How is InterWave ® LASIK different from conventional LASIK (or LASIK done without InterWave ® technology)?

InterWave® LASIK is based on more detailed measurements than traditional LASIK. Since the time of the Civil War, vision measurements have been the same - doctors measure visual acuity and refraction. Acuity is the measurement from the eye chart where the patient guesses the identity of small letters from a distance of 20 feet. Refraction is a test that determines the power of the lenses needed for the patient to be able to see clearly. (This is the test where the patient is asked, "Which is better, one or two?") Acuity and refraction are determined through a single large region of the cornea and they provide only an average measurement of vision.

Measurements made with the InterWave® Scanner are far more exact than these traditional measurements. The InterWave® Scanner measures multiple (up to 75) tiny spots on the cornea. So rather than having a LASIK treatment that is an average of what a single large region of the cornea sees, the treatment is divided into zones and each zone can be treated in a customized way to obtain optimal vision. This customized treatment pattern is specific to each eye.

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Does InterWave ® technology provide customized measurement and treatment plans for each eye?

Yes. Like a fingerprint, each InterWave® measurement is unique to the patient's eye.

InterWave® technology provides the surgeon with the information needed to create a more customized correction than can be made with traditional measurements. It is this customized correction that results in clearer, sharper vision, with decreased halos and glare at night.

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Isn't 20/20 acuity "perfect" vision?

No. 20/20 acuity means only that the patient successfully identified the letters on the 20/20 line of the eye chart. 20/20 provides no information about the quality or crispness of vision. It does not measure glare, halos, and/or shadow and ghost images. It does not indicate the quality of vision changes that result when the pupil changes size. Some patients may have a high quality of vision during daylight conditions (when the pupil is small), but see poorly at night as the pupil enlarges. The InterWave® Scanner measures the quality of vision in a much more accurate fashion than estimating vision with eye charts and test lenses (acuity and refraction). InterWave® technology improves the quality of vision following LASIK.

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Is InterWave ® technology FDA approved?

The InterWave Scanner has been reviewed by the FDA and is considered to be a 510K exempt device, meaning that it can be freely used in clinical practice to assist our doctors in measurement of the quality of vision. (Instrument registration with the FDA took place in April 2001.)

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What lasers are used in LASIK surgery with InterWave ® technology and are they FDA approved?

InView surgeons use the information gathered at the initial exam to create treatment plans (nomograms) for scanning and flying spot excimer laser systems. Older, broad-beam laser systems are not suitable for InterWave®-guided treatments. Most of the lasers at InView are FDA approved. If a surgeon recommended that a patient undergo treatment with a laser, which was a part of an FDA clinical trial, the patient would be fully informed and would have to agree to become a participant in the clinical study before treatment could be performed.

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If I have had previous RK, PRK, or LASIK and still have poor vision, can InterWave ® technology help me see better?

Perhaps. InterWave® technology is being used at InView to study patients who strive to obtain optimal vision. To determine if LASIK treatment using InterWave® technology can improve your vision, the first step is to have vision test with the InterWave® Scanner and a complete evaluation by an InView surgeon. Based upon the results, a recommendation can then be made as to whether your vision may be improved by present treatment methods. Recommendations are based upon InterWave® measurements, the results of the eye examination, and the judgment of the treating surgeon.

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How does InterWave ® technology differ from other "custom LASIK" technologies under development?

The InterWave® System is the only wavefront-based vision measurement technology that is patient-interactive and that is capable of measuring the patient's entire visual system, from the cornea to the visual cortex of the brain. Other wavefront technologies estimate the eye's wavefront error by flashing a bright light into the eye and then collecting and analyzing the reflected light.

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Where was InterWave ® technology developed?

InterWave® technology was developed through a joint research effort between scientists at InView, Harvard, and MIT during the 1990's. InterWave® technology has been used for diagnostic studies at InView for many years. InterWave® LASIK entered clinical practice at InView in the summer of 2001.

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I have already scheduled my initial exam at my doctor's office. Do I need to reschedule it at InView?

Your initial exam can be completed at InView or any physician in our network. If your preoperative exam is not at InView, you will be tested with the InterWave® Scanner on the day of surgery. Please note that this will extend the time you are at InView on the day of surgery by approximately one hour.

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