Wavefront Guided LASIK with Allegretto Wave®
At The Nielsen Eye Center we believe that technology should be a major factor when choosing a laser vision correction center. This is because the excimer laser is the device that physically corrects your prescription. In fact, our doctors feel that the excimer laser is one of the greatest inventions in ophthalmology, which is why they have chosen to treat their patients with the Allegretto Wave®.
Approved by the FDA in 1995 The Allegretto Wave® is the newest generation of excimer laser technology. This revolutionary approach to laser vision correction minimizes problems associated with older generation lasers such as problems with night vision, glare and halos. The Nielsen Eye Center is pleased to be one of the first centers in New England to offer this technology. When you are comparing this technology to the other lasers that are on the market we are confident that you will see why our doctors have chosen to bring only the best technology to our center.
Why Consider The ALLEGRETTO WAVE®?
ALLEGRETTO WAVE®’s new approach to laser vision correction decreases problems associated with older generation lasers, such as night vision reduction, glare, and halos. The ALLEGRETTO WAVE® also creates superior clinical results with vast improvement in visual acuity.
Speed and Safety
The ALLEGRETTO WAVE® offers PerfectPulse Technology™ which accounts for speed, precision, and safety and offers improvements that are revolutionary in the field such as smart energy control measures which adjusts energy levels in the laser pulse from creation to delivery. Patients can be assured that the amount of energy in the laser has been calibrated to exactly the right level. After the beam has been created, it passes through three checkpoints on its way to your eye. At each of these points, the energy level is checked and adjusted if necessary, ensuring that the beam is perfectly attuned at its destination. At 200 laser bursts per second, it only takes about four seconds of treatment to correct one diopter. As a result, every laser pulse is completely controlled and accurate, achieving the most accurate level of correction possible. For those patients who are worried that their eye moving will create an inaccurate result, the ALLEGRETTO WAVE® has advanced technology which addresses this problem. Every 4-6 milliseconds, the eye’s location is measured and the internal mirrors of the ALLEGRETTO WAVE® are automatically aligned. Right before the pulse is released, a second check is made to confirm that the eye has not moved. This happens 200 times every second, once for every laser pulse. If, at any time, the eye moves too quickly to be measured or moves out of range, the laser will stop and wait for the eye to move back into position.
Technology
Unlike traditional LASIK, Wavefront Optimized™ Laser Vision Correction – one of the most innovative features of the ALLEGRETTO WAVE® automatically compensates for the curvature of the cornea. In earlier laser correction systems, the “optical zone,” or area of correction, was centered on the front of the cornea resulting in a flattened circular area that ended with an abrupt edge, causing side effects like poor night vision, glare, and halos.
The ALLEGRETTO WAVE® solves this problem by sending extra pulses to the peripheral corneal area in order to compensate for the angle of the laser beam. In this manner, the aspherical shape of the cornea is preserved to a degree that older lasers simply could not achieve. This compensation, combined with the small size of the laser, produces a smooth, effective optical zone that results in “high definition” vision.
High Performance Vision – Large Optical Zones
ALLEGRETTO WAVE® is capable of producing some of the largest available optical zones. The optical zone refers to the portion of the cornea that has been corrected by the laser. A larger optical zone is especially important for night vision, and for patients with very large pupils. If a patient’s pupil is larger than the optical zone, they may experience poor peripheral vision, poor night vision, and a higher than normal incidence of “halos” and glare. In the past, this has been one of the biggest drawbacks to conventional laser correction surgery. Wavefront-Optimized™ technology built into ALLEGRETTO WAVE® addresses this limitation.
Superior Clinical Results
When it was approved in 2003 as the first new laser in five years, the FDA granted ALLEGRETTO WAVE® the widest approval range ever initially given to a new laser for both myopic and hyperopic vision correction. Since then, the results have been astoundingly positive. ALLEGRETTO WAVE® has been proven to provide superior clinical results, as shown by the following statistics:
- At one year after treatment, more than 93% of patients said they saw at least as well or better than they had with glasses or contacts before treatment.
- More than 98% of patients achieved 20/40 vision one year after treatment; 20/40 is the level of visual acuity required to pass most driving tests.
- ALLEGRETTO WAVE® is able to produce a larger optical zone, virtually eliminating glare and night vision problems associated with older generation lasers.
Am I a good candidate for ALLEGRETTO WAVE®?
ALLEGRETTO WAVE® allows for more and more patients to be candidates for LASIK. However, there are certain people who are less than ideal candidates for LASIK and ALLEGRETTO WAVE®. These patients are encouraged to speak with their doctor to find the best vision correction option:
- Your eye prescription has changed within the past year.
- You are pregnant or nursing. Pregnancy causes changes to your hormone system. This can also cause your vision to change. It is therefore better to wait until your child is born and you have finished nursing.
- Glaucoma or high blood pressure
- Keratoconus a corneal irregularity
- Inflammation of the eye (uveitis, blepharitis or iritis)
- Herpes simplex that has infected your eye
- Previous severe injuries on the eye
