What Is Wavefront?

This 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. Our laser eye surgeons choose the Carl ZeissWASCA wavefront aberrometer, which has the highest resolution on the market.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 simply provides another method of measuring your eyes.