Custom iLASIK HD LASIK Dallas / Fort Worth
Custom iDESIGN Technology
Custom laser vision correction is an exciting procedure that incorporates iDESIGN system with wavefront-guided technology and the patented, FDA-approved JNJ Star S4 (formerly Visx) laser to create a highly effective, personalized treatment plan for patients. Without custom LASIK, doctors must rely on one-size-fits-all, traditional laser vision correction. This can achieve great results, but is often not as precise as Custom LASIK.
Custom LASIK uses the iDESIGN system with wavefront-guided technology. iDESIGN is the latest level of treatment planning that adds corneal topography measurements to the wavefront-guided procedure. The iDESIGN system is used to carefully scan the eye for refractive errors, including higher aberrations. The locations and type of errors are then recorded on a three-dimensional, computerized WavePrint map.
We combine Custom iDESIGN wavefront-guidance technology with IntraLase iFS technology in a procedure called Custom iDESIGN. The Intralase iFS femtosecond laser is a blade-free system used to create the flap for your LASIK treatment. It offers you and your surgeon more customization and less risk than traditional methods of creating flaps in LASIK surgery.
Still have questions about the custom LASIK procedure we offer at our Dallas, Texas practice? Contact us today, or learn more below by reading the list of frequently asked questions about CustomVue that we have compiled:
Who is a candidate for custom LASIK?
Patients age 21 or older who wear glasses or contacts to correct their nearsightedness or astigmatism may be eligible for custom LASIK. Contact Cornea Associates of Texas to learn more.
Will I still need glasses or contacts after wavefront LASIK surgery?
It is unlikely. According to a study conducted by the FDA, every CustomVue LASIK participant achieved 20/40 vision or better (meaning they could play sports or drive a vehicle without corrective eyewear) within six months of the procedure. Ninety-four percent achieved 20/20 vision, and 74 percent achieved better than 20/20 vision.
What does 20/20 vision really mean?
20/20 vision refers to the current standard for perfect vision. However, a majority of patients who undergo custom LASIK surgery at our practice in Dallas, Texas achieve better than 20/20 vision!
Will CustomVue affect my night vision?
Most participants' in the FDA's study reported that their night vision improved after undergoing the CustomVue procedure. Four times as many patients were more satisfied with their night vision after wavefront-guided LASIK than who were before.
How can I learn more about custom LASIK?
The Cornea Associates of Texas' professional staff is always available to answer any questions or to address any concerns you may have about CustomVue iLASIK. To find out more about wavefront-guided LASIK, please contact our practice in Dallas, Texas today. We look forward to hearing from you!
LASIK for Myopic Patients
Laser vision correction is the most technologically advanced method available today for the correction of myopia. Nearsightedness occurs when the cornea is too curved or the eye is too long. This causes light to focus in front of the retina, resulting in blurry distance vision. Spectacles or contact lenses are needed to focus distance vision.
LASIK corrects myopia by removing tissue from the center of the cornea (See figure 4a). This flattens the cornea and reduces the focusing power of the cornea. Light, which was focused in front of the retina, is now shifted to focus onto the retina, creating a clear image of distance objects.
Who is a good candidate?
Myopic LASIK has been approved for patients who are at least 18 years of age and who have a stable prescription. The amount of myopia that may be corrected ranges from 1 to 12 diopters and also depends on other factors on a patient-by-patient basis. Astigmatism, which often accompanies myopia, may also be treated simultaneous with the myopic correction.
How long has myopic LASIK been available?
LASIK has been available in Europe, Canada and Latin America since the 1980’s. After years of investigational studies, the U.S. FDA approved the excimer laser for PRK first in 1995 and later for LASIK. Long-term studies on the efficacy and safety of LASIK and PRK have shown these procedures to be stable and highly effective for the correction of myopia.
What is the success rate?
Many clinical trials have established the effectiveness of LASIK. At one year after surgery, 98% of myopic patients treated in the FDA trials maintained 20/40 vision (the minimum required for driving a car without corrective eyewear) or better.
At Cornea Associates we conduct our own clinical trials, and we are most pleased with our LASIK statistics. Our results equal or exceed those of most published clinical trials.
LASIK for Hyperopic Patients
Hyperopia occurs when the cornea is excessively flat or the eye is too short. This causes light to focus at a point behind the retina. Both distance and near vision are blurred, but near vision is more blurred than distance vision. Typically, hyperopic patients need corrective lenses to see up close before the age of 40 and require bifocals to correct distance and near vision thereafter.
To treat hyperopia, the central cornea must be made steeper. This is accomplished by directing the laser beam to remove tissue from the peripheral cornea while preserving the central area (See figure 4b). Steepening the central cornea increases the focusing power of the eye. The light, which was focused behind the retina, is shifted and focused onto the retina, thus enabling patient to see distance and improving near vision as well.
Who is a good candidate?
Hyperopic LASIK has been approved for patients who are at least 21 years of age with a stable prescription. The FDA has approved LASIK for the correction of hyperopia ranging from 1 to 6 diopters with or without astigmatism.
How long has hyperopic LASIK been available?
Canadian and European laser centers have been performing hyperopic LASIK since 1996 with outstanding results. After several years of investigational studies, the FDA approved the excimer laser for use in hyperopic laser treatment in 1999.
What is the success rate?
The symptoms of blurred vision associated with hyperopia, unlike myopia or astigmatism, will usually progress with age. FDA trials have shown that 95% of patients maintain 20/40 vision or better one year after surgery. However, for patients over age 45 who also demonstrate presbyopia, reading glasses will still be needed.
LASIK to Treat Astigmatism
A misshapen cornea causes astigmatism. In patients, the cornea is often oval shaped, or "football" shaped, rather than the ideal spherical configuration. As a result, light entering the eye cannot be uniformly focused onto the retina, leaving patients to see only blurred images.
To treat astigmatism, the cornea must be made more spherical. LASIK can reshape the surface of the cornea, correcting irregular curvature and greatly improving the eye’s ability to focus (See figure 4c). It is effective in improving near, middle, and distant vision.
