Custom vs. Traditional LASIK

April 1st, 2014

There’s a reason why LASIK has become one of the most popular elective surgeries in the country; it is minimally invasive, low risk, and requires very little downtime. Most significantly, it is extremely effective. After LASIK surgery, most patients enjoy 20/20 vision or better without glasses or contacts. In recent years, technological advances have revolutionized this already advanced procedure. If you are considering laser vision correction at our Huntsville practice, you may be wondering about traditional and custom LASIK. What is the difference? Is one better than the other? Ultimately, both procedures are safe and effective. However, thanks to the greater precision and accuracy of custom LASIK, many patients and ophthalmologists feel that this is the better choice to achieve optimal vision correction.

How LASIK Works

Both traditional and custom LASIK are based on the same principles. Your eye care specialist will carefully create a tiny flap in your cornea. By lifting up this flap, Dr. Lee can access the underlying cornea, which he will reshape with an excimer laser. Evaporating excess cells with the high-powered laser, he can correct the way that light is refracted as it passes through your eye. With proper refraction, your optic nerve can transmit correct electrical signals, which your brain will register as a clear, sharp image. When he is finished, Dr. Lee will lay the flap back down and it will heal on its own in a matter of days.

Procedural Differences

Although both traditional and custom LASIK work similarly, there are significant distinctions between the two procedures. During a custom LASIK procedure, Dr. Lee will first shine a laser in your eye and measure the way that light is refracted and how it bounces back off of your retina. With these measurements, he can create a three-dimensional digital map of your eye. Then he can calibrate the excimer laser to the exact dimensions of your eye. Because no two eyes are the same, this technology enables your LASIK surgeon to provide you with the most precise, personalized laser eye surgery available.

Advantages of Custom LASIK

Because traditional LASIK is not customized for your eyes, it can only correct lower-order vision aberrations such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. On the other hand, custom LASIK can detect vision aberrations 25 times more accurately than traditional LASIK. This advanced technology, enables Dr. Lee to correct a wide range of higher-order vision aberrations such as presbyopia, glare, and difficulties with night vision. However, even if you have lower-order aberrations, you will benefit greatly from the accuracy of custom LASIK. Because the femtosecond laser uses extremely fast, powerful bursts of laser light, patients typically experience minimal discomfort and a very short recovery time. Additionally, with this advanced laser, Dr. Lee can more accurately create the corneal flap, reducing your risk for flap complications later on. The results are stunning; 98 percent of patients experience 20/20 vision or better following a custom LASIK procedure.

Talk to Your Doctor

To learn more about the benefits of custom LASIK and to find out if this procedure is right for you, contact Dr. Danny Lee today.