Congratulations on starting your research into improving your quality of life with laser vision correction surgery! At Providence Eye & Laser Specialists, we know this is a big decision and we are committed to fully educating our patients and always answering your questions.
There is a lot of terminology to learn when researching laser vision correction surgery. We are here to help you understand your options to achieve your absolute best possible vision.
LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis. That is an eye full! What does LASIK do? LASIK precisely changes the shape of the clear, dome-shaped tissue at the front of your eye (cornea) to correct your vision and eliminate or greatly reduce the need for glasses and/or contacts.
At Providence Eye & Laser Specialists, our fellowship-trained cornea specialists, Dr. Mozayeni and Dr. Nunnery, perform all-laser LASIK. All-laser LASIK is a two-step process:
Contoura Vision® is an additional step in your laser vision treatment plan that thoroughly maps your cornea and then feeds up to 22,000 data points to our WaveLight EX500 laser in order to provide a more personalized laser procedure. We use the WaveLight EX500 laser to reshape your cornea and then utilize data from the VARIO Topolyzer to optimally perform the Contoura treatment.
Contoura Vision Topography-Guided LASIK integrates the WaveLight Topolyzer Vario Diagnostic Device (VARIO) with our WaveLight EX500 laser. The VARIO combines two features:
Your cornea is unique to you, just like your fingerprint. It is not a naturally smooth surface, it has peaks and valleys that affect the way light passes through. This innovative device captures detailed, sophisticated scans of your cornea, mapping these peaks and valleys. The VARIO also measures aberrations or imperfections in your cornea that are reduced by the laser., guided by the VARIO data during the procedure. Contoura Vision may potentially produce an even better outcome by using this additional information to perform your vision correction procedure. While not everyone will qualify for or benefit from topography-guided technology, nearly all treatments are enhanced by the addition of iris registration.
LASIK with Contoura is Topography-Guided LASIK. If Contoura is not added to the procedure, our surgeons perform a WaveFront Optimized LASIK procedure. The difference between Contoura Topography-guided and Wavefront Optimized LASIK is the additional data points that guide the WaveLight EX500 laser to perform Contoura.
Glasses, contacts and Wavefront Optimized treatments cannot correct the natural peaks and valleys that affect how light passes through the cornea
In a post-FDA study of 130 eyes post-topography-guided surgery*:
The difference in using Contoura technology in our procedures is qualitative. It’s similar to the noticeable differences between watching television in standard definition (SD) and watching it in high definition (HD). Although the SD images may look fine, eyesight with HD vision will appear much sharper after enhancing your LASIK procedure with Contoura technology.
At Providence Eye, all patients are evaluated for Contoura Vision Topography-Guided LASIK during their complimentary consultation with their potential LASIK surgeon. Not all patients are good candidates for Contoura LASIK as there is an approved treatment range. However, qualifying as a good candidate is not enough. We want to make sure our patients will benefit from this additional level of customization. A few days before your scheduled procedure, your surgeon, Dr. Mozayeni or Dr. Nunnery will carefully analyze the data collected and measured regarding your vision and your cornea. Detailed analysis using proprietary software helps the surgeon determine if you will benefit from Contoura Vision.
If Contoura Vision will likely produce a better vision correction result for you, Dr. Mozayeni or Dr. Nunnery will integrate this next level of customization into your LASIK procedure. Please note that Contoura is always optional and that your likelihood of obtaining 20/20 vision is the same with or without this feature. If you elect not to be treated with Contoura, or Dr. Mozayeni or Dr. Nunnery decide it will not benefit you, iris registration will still be incorporated into your procedure.
Contoura Vision Topography-Guided LASIK is extremely detailed and time-consuming. It requires additional planning by our expert LASIK surgeons, Dr. Mozayeni and Dr. Nunnery. Not all LASIK surgeons at other practices are willing to invest this time for their patients! Here are a few more reasons why you might want to choose Providence Eye for your Contoura LASIK:
Now that you understand the difference between Contoura and LASIK, are you ready to start your journey to better, maybe even HD vision with Contoura LASIK? Call us today to have your questions answered and to schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our surgeons.
*Lobanoff, M. Clinical and Refractive Outcomes after Topography-Guided Refractive Surgery Planned Using Phorcides Analytic Surgery Planning Software, ASCRS Annual Meeting: Las Vegas, Nevada; July 23-27; Las Vegas Nevada
