Custom Lasik

Custom LASIK surgery uses 3-dimensional measurements of how your eye processes images to guide the laser in re-shaping the front part of the eye (cornea). With this system, usually called wavefront, some extremely precise, individualized vision correction outcomes may be achieved that would be impossible with traditional LASIK surgery, contact lenses, or eyeglasses.

You must be qualified under Food and Drug Administration guidelines before custom LASIK would be considered for your eye condition. Depending on the custom laser system used and other factors such as appropriate thickness of your cornea, you might be considered a candidate if you have mild to moderately high degrees of common vision defects such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism.


Once you are considered a qualified candidate, then your eye surgeon likely will give you the choice of whether or not to pay extra costs typically involved with undergoing custom rather than traditional LASIK. Custom LASIK also might be the best procedure for you if you have difficult-to-correct or unusual vision defects, or if you need enhancement from less than optimal vision outcomes associated with past traditional LASIK procedures.

With custom LASIK, your eye's ability to focus light rays is measured from front to back, and a 3-D map is created that demonstrates irregularities in the way your eye processes images. Information contained in the map guides the laser in customizing the treatment to reshape your eye's corneal surface so that these irregularities can be corrected.

Standard prescriptions for glasses, contacts, or traditional LASIK procedures can correct ordinary vision defects such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. But other irregularities associated with the eye's optical system could not be addressed until the advent of wavefront and related technology used in custom LASIK.


How Custom LASIK Works
The surgeon will begin by using the wavefront device to transmit a safe ray of light into your eye. The light is then reflected back off the retina, out through the pupil, and into the device, where the reflected wave of light is received and arranged into a unique pattern that captures your lower- and higher-order aberrations.

All of these visual irregularities are then displayed as a 3-D map, referred to as a wavefront map. This information is then electronically transferred to the laser (in wavefront-guided systems), and computer-matched to the eye's position, enabling the surgeon to customize the LASIK procedure to your unique visual requirements.