Since its inception, more than 20 million people around the world have undergone LASIK, and the great majority of these people have been able to bid farewell to their glasses and contact lenses for everyday tasks such as driving and watching television. However, in recent years, the procedure has become only more precise in the results it is able to produce, with many people emerging from surgery with vision superior to any they have ever experienced in their lives. This high-definition vision is made possible through wavefront LASIK, a technology that has resulted in a truly customized procedure that has even higher patient satisfaction rates than its conventional counterpart.

This is not to suggest, of course, that traditional LASIK is not capable of producing outstanding results; rather, it is to assert that custom LASIK using wavefront technology represents the evolution of an already impressive procedure. Dr. Peter Broberg discusses the issue of traditional vs. custom LASIK in detail during consultations at his Austin, TX eye care clinic so that patients understand how far the surgery has come in recent years. Patients who might have been hesitant about undergoing the procedure are now more likely than ever to achieve excellent visual outcomes, thanks to wavefront mapping.

Are you a good candidate for custom LASIK surgery? To find out, please schedule your initial consultation with Dr. Broberg at Broberg Eye Care today.

Traditional LASIK

Traditional LASIK is a procedure in which an excimer laser is used to reshape the cornea in order to restore clear vision to people with myopia or hyperopia, with or without astigmatism. It has an excellent safety profile, and most patients who have undergone traditional LASIK have achieved at least 20/40 unaided vision.

Traditional LASIK can correct visual errors to the same degree as traditional glasses or contact lenses. This means that, while a person may achieve 20/20 vision through traditional LASIK, he or she may still experience some visual errors due to higher order aberrations, tiny flaws in the shape of the cornea that cannot be detected or corrected through traditional vision correction.

Custom LASIK

The primary differences between traditional LASIK and custom LASIK exist in how visual errors are identified and corrected in the latter. In preparing patients for custom LASIK, Dr. Broberg uses a wavefront device to create an intricate, highly detailed map of each eye. This map accounts for not only the more common visual errors that traditional LASIK is able to correct, but also the higher-order aberrations.

During custom LASIK, the wavefront maps are used to guide the excimer laser via a computer program with exceptional precision. By correcting higher-order aberrations, the custom LASIK procedure is more likely than traditional LASIK to result in optimal unaided vision. There is also a much lower risk of such post-operative side effects such as haloes, glare, and impaired night vision.

Learn More about Traditional vs. Custom LASIK

If you would like to learn more about traditional vs. custom LASIK, please contact Broberg Eye Care today.