Advanced LASIK 1-month data 'impressive,' surgeon says

Charlotte, NC-An advanced LASIK procedure (CustomVue iLASIK, Abbott Medical Optics [AMO]) provides excellent visual outcomes, night vision, and overall quality of vision, said Jonathan Christenbury, MD, medical director of the Christenbury Eye Center, Charlotte, NC.

"It is my LASIK procedure of choice for the past few years," said Dr. Christenbury, who said he has used a number of excimer laser platforms either in investigational clinical trials or as FDA-approved lasers in his practice.

This marriage of flap-creation technology with laser treatment provides precise, safe, and effective vision correction. In addition, this combination of technologies is used for military pilots and astronauts, who demand the clearest, most precise vision possible.

Dr. Christenbury conducted a retrospective LASIK study using the proprietary procedure (iLASIK) in 2009 with 1,065 consecutive eyes. The patients (50% male/female) were a mean age of 29.8 years. The preoperative refractive error was –6 D or less of myopia and cylinder of 3 D or less. Wavefront-guided laser treatment (VISX Advanced CustomVue, AMO) technology was used with a femtosecond laser (IntraLase, AMO) utilizing a 110-µm flap.

"In this whole series I used a 6.5-mm optical zone and an 8.5-mm transition zone, and the results were excellent," he said.

Uncorrected visual acuity at 1 month was 20/20 or better in 98.1% of patients and 20/15 or better in 50.3% of patients, he said. All patients (100%) had visual acuity of 20/40 or better.

Regarding the best-corrected visual acuity, there was no change in 70.2% of patients, 19% had an improvement of one line or more of vision, and no patients lost lines of best corrected vision.

"These 1-month data are impressive, since patient satisfaction and patient referrals all depend on visual outcomes," he said. "Patients want to be 20/20 and quickly.

"In my experience, the quality of vision improves up to 6 months after [treatment]," Dr. Christenbury concluded. "I have not found any other excimer laser platform to provide a higher incidence of 20/20 or 20/15 vision at 1 month, so during the LASIK consultation it provides the patients a lot of assurance that they will be happy with their vision correction when we share these data."OT