Yes, this is BIG NEWS! Wavefront mapping is the most amazing
breakthrough diagnostic tool for measuring the refractive error of eyes
to come along in years. With this technology you may now have fully customized
vision. For some, this may mean moving beyond 20/20 vision!
For the first time in medical history, we now have access to
technology capable of revealing exactly how your optics system
processes light. A newly developed, sophisticated piece of diagnostic
equipment called the WavePrint identifies
and measures imperfections in an individual's eye twenty-five
times more precisely than previous methods - that's astounding!
This is a dramatic step forward in our pursuit of perfect vision. Previously, we were limited to only a few basic measurement of the eye. Now, wavefront mapping gives us an actual 'fingerprint' of the entire visual system, not just the shape of the cornea.
Like a fingerprint, your eyes are unique to you. Wavefront measures the way light travels through your eye and compares it to the way light would travel through a "perfect" eye. This determines the distortions of your eye and creates a prescription that Dr. Seibel will use to plan your procedure.
Why Wavefront is important Nearly 60 million Americans today suffer from poor vision, all because of the eye's inability to focus light precisely on the retina due to a collection of structural defects, called aberrations.
These lower-order aberrations can be corrected with traditional glasses, contact lenses, and LASIK. However, if measured by using the typical phoropter (the adjustable machine in most eye doctor offices - pictured here), thousands of individuals will mostly likely end up receiving the same prescription.
Before wavefront, conventional laser vision correction could only correct sphere and cylinder errors. The precision was limited to the information provided by the phoropter and limited to 0.25 diopter steps.
With wavefront, sphere and cylinder are measured to the hundredths of a diopter.
The degree of correction for lower-order aberrations is measured as a quantity - how much of the chart can you see at a distance, with 20/20 vision considered normal. In its simplest form:
· Lower-order aberrations = quantity
However, there is a second category of optical defects, called higher-order aberrations.
These irregularities in the structure of the eye affect the quality of vision,
primarily details, causing such problems as contrast sensitivity.
· Higher-order aberrations = quality
Traditionally these higher-order aberrations have been described as irregular
astigmatism and considered an insurmountable hurdle to best-refracted vision
because there has been no method to take measurements. Until the evolution of
wavefront
technology, higher-order aberrations could not be detected nor corrected.
Now we have diagnostic power over irregular astigmatism as well as sphere and
cylinder. We have the ability to map precise levels of these higher-order aberrations
using such innovative powerhouses as the VISX CustomVue Wavefront Analyzer at
Seibel Vision Surgery.
What is the goal of Wavefront?
The goal of wavefront controlled LASIK is to develop a plan that improves the
overall quantity and quality of vision. The plan goes like this:
Greatly reduce the lower order aberrations of nearsightedness, farsightedness,
and astigmatism
Reduce, or at least not increase, the higher order aberrations
How it works
At its very basic, wavefront mapping uses a simple technique. It takes only a
few minutes to complete and is absolutely painless. No medications or eye drops
are required. You stare ahead at a field and focus on an object. While doing
so, a beam of light is projected into your eye. This light is reflected off the
back of your eye and out.
Using data points as reference, the wavefront analyzer maps where the
light exiting your eye land. What is produced is an exact rendition of your
eye. Earlier analyzers only looked at few data points (as seen below). The VISX CustomVue wavefront
analyzer at Seibel Vision Surgery looks at nearly 2,000 data points, providing
the most detailed map of the your eye possible.
The wavefront map (a very basic one show to the left), is a brightly colored diagram of
your vision. The different colors show Dr. Seibel how light is moving through
your eye. For example, red shows areas in which light moves quickly, blue
shows areas in which light is moving slowly.
For your LASIK procedure, a more sophisticated version called the WavePrint uses a computer to convert the information into
a highly individualized prescription. This prescription is transferred electronically
to the computer that controls the VISX S4 excimer laser, which then calculates
how and where it will affect the cornea. Dr. Seibel then uses this information
to perform your actual surgery.
Wavefront
