Riding the wave (front) to super vision: this technology is poised to revolutionize the way you correct your patients' vision. (Patient Care).

Just two years ago, wavefront technology was hyped as the ticket for "perfect" or supervision. In theory, wavefront-guided laser ablation would precisely etch the ideal correction into the cornea, as if it were a piece of plastic.

In reality, however, we know that the cornea is hardly inert. It is living tissue that dynamically responds to ablation with healing and biomechanical changes that can mask fine ablation detail. While this realization may have deflated previous expectations somewhat, wavefront technology continues to hold tremendous promise.

Wavefront Defined

Wavefront analysis is a method of objectively quantifying all the aberrations of the eye. It was originally applied to telescopes used by astronomers in the 1960s to help resolve distant stars. Refractive surgery was the catalyst that helped wavefront move into eye care.

Now, wavefront analysis allows you to measure higher-order aberrations, which represent about 20% of a typical eye's total optical aberrations. But, in some patients, such as those with keratoconus, higher-order aberrations can represent the majority of optical aberrations. Wavefront analysis opens the door for measuring these formerly inaccessible elements that impact vision so that we can apply new corrective treatments.

Every major excimer laser manufacturer in the international market now has a wavefront analyzer for refractive surgery. With wavefront-guided treatments entering the U.S. market, we can expect improved postoperative visual quality.

Even so, wavefront is not a perfect measurement. Many …