There are a variety of different types of lasers used in ophthalmology. All LASIK procedures are performed with a specific type of laser (excimer laser), so in one sense, all LASIK procedures are similar. However, there are a variety of different laser manufacturers, including Visx, Wavelight, Alcon, Bausch & Lomb, and Nidek, among others, that have all designed specific excimer lasers. Further, there are different types of laser ablations that can be performed (see below), including conventional laser treatments, wavefront-optimized treatments, and wavefront-guided treatments. Finally, a completely different type of laser (femtosecond laser) can be used instead of a mechanical microkeratome to create the LASIK (corneal) flap.
Conventional LASIK is the ablation pattern available on most lasers that treats directly based upon the patient's glasses prescription, with fixed treatment parameters for each patient. This type of treatment is effective for most patients but can result in more visual aberrations such as glare, halos, and night vision issues than other forms of laser treatment.
Wavefront-optimized LASIK is the type of laser treatment available on the Wave light laser. This treatment is also based on the patient's glasses prescription, but also takes into account corneal curvature and thickness, and applies laser energy in a unique fashion in the periphery of the cornea. This laser has been found to reduce the aforementioned complications such as glare, halos, and other nighttime visual aberrations that can occasionally occur with conventional treatments.
Wavefront-guided LASIK, also referred to as custom LASIK or wavefront LASIK, is similar to conventional LASIK, except that in addition to treating a patient's basic refractive error, specific alterations in a patient's eye (high order aberrations) can also be treated. In wavefront-guided LASIK, special mapping is performed prior to surgery to identify any small irregularities in the patient's optical system. When these irregularities are severe, they can affect vision quality, contrast sensitivity, and night vision. When significant irregularities in a patient's wavefront mapping are found, wavefront-guided LASIK can be used, and the treatment will be based on the wavefront-map generated
