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Does it Seem Strange or Reasonable for a Doctor to Not Use WaveFront in his Office?

asked 5 months ago by flipphil in New York, NY
Latest answer by Jay Bansal, MD
Question viewed 154 times
Tags: wavefront

I recently had a consultation with experienced Lasik surgeon in Manhattan. When I inquired as to whether he uses wavefront with his VISX S4 IR, he explained that he used it at one point but no longer typically uses it -He said that with wavefront, the computer does much of the programming and he felt gave him less input and control (he seems very detail oriented/ meticulous about his lasers). He also mentioned that he felt it was an unnecessary additional cost that he had to pass on the patient.

4 answers to Does it Seem Strange or Reasonable for a Doctor to Not Use WaveFront in his Office?

+1

Wavefront vs Conventional

It seems unreasonable that a LASIK surgeon would never use wavefront LASIK in his/her treatments. I use wavefront LASIK on the majority of my patients. Wavefront LASIK is one tool that has been very beneficial in treating many patients and clinical studies have shown it to be more effective on average than conventional LASIK. I would say that it would be foolish not to take advantage of the advances in LASIK treatment that came with the improved wavefront ablation... more
Jay Bansal, MD

San Francisco Ophthalmologist

www.laservue.com

+1

Wavefront LASIK

Wavefront LASIK is a very useful tool and when it was introduced several years ago (approx 7 or 8), it significantly improved outcomes, especially relating to night vision and post operative aberrations. Since that time, several companies have tried to improve on this technique. One company in particular, Alcon/Allegretto, has maintained over the years that their approach to vision correction, one that does not use the wavefront guided approach, is a better way to go. It is... more
Andrew E. Holzman, MD

Mclean Ophthalmologist

www.drholzman.com

+1

Wavefront

Wave-front-guided procedures take more time, effort and cost more than conventional LASIK procedures. In general the outcomes are slightly better with wavefront- guided procedures but not all patients will experience or notice the benefit. Some doctors do not believe the benefits justify the extra effort and cost. Consider consulting with someone who offers wavefront, ask them if they think there would be a significant benefit in your case, then decide how to proceed.
Dean Dornic, MD

Raleigh-Durham Ophthalmologist
+1

Wavefront Custom LASIK

The answer depends on what brand laser the surgeon uses. If they are using the VISX laser (the most popular), than I would say yes you should use the wavefront data and perform a custom wavefront based treatment. There are several ways for surgeons to fine tune the wavefront to further customize the treatment for the patient. Most importantly, using a custom treatment over a standard treatment affords a larger treatment zone, especially for astigmatism and far... more
Mark H. Blecher, MD

Philadelphia Ophthalmologist

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