Laser Vision Correction Technology

The VisX Star S4

Your vision is unique – as personal as your fingerprint or your DNA. WaveScan® technology provides your eye doctor with a map of your vision. The VisX Star S4Initially you will meet with your eye doctor for a complete medical evaluation and eye history to determine whether you are a good candidate for the CustomVue procedure. Your doctor will discuss the benefits and risks of the procedure with you. A WaveScan measurement will be taken to map the unique characteristics of your vision. With this map, your doctor will be able to:

• Accurately assess whether you’re a good candidate for laser vision correction. Anyone who is considering laser vision correction should obtain a WaveScan measurement as the first step.
• Along with the other diagnostic tests that your doctor performs, an individualized treatment plan can then be developed to address your unique vision needs.

Once it is confirmed that you are a good candidate, your doctor will schedule you for a CustomVue procedure. Your doctor will provide details to you on how to prepare for the day of the procedure.

The Allegretto Wave®

The Allegretto Wave® customizes every LASIK treatment to meet the needs of each individual patient. The Wavefront Optimized treatment considers the unique curvature of each cornea. The system takes into account the spherical distortions that can induce glares and night vision conditions.

Allegretto Wave uses the innovative Wavefront Optimized technology to automatically compensate for the curvature of the cornea. Lasers in the past, simply focused on correcting the front of the cornea. The results ended up being that the flattened area ended with a edge that caused unwanted side effects like glares, halos and poor night vision.

The Allegretto Wave system changes all of that by sending extra pulses to the peripheral edges of the cornea. The extra pulses allow the cornea to maintain the normal aspherical shape. The Allegretto Wave produces a smooth, effective optical zone that produces high quality vision.

Clinical Results

In 2003, the FDA granted the Allegretto Wave® the widest approval range ever initially given to a new laser for both myopic and hyperopic vision correction. Since then, the results have been astoundingly positive.

• At one year after treatment, more than 93% of patients said they saw at least as well as or better than they had with glasses or contacts before treatment.
• More than 98% of patients achieved 20/40 vision one year after treatment; 20/40 is the level of visual acuity required to pass most driving tests.
• Nearly 60% of near-sighted patients achieved 20/16 vision after one year of treatment.
• Both near- and far-sighted patients reported an improvement in their reaction to bright lights and night driving glare after Allegretto Wave® treatments. In addition, near-sighted patients reported an improvement in sensitivity to light.
• Predictable results are the norm for the Allegretto Wave® . More than 90% of patients achieve refraction within 1 diopter of their target correction.

Is Allegretto Wave® Right for Me?

The Allegretto Wave® expands the boundaries of candidacy for LASIK. In order to truly determine your candidacy to Allegretto Wave you must meet with a doctor. After a thorough evaluation with one of our doctors at Clear Choice Custom LASIK you will know if

• You are under 21. In this case, your growth phase may not have been fully completed, meaning that your eyes can still change.
• You are pregnant or nursing. Pregnancy causes changes to your hormonal system. This can also cause your vision to change. It is therefore better to wait until your child is born and you have finished nursing.
• You have poorly-controlled glaucoma or blood pressure.
• You have keratoconus, a corneal irregularity.
• You have inflammation of the eye (uveitis, blepharitis or iritis)
• Your eyes have been infected by herpes simplex.
• You have suffered previous severe injuries on the eye.
• You have corneal scars or infections.
• You are taking certain medications.
• You suffer from other diseases of the eye such as AMD, diabetic retinopathy, cataract, or others

iLASIK

The iLASIK procedure combines all of the latest technology into one LASIK procedure. The iLASIK procedure utilizes the VISX Wavescan™ System to create a personal vision profile; a digital 3-D custom map of your eye, the Intralase laser to create the corneal flap and the VISX STAR S4™ to reshape the cornea.

1. Creating Your Personal Vision Profile
   The first step in the iLASIK procedure is to perform a series of tests to determine the individual characteristics of your vision using Advanced CustomVue® Wavescan technology. The Wavescan system creates a 3-D map of the unique imperfections of your eyes. This technology provides 25 times more precise measurement than with standard methods used for glasses and contact lenses. This map is used to drive the laser that corrects your vision.
2. Making The iLASIK Flap
   The iLASIK procedure exclusively uses the Intralase Method.A 100% blade free approach to creating your corneal flap – the thin flap of tissue that the doctor folds back in order to perform your LASIK procedure. The Intralase laser creates an extremely precise flap by producing tiny bubbles inside the cornea (clear front surface of the eye) The Intralase Method can only be performed using the FDA-approved Intralase laser.
3. Your Laser Vision Correction
   Now that the corneal flap has been created, your vision can be corrected using the Advanced CustomVue treatment utilizing the VISX Star S4™ excimer laser. The VISX STAR S4™ laser system is FDA approved to treat the broadest range of vision imperfections, including mild to severe nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.

The Cleveland Eye Clinic suggests you visit the FDA’s LASIK Page to ensure you have a clear understanding of the potential risks involved before you elect LASIK treatment. The best way to compare the different lasers is to look at the results submitted to the FDA by the laser manufacturers. (www.fda.gov) FDA approval studies are carefully reviewed, unbiased studies which give the consumer an accurate comparative picture of a laser’s performance. You’ll find the FDA’s list of the most common risks associated with LASIK, along with a list of the lasers FDA-approved for LASIK treatment.