What Is Wavefront, And Is It Better Than Conventional Laser Eye Surgery?

The difference between a standard procedure and a wavefront guided treatment is essentially that in a standard treatment one corrects for a glasses prescription. In a glasses prescription, we treat approximately 90% to 95% of the refractive error that the patient has. In addition to the glasses refraction, there is a small percentage of the vision that cannot be corrected with glasses because it is made up of tiny little irregularities within the visual system. These small irregularities can be measured with the wavefront aberrometer and this can be incorporated into the patient’s treatment. In other words, the actual vision can be refined a little further than vision with glasses. Essentially, the difference between the two types of treatment is very small, but if you are looking to achieve the last extra little bit of focusing power that glasses cannot achieve, wavefront guided treatment will hopefully offer that to you.

Wavefront Laser Eye Surgery Explained Further…

Wavefront measures the unique imperfections of the surface of your eye, called ‘higher order aberrations’. These irregularities of your cornea and optical system affect the finer quality aspects of your vision, beyond the normal refractive errors of short-sightedness, long-sightedness, and astigmatism.

A wavefront aberrometer records data from several spots on the surface of your cornea. This produces a map of the imperfections on the surface of your cornea, as well as a visual system analysis that we feed into the laser to achieve better results. The laser must be able to receive these measurements and then apply them directly onto the cornea.

Different analysers measure different numbers of spots, ranging from as low as 60 to as high as 650. The Zeiss WASCA in use at London Vision Clinic has a resolution of 650. A low-resolution analyser is like a watercolour painting. It provides a general impression of the landscape. It measures just a few points and then uses a mathematical formula to work out an approximate image of the rest.

A high-resolution analyser will give as sharp a picture as a photograph. It records much more data, giving a more accurate map of the number and location of imperfections. This means the surgeon can plan your treatment precisely.

Wavefront treatment has received a lot of publicity. Some clinics promote wavefront as if it could cure any imperfections – in reality, it just measures your eyes.

Professor Dan Reinstein explains how wavefront is better than conventional Laser Eye Surgery. Click to see the video.

What Is Wavefront, And Is It Better Than Conventional Laser Eye Surgery?

Wavefront Laser Eye Surgery Explained Further…

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