The LASIK procedure involves using a laser to reshape the cornea. Conventional LASIK requires the surgeon to manually type the patient’s eyeglass prescription into the laser. The laser then “imprints” this prescription onto the cornea. While this procedure technically can rid the patient of nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, the final shape of the cornea may not be optically desirable. Some patients may suffer from quality of vision issues, often manifested by night-time driving difficulties. Wavefront-guided (CustomVue) LASIK was developed to remedy the situation. In CustomVue LASIK, an extra step is added. Patients are asked to look into a wavefront analyzer that takes a series of sophistacated measurements. The treatment is then planned, not just to eliminate refractive error, but to achieve an optically sound eye; free of aberrations and therefore, night-time driving difficulties.
Because a CustomVue LASIK can eliminate aberrations that glasses and contact lenses cannot, many patients will remark that they actually see better after LASIK than they ever did before. A CustomVue LASIK requires the purchase of additional equipment (the wavefront analyzer). Also because it requires additional measurements, it will take more time. The additional time taken to measure and plan a wavefont guided LASIK is not attractive to high volume, low cost LASIK centers because they cannot do as many procedures.   Also, each CustomVue LASIK requires a special debit treatment card that costs more per procedure than conventional LASIK. The cost of the additional treatment card, the cost of the analyzer and the additional time required are all factored in to the final cost.
So is the increased cost worth it? The Department of Defense thinks so. Over 90% of LASIK procedures done by the military today are CustomVue. Study after study confirm that the visual results of CustomVue LASIK are better than conventional or wavefront-optimized (Allegretto) procedures.
You can’t get CustomVue LASIK at a cut-rate, high volume laser center but you can get it right here in Raleigh at the Laser Eye Center of Carolina.
To find out if CustomVue is right for you, why don’t you call in today for a complimentary evaluation?