The LASIK Procedure

PerfectPulse Technology™ represents a new approach to corrective eye surgery – it accounts for speed, precision, and safety in the Allegretto Wave® laser and offers improvements that are revolutionary in the field. Smart energy control measures and adjusts energy levels in the laser pulse from creation to delivery. High-speed eye tracking charts the eye’s movement 400 times per second. As a result, every laser pulse is completely controlled and accurate, achieving the most accurate level of correction possible.

You can have peace of mind that the amount of energy in the laser has been calibrated to exactly the right level. After the beam has been created, it passes through three checkpoints on its way to your eye. At each of these points, the energy level is checked and adjusted if necessary, ensuring that the beam is perfectly attuned at its destination.

Allegretto Wave®’s laser is essentially a precise, controlled beam of energy. The laser employs a proprietary overlapping method to ensure accurate laser placement and is one of the ways that Allegretto Wave® achieves a rounder, more natural corneal surface than many other lasers used for vision correction.

Due to the remarkable speed of both the eye and the Allegretto Wave® procedure, the laser beam needs to be constantly and minutely adjusted to the position of the eye at any given time. Every 4-6 milliseconds, the eye’s location is measured, and the internal mirrors of the Allegretto Wave® are automatically aligned. Right before the pulse is released, a second check is made to confirm that the eye has not moved. This happens 400 times every second, once for every laser pulse. If at any time, the eye moves too quickly to be measured or moves out of range, the laser will stop and wait for the eye to move back into position.

Currently, the Allegretto Wave® is the fastest vision correction laser for LASIK available in the United States. At 400 laser bursts per second, it only takes about four seconds of treatment to correct one diopter. Of course, spending less time under the laser means less stress and discomfort for the patient getting laser eye surgery.

At night and in dark conditions, the pupil becomes larger to permit the maximum amount of light to enter the eye. Laser eye correction needs to take this fact into account. If the optical zone is smaller than the size of the pupil at its largest, there is a good chance that the patient will experience poor night vision or problems with glare and halos around bright objects such as oncoming headlights. We use a tool called the Allegretto Wave® to produce a larger optical zone, virtually eliminating glare and night vision problems. This is due to the built-in wavefront-optimized technology.

Click here to download the WaveLight® Patient Brochure.

Here at Abell Eyes in Lexington, Kentucky, Custom Wavefront LASIK is the procedure of choice because it is preferred by experienced refractive surgeons (LASIK surgeons) around the world. LASIK is an acronym for Laser In-situ Keratomileusis, which means, “to shape the cornea within using a laser.” Before the recent advancements in technology, eye doctors were only able to use standard measurements to correct vision, meaning that prescriptions could only provide a certain level of correction regardless of an individual’s needs. Now, they can measure and correct the unique imperfections of each individual’s vision and provide them with the potential to experience better vision than is possible with glasses or contact lenses. It treats nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism by reshaping the cornea (the transparent dome covering the eye) to refocus light rays more precisely on the retina. We may perform your Lasik on the Allegretto Wave Eye-Q Laser.

The procedure lasts about 15-20 minutes and is performed by Dr. Giltner.

Because the cornea is easily numbed with “eye drop” anesthesia, patients report little, if any discomfort, both during and after the procedure.

You will see results from LASIK Eye Surgery within 1 day to 1 month of the procedure. 97% of people reach 20/20 vision. The results of LASIK are long-term; most people only need one LASIK procedure during their lifetime unless they experience cataracts.

Yes. Every patient is given a mild sedative to relax them prior to the procedure. No one should drive after being given this medication for 24 hours. The vision following your procedure will be a little blurry due to the medication and lubricating drops given during the procedure.

Yes, in most cases. Most patients prefer the convenience of having both eyes treated the same day, but occasionally there are reasons that it would not be advisable.

Following your LASIK procedure, drops are placed on the eye to facilitate the healing process. After your LASIK treatment you will need to go home and rest. Sleep is very helpful to the eyes and ensures quicker healing following the procedure.

After your procedure, you should rest your eyes for 24 hours. Usually the next day you can return to work.

At Abell Eyes, we only perform custom LASIK. Custom LASIK uses Wavefront LASIK technology to measure the eye from the front to back to create a three-dimensional corneal map. The Wavefront LASIK device collects information by using light reflected off the retina and through the pupil, and into the device, creating your unique map reflecting your lower or higher order aberrations. A patient’s unique visual irregularities are contained in this map, which is then sent to the laser via a computer. The Wavefront map effectively guides the laser in customizing the treatment to your individual visual irregularities, producing a personalized LASIK treatment.

Every patient will meet with Dr. Giltner before their LASIK procedure.

Due to decades of experience, state-of-the-art technology, and thorough testing during LASIK consultations, 97% of Abell Eyes patients enjoy 20/20 vision or better after LASIK.