Lasik Technology

ALLEGRETTO WAVE IQ™ 400

Sloane Vision is also proud to offer the ALLEGRETTO WAVE™ IQ 400 Excimer Laser (made by WaveLight AG, Erlangen, Germany) in a concerted effort to provide a choice of technology for patients who seek all-laser LASIK vision correction in the greater Chicago and Illinois areas.

The ALLEGRETTO WAVE™ IQ 400 brings a whole new dimension to laser vision correction. This laser is the best selling laser system internationally, and it accounted for 20 percent of the new laser sales in the US in its first year. This European-designed laser system utilizes PerfectPulse Technology™, which maximizes the chances of the procedure being safe and accurate.

We chose to invest in the ALLEGRETTO WAVE™ IQ 400 laser because it offers superior clinical results with great speed, precision, and safety. Sloane Vision Center can now bring customized treatment to more patients than ever before, including patients with myopia and hyperopia. The ALLEGRETTO WAVE™ IQ 400 performs a “wavefront-optimized” correction rather than a wavefront-guided treatment. The difference is that the ALLEGRETTO WAVE™ IQ 400 laser was built from the ground up using wavefront principles and algorithms. All other manufacturers retrofitted their lasers to allow wavefront treatments. Wavefront optimization creates a wavefront treatment profile that preserves as much of the prolate cornea as possible and minimizes the side effects of glare, halos, and other symptoms of poor low-light vision.

Visit the official ALLEGRETTO WAVE™ IQ 400 Excimer Laser site to learn more about this exciting technology.

LASIK, the most popular form of laser vision correction, has been perfected in millions of lifechanging procedures over the past 20 years. Now, with Z-LASIKT, a technologically advanced, bladefree, all-laser LASIK, we can offer our patients an unprecedented level of safety, precision, and comfort.

Z-LASIKT is a LASIK procedure performed with the Ziemer FEMTO LDV Femtosecond Surgical Laser in conjunction with an advanced excimer laser system. With the combined use of a state-of-the-art excimer laser system and advanced diagnostic equipment, Z-LASIKT provides the best currently available treatment option for superior vision correction.

The Blade-Free Z-LASIK Experience combines two exciting technological advances that offer patients the possibility of achieving better than 20/20 vision. These technological advances are: the Ziemer FEMTO LDVT Femtosecond Laser for creating the flap, and an advanced excimer laser system for a personalized laser vision correction procedure.

The Oculus Pentacam is the most advanced technology in the art and medicine of cornea topography. Like a topographical map, each cornea is measured for elevation. However, the Oculus Pentacam produces additional imaging and calculation for the cornea curve, contour and tissue density at the microscopic level.

Exceeding the capability of previous topography technology, including the ORBSCAN, as a diagnostic tool, the Oculus Pentacam provides EyeHealth surgeons a cornea mapping and tissue diagnostics of with an accuracy that was previously not available.

Pre-Operative diagnostics
Oculus Pentacam is used throughout the process of laser vision correction candidacy & surgery planning. This sophisticated form of cornea mapping enables the surgeons at EyeHealth Northwest to more accurately identify laser eye surgery candidates.

Pentacam topography mapping illustrates the unique corneal tissue characteristics evaluated for determination of LASIK candidacy and surgical readiness.

For example, during pre-operative evaluations, the Pentacam topography is used to monitor and track changes occurring in the cornea when a patient stops wearing contacts. The Pentacam topography illustrates the difference of change or stability of a cornea after contacts have been removed for surgery.

Phakic Intraocular Lenses (IOLs)/Implantable Contact Lenses (ICLs)

Phakic intraocular lenses are implantable contact lenses that are surgically inserted into the eye where they provide excellent quality of vision with predictable and stable results. The Visian ICL is the latest phakic intraocular lens to receive approval from the FDA for a wide range of myopic (nearsightedness) correction needs. This technology is adapted from the proven lens technology used for cataract surgery, and works by placing the Visian ICL in front of the natural lens inside the eye. The Visian ICL is made of an advanced material that is extremely biocompatible and provides superior optical performance.

Advantages of Phakic Intraocular Lenses/Implantable Contact Lenses

  • Able to correct high degrees of nearsightedness that cannot be corrected with other surgical procedures
  • May be performed in patients who are not candidates for LASIK due to corneal irregularity or thinness
  • Less likely to cause or contribute to dry eyes
  • May be surgically removed

Frequently Asked Questions about Phakic Intraocular Lenses/Implantable Contact Lenses

Q. How do I know if I am a candidate for the Implantable Contact Lens?
A. A good candidate for an ICL is between 21 and 45 years of age and is myopic (nearsighted). It is preferable that the patient has not undergone any ophthalmic surgery and does not have a history of eye disease such as iritis, glaucoma, or diabetic retinopathy.

Women who are pregnant or nursing should wait to have an ICL implanted. Those without a large enough anterior chamber depth or endothelial cell density may not be good candidates.

Q. Where is the ICL placed?
A. The ICL is surgically inserted through a small micro-incision just behind the iris in front of the eye’s natural lens. The ICL does not touch any internal eye structures and stays in place without maintenance.

Q. What is the history of the ICL?
A. The Visian ICL, used at the Kellogg Eye Center, was approved by the FDA in December 2005, and, as of December 2006, approximately 55,000 patients have had the lens implanted. The manufacturer reports that over 99 percent of patients in clinical trial were satisfied with their implant. The lens has been available internationally for over 10 years.

Q. What is the ICL made of?
A. The Visian ICL is made of Collamer®, a highly biocompatible advanced lens material which contains a small amount of purified collagen. Collamer does not cause a reaction inside the eye and it contains an ultraviolet filter that provides protection to the eye.

Q. What if my vision changes after I receive the ICL?
A. If your vision changes dramatically after receiving the implant, your ophthalmologist can remove and replace it. If necessary, another procedure can be performed at any time.

Patients can wear glasses or contact lenses as needed following treatment with the Visian ICL. The implant does not treat presbyopia (difficulty with reading in people 40 years of age and older), so some patients may need reading glasses.

Q. What happens during the surgical procedure?
A. During an office visit one week before surgery, your ophthalmologist will use a laser to create a small opening between the lens and the front chamber of your eye. This allows fluid to pass between the two areas, thereby avoiding the buildup of intraocular pressure following the surgery.

The implantation procedure itself takes about 15 minutes and is performed on an outpatient basis, though you will have to make arrangements for someone to drive you to and from the procedure.

Most patients experience very little discomfort during the ICL implantation. You will undergo treatment while under a light topical or local anesthetic, perhaps with the addition of a mild sedative. Following surgery, you may use prescription eye drops or oral medication. The day after surgery, you will return to your surgeon for a follow-up visit. You also will have follow-up visits one month and six months following the procedure.

Although the ICL requires no special maintenance, you are encouraged to visit your eye doctor annually for check-ups following the procedure.

Q. Can the ICL be removed from my eye?
A. Although the ICL is intended to remain in place permanently, a certified ophthalmologist can remove the implant if necessary.

Q. Is the lens visible to others?
A. No. The ICL is positioned behind the iris (the colored part of the eye), where it is invisible to both you and observers. Only your ophthalmologist will be able to tell that vision correction has taken place.

Q. Will I be able to feel the Visian ICL once it is in place?
A. The ICL is designed to be completely unobtrusive after it is put in place. It stays in position by itself and does not interact with any of the eye’s structures.

What are you waiting for? There has never been a better time to have LASIK.

Sloane Vision Center – Safety First
In the hands of renowned board certified Ophthalmologist and LASIK eye surgeon, Dr. Herman Sloane you can be assured your laser vision correction will be the safest and successful vision correction procedure you can possibly expect. From your pre-operative exam with Dr. Sloane and his staff, your advanced custom vision correction procedure, followed by your post-operative care visits with the Sloane Vision Center’s medical team. Every level of care and safety is taken with your vision.

Partners in technology
Sloane Vision Center and the technologically Advanced equipment and procedures is your doorway to visual freedom from glasses and contact lenses. The reason is simple-until now, there has never been a laser vision correction procedures that offers the precision and accuracy that Dr. Sloane and his team performs.With almost 25,000 vision correction procedures performed to date, don’t you think it’s time to trust someone with the experience and success as the Sloane Vision Center.