Conventional or Wavefront LASIK: Which is Better?
There's no denying that conventional LASIK has an established reputation as a tried and true method for correcting eyesight, with thousands of people yearly hoping to exchange glasses or contacts for 20/20 vision.
And then along comes wavefront technology. With a shorter history but growing respect in the ophthalmologic community and backed up by recent studies, wavefront LASIK is beginning to appeal to more people as a customized answer to vision correction.
What's the difference? Who's Guiding That Laser?!
In conventional LASIK, your doctor synthesizes measurements collected by machines like an auto refractor, a corneal topographer, and a pupilometer along with other examinations to formulate a basis for correcting your vision. It's the same information used to formulate your prescription. The excimer laser is then set to ablate the cornea in a pattern using fixed parameters to correct for that prescription. It's an approach that has provided consistent results, with over 85% of LASIK patients reporting an improvement in quality of life due to the vision correction. Conventional LASIK has for over 30 years been used to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism-the problems usually corrected with glasses.
In wavefront LASIK, also called "custom" or "wavefront optimized" LASIK, a 3D map of an individual's eye is made by measuring the light reflected out of the eye. This 3D image details not only the degree of near or farsightedness or astigmatism, but catalogs higher order aberrations (HOA's) that contribute to poor vision. This road map of the eye is then used to program the laser, allowing for ablation of the cornea that is customized to that person's individual eye, rather than a "one-size-fits-all" approach. It's this customization that allows for precise individualized correction.
Statistics:
Some studies have shown that there is less chance of developing post operative complications like glare, halos, or night vision impairment with wavefront than with conventional LASIK.
The Eye Surgery Educational Council notes that a Navy Medical Center study which compared conventional LASIK to wavefront showed 88% of 908 conventional LASIK patients achieved 20/20 vision or better while 97% of 32 wavefront patients achieved 20/20 vision or better. And 85% of wavefront patients had achieved 20/16 vision, as compared to 69% of conventional LASIK patients. What's more, 30% of those conventional LASIK patients reported an increase in night driving halo symptoms, while none of the wavefront patients reported similar symptoms.
Some research differs, with some authoritative websites like USAEyes noting that both conventional and wavefront LASIK surgery may result in an increase of HOA's, while many sites belonging to ophthalmologic practices or other proponents of wavefront reporting that there is no increase in HOA'S with wavefront, though with conventional LASIK they acknowledge increases.
It's safe to say that studies are still under way and that no matter which type of LASIK or other refractive surgery you might choose, it's best to do your homework and compare statistics.
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