Phillips Eye Center, Laser Eye Surgery, Lasik, Cataract Surgery, Ophthalmology, Optometry, Eye Surgeon, Pasadena, Arcadia, San Gabriel Valley, Los Angeles

Custom LASIK

What is CustomVue LASIK?

CustomVue: The Technology

At the Phillips Eye Center, this is a common question raised by patients during their evaluation. Essentially, CustomVue LASIK is the same as other LASIK procedures except that proprietary VISX software and a special VISX Wavescan device are used to measure your eye’s imperfections prior to the treatment.

In conventional LASIK, the numbers derived from a phoropter are used. These are the same three numbers you see written on your glasses prescription after an eye exam. In other words, in conventional LASIK, three numbers are used to describe your refractive error.
With CustomVue LASIK, your refractive error is measured digitally and represented by thousands of numbers. These measurements are performed on a VISX Wavescan machine.

	My decision to have LASIK eye surgery was further amplified by the great professionalism I experienced with Dr. Andrew Phillips, Dr. Nina Getz, and their very accommodating staff. The procedure itself was a little uncomfortable for me, but Dr. Phillips helped me through it and really made me feel comfortable. The recovery was quick and the follow-up care and visits with both doctors was a breeze. LASIK is not for everyone, but if you are a candidate, you'll be in very capable hands with Dr. Phillips. It's a life changing experience!
	Alexandra K., Administrative Assistant

This device reflects a faint laser pulse off the back of your eye and measures your optical imperfections as it leaves the eye at over two hundred regions on your corneal surface. In the schematic below, the digital error map that the VISX Wavescan machine is detecting is the colored region to the left of the cornea. Areas of greater refractive error, nearsightedness for instance, are shown in red. This more detailed map of your refractive error is used to calculate your unique correction.

CustomVue

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has approved CustomVue treatments, establishing a new standard for the correction of nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism.
You may have heard CustomVue treatments referred to as "custom LASIK" or "wavefront LASIK." CustomVue treatments use WaveScan technology, originally developed to reduce distortions in high-powered telescopes, to:

Measure imperfections in your eye 25 times more precisely than standard methods.
Produce a detailed map of your eye as unique as your fingerprint.
Generate digital information which is transferred directly to the laser used in your procedure, to provide a new level of precision and accuracy.

In addition, the CustomVue procedure at the Phillips Eye Center and USC uses Iris Registration Technology the first fully automated method of aligning and registering wavefront corrections for CustomVue treatments. This non-contact method of aligning the treatment to the cornea provides greater alignment accuracy.
Is the CustomVue Procedure for You?
Treatments are available for a variety of patients, including those with astigmatism, whether the astigmatism is associated with nearsightedness, farsightedness or mixed astigmatism. As a result, more than 92 percent of the U.S. population that requires vision correction, 21 years of age or older, are eligible for this digital technique.
Dr Phillips has used the CustomVue technology on all of the following refractive errors:

myopia (nearsightedness)
myopia with astigmatism
hyperopia (farsightedness)
hyperopia with astigmatism
mixed astigmatism

Dr. Philips performed the LASIK-Wavefront procedure on me in March 2005. Shortly after my surgery, I was able to see 20/15. In June 2006, I visited Dr. Philips for my one year post-op follow up and my vision has not changed since the surgery. I truly enjoy the freedom of not having to wear glasses and contact lenses. I love to wear my non-prescription sunglasses on a regular basis.

Henry S, Sales

CustomVue: The Results:

An FDA clinical study showed the following results from patients 12 months after undergoing Custom LASIK:

• 100% could pass a driving test without glasses or contact lenses
• 98% could see 20/20 or better without glasses or contact lenses
• 70% could see better than 20/20 without glasses or contact lenses

In the clinical study, four times as many people were very satisfied with their night vision after the procedure as compared to their night vision before with glasses or contact lenses.