During a wavefront guided procedure, the patient's eyes are numbed with drops. The eye surgeon then uses a wavefront analyzer to measure how light travels through the eye. The surgeon sends a laser beam to the retina, which is then reflected out of the eye. The sensor measures the reflection and maps out the cornea's irregularities and imperfections, also referred to as aberrations, in 3-D. The measurements of the eye are then compared to that of a perfect eye.

This map is then used by the surgeon to customize the procedure. Using the laser, he or she will make a flap over the cornea, then use the laser to reshape the cornea based on the aberrations displayed on the map.

What are the benefits of wavefront technology?

Wavefront Lasik technology is completely customized to the patient's unique eye shape and prescription. Patients who get Lasik surgery do so based on their prescription. Many people have the same eye prescription, even though the makeup of their eyes are completely different. Wavefront technology is kind of like a fingerprint of your eyes. With wavefront, no two map of the eye is the same, so no two procedures will ever be the same. Wavefront technology makes it so the correction is much more precise.

Because their vision will be corrected based on their individual eyes, patients who have wavefront Lasik surgery generally see images much more clearly and sharper. Their overall vision quality is better, and many patients report not having nighttime vision problems, which are somewhat common in Lasik.

During treatment, wavefront allows the surgeon to tailor the laser beam settings, making the surgical procedure itself more precise. In this way, wavefront technology offers the patients sharper, crisper, better quality vision, as well as a reduction in nighttime vision difficulties, such as halos and glare.

How is wavefront different from Lasik?

The main difference between Lasik and other laser procedures is the detailed map the laser provides of the eye. In addition, patients who opt for wavefront technology for their eye surgery will tend to have better vision after the procedure than those who get Lasik-about 80% of patients who have traditional Lasik report having 20/20 vision or better, whereas 90-94% of wavefront Lasik patients report 20/20 vision or better after their procedure.

How much does wavefront cost?

Because it is more detailed and utilizes different technology, wavefront guided eye surgery is more expensive. On average, it is around $2000 per eye. (Lasik is usually around $500 cheaper for each eye.) The cost will vary from state to state and doctor to doctor, but this figure represents a general amount.

Laser technology for eye surgery has made an important change in the way people see, allowing them to abandon their glasses and contacts for perfect vision. Even more impressive is wavefront technology, which provides a detailed map of the eye, allowing the surgeon to provide a customized correction. Wavefront technology has helped many people see practically perfectly without glasses or contacts.