Study compares wavefront lasers for LASIK in hyperopic patients

Preliminary results of excimer laser LASIK treatment of hyperopia with the WaveLight Allegretto Wave are encouraging, although longer follow-up is needed, said Daniel S. Durrie, MD, of Durrie Vision, Overland Park, KS.

In a WaveLight-sponsored symposium Sunday night, Dr. Durrie detailed results of a randomized, prospective, independently observed, single-center trial of 50 patients. Half of the group was treated with the Alcon LADARVision 4000, and the other half was treated with the WaveLight laser.

"There was a dramatic difference in 1 day, and this was something I have never seen (65% of my patients [in the WaveLight group] seeing 20/20 with hyperopia) so it was something that really got my attention right off the bat," he said.

Patients in both groups showed improvement in uncorrected vision at 1 week. At 1 month, up to 80% of patients in the WaveLight group had 20/20 vision, and at 3 months, about 90% had vision that was 20/20 or better (compared with about 80% in the Alcon group).

"At 6 months, both [groups] dropped back a little on the 20/20 level [68% in the Alcon group and 79% in the WaveLight group still had 20/20 vision], and we had a little bit of regression effect," Dr. Durrie said, so he is following up to determine the reason for this occurrence. Also, he said, topography, wavefront comparison, and contrast sensitivity data need to be evaluated.

"But the bottom line for me is, now I expect my hyperopic patients to see pretty close to where my myopic patients see, and that wasn't my mindset before," he said.

Dr. Durrie also addressed monovision treatment with the WaveLight laser. Other speakers at the symposium talked about the importance of comparing ablation profiles when assessing laser platforms, compared the 200 and 400 Hz Allegretto Wave lasers, and addressed treatments of presbyopia with the wavefront laser.

Dr. Durrie said he is a paid consultant for Alcon and IntraLase and received a grant from WaveLight for the study he discussed.