LaserSurgeryForEyes.com

The WaveLight ALLEGRETTO WAVE™ is a refractive excimer (heatless) laser system. It uses invisible ultraviolet (UV) light pulses to remove precise amounts of corneal tissue (the transparent outer coat of the eye that helps focus light to create an image) from the eye to reduce or eliminate farsightedness and astigmatism (distorted vision).

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How does it work?

The laser system treats farsightedness by removing tissue from the outer areas of the cornea to make it steeper. It treats astigmatism by flattening the central cornea by different amounts and at different locations to correct uneven focus.

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When is it used?

The laser system is intended for the LASIK (Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis) treatment of patients who:
have farsightedness up to +6.0 diopters (D) and astigmatism up to 5 D with a maximum manifest refraction spherical equivalent (MRSE) of +6.0 D,
are 18 years of age or older, and
have had stable eyesight for the year prior to the pre-operative examination.

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What will it accomplish?

Excimer laser treatment is intended to reduce or eliminate farsightedness and/or astigmatism.

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Side effects may include:

glare from bright lights

halos (rings around lights)

light sensitivity

night driving glare

visual fluctuation

Patients treated with excimer lasers may need reading glasses at an earlier age than usual.

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When should it not be used?

The laser system should not be used on patients who:

are pregnant or nursing

have a collagen vascular disease (such as rheumatoid arthritis or scleroderma)

have an autoimmune or immunodeficiency disease (such as AIDS or cancer)

show signs of keratoconus (an eye disorder in which there is a thinning of the cornea that results in blurred or distorted vision)

are taking medications with visual side effects (such as Accutane^® or Cordarone^®)

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ALLEGRETTO WAVE Excimer Laser, the only laser developed specifically for custom LASIK by the Wavefront pioneer WaveLight Laser Technologie AG in Germany, providing superior clinical results, with the speed and precision necessary to take advantage of the promise of Wavefront technology.

Eyetracker Must be able to sample at a rate of at least 250 Hz with the ability to react between 4 to 8 milliseconds
Beam Size Less than 1mm and flying spot
Speed 200 Hz
Optical Zones Ability to provide a wide treatment range of optical zones from 6mm to 8mm pupils
Gaussian Beam Profile Produces the smoothest corneal surface of all laser beam profiles
Wavefront Laser must be designed for wavefront treatments

For more information about WavePrint^TM, visit AllAboutVision.com.