Our LASIK Technology
In keeping with our ongoing commitment to remain at the forefront of vision correction, Cutarelli Vision offers the newest and most technologically advanced LASIK technology, including the Allegretto Wave® Eye-Q excimer laser system. We are proud to be the first vision correction center in Denver, Colorado to treat our patients with one of the latest advancements in laser vision correction and state-of-the art care — Blade Free LASIK and the Allegretto Wave® Eye-Q laser system.
Allegretto Wavelight - Super Vision!
Vision—Accuracy, Total Control
Cutarelli Vision is pleased to be the first center in Denver to feature the Allegretto Wave® Eye-Q laser system. This advancement in vision correction technology offers patients increased speed, accuracy and safety. In fact, the Allegretto Wave® Eye-Q is the fastest excimer laser system available in the United States today. Allegretto Wave®'s revolutionary approach to laser vision correction minimizes problems associated with older generation lasers, such as night vision reduction, glare, and halos.
Performance—Superior Clinical Results
The Allegretto Wave® Eye-Q Excimer Laser is one of the newest generations of excimer laser technology and is the first system to receive concurrent approval for the treatment of both nearsightedness and farsightedness. The success of the Allegretto Wave® can be directly measured by our patients' remarkable improvement in visual acuity and low occurrence of side effects. The treatment profile for this laser was developed after intense study of individuals who have what is called "super vision," or vision that is better than 20/20. The laser reshapes the cornea of your eye to mimic the pattern of eyes with "super vision" with unparalleled customization. Due to the laser’s unique wavefront-optimized ablation algorithm, the system delivers superior clinical results and a maximum level of safety for our patients.
Safety—PerfectPulse Technology™
Smart energy control and eye tracking technology combine to provide an ultra-fast solution to laser vision correction. Innovative and redundant safeguards make Allegretto Wave® a leader in the field. The Allegretto Wave® Eye-Q Excimer Laser is a "WaveFront-optimized" system. Wavefront technology not only corrects a patient’s prescription, but aims to improve the "quality" of vision during daylight and prevent problems with night vision. The system also has a unique eye-tracking system which automatically adjusts to changes in pupil size during treatment.
PerfectPulse Technology™ represents a new approach to laser vision correction – 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 200 times per second. As a result, every laser pulse is completely controlled and accurate, achieving the most accurate level of correction possible.
Smart Energy Control
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® Eye Q's laser is essentially a precise, controlled beam of energy, which translates to heat. To make sure that this beam never causes any sort of adverse heating effect on the cornea, Allegretto Wave® Eye Q's PerfectPulse Technology™ places the laser pulses in such a way that only every fifth pulse overlaps. Not only does this preclude unwanted heating effects, it is one of the ways that Allegretto Wave® achieves a rounder, more natural corneal surface than many other lasers used for vision correction.
Eye Tracking Technology
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 200 times every second, once for every laser pulse released. 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.
Allegretto Wave Speed
Currently, the Allegretto Wave® is the fastest vision correction laser available in the United States. At 200 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.
Wavefront Technology - Optimized™ Laser Vision Correction
One of the most innovative features of the Allegretto Wave® is the way it uses wavefront-optimized technology to automatically compensate for the curvature of the cornea. In earlier laser correction systems, the "optical zone," or area of correction, was centered on the front of the cornea; the result was a flattened circular area that ended with an abrupt edge, causing unwanted side effects like poor night vision, glare, and halos.
The Allegretto Wave® changes all that. The Allegretto Wave® sends extra pulses to the peripheral corneal area in order to compensate for the angle of the laser beam. In this manner, the aspherical shape of the cornea is preserved to a degree that older lasers simply could not achieve. This compensation, combined with the incredibly small, 1mm size of the laser, produces a smooth, effective optical zone that results in what can only be described as seeing like never before.
Imagine a glass ball. If you took a flashlight and aimed it directly at the top of the ball, the light would form a circular shape on the surface of the ball. If you now aimed the flashlight towards the side of the ball, the light would form an elliptical shape and not seem as bright anymore. This is because the same amount of light is suddenly distributed over a larger area and some of the light is reflected away due to the angled surface of the glass ball.
Wavefront-Guided Treatments – for Patients Requiring Even Greater Personalization
Due to the Allegretto Wave® providing custom vision correction with the standard Wavefront Optimized treatment, the majority of patients may not benefit from a wavefront-guided treatment. However, after an extensive analysis of your vision, the doctor will determine whether this treatment will be helpful with the overall laser vision correction outcome.
The wavefront-guided treatment involves an additional step where the results of a detailed scan with the WaveLight Allegro Analyzer provides further measurements for the treatment plan, the data is validated, and then it is transferred to the Allegretto Wave® laser system. Next, the final treatment profile is calculated, and then the laser treatment begins.
If you are a candidate for wavefront-guided treatment, you should be pleased to know that patient outcomes from our clinical study results and important distinctions are impressive. A few of the highlights which may be of interest include:
- Glare, and night driving glare, improved for all patients over the glare they experienced with eyeglasses or contact lenses.
- 93% of patients achieved UCVA 20/20 or better.
- The Allegretto Wave® is the first system to allow customized correction for patients with presbyopia (those who need reading glasses).
For a complete list of the clinical outcomes, visit the website www.allegretto-wave.com.
See Like Never Before
Allegretto Wave® is capable of producing some of the largest available optical zones. The optical zone refers to the portion of the cornea that has been corrected by the laser. A larger than normal optical zone is especially important for night vision, and for patients with very large pupils. If a patient's pupil is larger than the optical zone, they may experience poor peripheral vision, poor night vision, and a higher than normal incidence of "halos" and glare. In the past, this has been one of the biggest drawbacks to conventional laser correction surgery.
Better Night Vision and Glare Control
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. Allegretto Wave® is able to produce the largest available optical zone, virtually eliminating glare and night vision problems associated with older generation lasers.
Clinical Results
When it was approved in 2003 as the first new laser in five years, the FDA granted Allegretto Wave® the widest approval range ever initially given to a new laser for both myopic and hyperopic vision correction. Since then, the results have been astoundingly positive. Allegretto Wave® has been proven to provide superior clinical results, as shown by the following statistics:
- At one year after treatment, more than 93% of patients said they saw at least as well or better than they had with glasses or contacts before treatment.
- More than 98% of patients achieved 20/40 vision one year after treatment; 20/40 is the level of visual acuity required to pass most driving tests.
- Nearly 60% of near-sighted patients achieved 20/16 vision after one year of treatment.
- Both near- and far-sighted patients reported an improvement in their reaction to bright lights and night driving glare after Allegretto Wave® treatments. In addition, near-sighted patients reported an improvement in sensitivity to light.
- Predictable results are the norm for the Allegretto Wave® . More than 90% of patients achieve refraction within 1 diopter of their target correction.
- The Allegretto Wave® has a total re-treatment rate of less than 5% of patients.
Is Allegretto Wave® right for me?
Allegretto Wave® expands the boundaries of candidacy for LASIK. However, there are certain people who are less than ideal candidates for LASIK and Allegretto Wave® . You are probably not a candidate if you are one or more of the following:
- Under age 21
- Pregnant or nursing
- Glaucoma or high blood pressure
- Keratoconus, a corneal irregularity
- Inflammation of the eye (uveitis, blepharitis, or iritis)
- Herpes simplex that has infected your eye
- Previous severe injuries to the eye
- Corneal scars or infections
- Unstable refraction
- Other diseases of the eye such as AMD, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, or others
- Patients with very large pupils, thin corneas, or dry eyes
VISX CustomVue
As Colorado's technology leader in refractive procedures, Cutarelli Vision offers its patients CustomVue LASIK. This treatment is designed around the unique characteristics of each individual's eyes and creates a tailored vision correction procedure for each and every patient.
VISX STAR S4 Excimer Laser with IR (Iris Recognition)
The most advanced excimer laser technology available today, the VISX STAR S4 integrates data collected by the WaveScan Wavefront System to provide each patient with a custom treatment. With the addition of IR technology, which allows the laser to adjust for pupil migration when the patient goes from an upright position, as they are during testing, to a supine position during surgery, laser vision correction is now safer and more accurate than ever.
WaveScan Wavefront System
Originally developed for use in high-powered telescopes to reduce distortions while viewing objects in space, WaveScan technology is now being applied to LASIK. This digital technology identifies and measures imperfections in the eye 25 times more precisely than the older standard methods. The information gathered through these measurements is then translated into treatment instructions, basically creating a detailed map to guide the laser. These instructions are transferred to the laser providing the highest level of precision and accuracy available.
The FDA performed a clinical study showing that one-year after having the VISX CustomVue procedure:
100% of patients could pass a driving test without glasses or contacts. 98% of patients could see 20/20 or better without glasses or contacts. 70% of patients could see better than 20/20 without corrective lenses. 4 times as many patients were very satisfied with their night vision following their CustomVue procedure than compared to their night vision with their glasses or contacts.
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All Laser LASIK (Femtosecond)
All Laser LASIK utilizes a femtosecond laser to create the LASIK flap in the cornea during surgery. This technology allows those who were once told they weren't a candidate ,to now have LASIK because of the femtosecond lasers ability to make thinner flap.
Call 303-486-2020 to schedule an appointment at either our Denver or Fort Collins office.
Pentacam
This first step to successful refractive surgery is gaining an accurate measurement of the shape, thickness and contour of the cornea. The Pentacam is a camera that images the anterior of the eye with a rotational imaging process, providing 3-D images of the eye. Because of its rotational imaging process the Pentacam can also accurately measure the center of the cornea. This process lasts less than 2 seconds and precisely measures 25,000 true elevation points guaranteeing precise representation, repeatability, and analysis.
