment of the treatment to the cornea is essential for optimal outcomes.
  • Iris Registration Technology replaces previous methods of attaining accurate alignment, which required the physician to manually place ink marks on the white part of the eye called the sclera.
  • Iris Registration is a hardware and software product enhancement that is a seamless upgrade to the VISX WaveScan WaveFront™ System and VISX STAR S4™ Excimer Laser – the technology that drives the CustomVue procedure.
  • Iris Registration Technology is a non-contact method of aligning the treatment to the cornea that provides greater laser alignment accuracy.
  • Unlike manual, ink-based alignment methods, Iris Registration Technology is not time sensitive, and allows the physician to re-register alignment even if the treatment has been paused or the eye has moved.
  • Iris Registration enables the physician to image the iris and creates a new level of confidence in the accurate placement of the correct treatment on the patient’s eye.

The Key Patient Benefits of VISX Iris Registration Technology

  • It’s normal for the pupil to shift positions from the point of wavefront measurement to the point of treatment.
  • Accurate alignment is essential to optimizing customized wavefront-guided ablations, and the VISX Iris Registration Technology makes it easier than ever with a fully automated method.
  • When the CustomVue procedure is performed, the Iris Registration Technology centers the treatment correctly, independent of changes in the pupil center from measurement to treatment.
  • VISX™ Iris Registration Technology makes it easier than ever to achieve accurate alignment with a fully automated, touch-free method of measuring and marking the eye.
  • Iris Registration Technology can save procedure time.

How does VISX Iris Registration Technology work?

One set of measurements are taken with the patient seated at the WaveScan™, and another set taken with the patient lying down on the laser bed. Then, the technology employs a five-step iris registration process:

  1. The system finds and unwraps the iris.
  2. The system then selects prominent reference points for each iris.
  3. Using a set of sophisticated algorithms, the system finds multiple matching reference points for each iris.
  4. The system then calculates the treatment surface angles from multiple matching reference points.
  5. Iris Registration Technology then automatically checks the solution quality.

 

Health/Flex Savings Account Approved

LASIK is an approved procedure for use with Health Savings Accounts or Flex Spending Accounts.

If appropriate funds are allocated to your Flex account, you can use tax free dollars to pay for your LASIK surgery. This can be a substantial savings. You could save up to $2400 on your procedure, depending on what tax bracket you fall in to.

In certain cases, the money can only be put into the account at specific times of the year, so it is important you check with your employer as to these rules. The allocated funds often have to be used by a certain time period or you loose the benefit.

Although the money may be invested this year many plans allow for the surgery to be done well into the following year.

Whether you choose one of our zero percent financing plans or elect to use your flex spending account, with some early planning you can save a lot of money.

 

901 Mopac Expressway South • Suite 350 • Barton Oaks Plaza lV  • Austin,TX 78746 
Tel - 512.347.0255
Fax - 512.347.0785