This post is part of BostonSight’s archival content and was originally authored by Janice M. Epstein. Content has been updated to be current. This content is informational in nature and should not be considered medical advice. Please reach out to your medical professional for questions about your vision.
Wavefront optic technology was developed by astronomers to obtain clearer, less distorted views of planets and stars. Eye care professionals are now successfully adopting this technology to address their patients’ complex vision disorders. This new approach could dramatically change the way in which eye care providers diagnose and treat many vision issues.
iTrace aberrometer
Dr. Larry N. Thibos of the School of Optometry at Indiana University pioneered the use of wavefront technology in optometry. Wavefront technology uses light waves passed through the eye to obtain a detailed measurement that can more precisely describe vision disorders compared with traditional measurement techniques. By analyzing the way in which the eye refracts light, vision errors can be more accurately identified as subtle errors are revealed. This technology allows for improved diagnosis and treatment of both lower-order (most common) as well as higher-order (more complex) vision errors.
Detecting errors
In a matter of seconds, an instrument called an aberrometer uses wavefront technology to provide a detailed analysis of the eye that an eye doctor can then use to identify and correct vision errors. Technologies such as this continue to improve doctors’ ability to diagnose and treat eye diseases.
For those with lower-order vision errors, such as nearsightedness or farsightedness, these precise measurements can yield more accurate vision correction with contact lenses or eyeglasses.
Patients with more complex, or higher-order aberrations (HOAs), may have more subtle vision errors that are not detected with traditional methods. These issues can more easily and accurately be identified and corrected using wavefront techniques. According to Dr. Thibos, these advanced techniques can allow for monitoring changes in optical quality for dry eye patients, for example, assessing outcomes of advanced vision-correcting therapies, and tracking visual abnormalities in growing eyes.
Wavefront Technology and HOA Correction at BostonSight
BostonSight has innovative technologies to correct HOAs. In our BostonSight SCLERAL lenses, SmartSight® FSE (front surface eccentricity) is built-in to the lens to control HOAs. For more challenging HOAs, practitioners with an aberrometer can harness our SmartSight HOA® technology, using virtually any aberrometer on the market. This technology can correct significant glare, ghosting, halos, starbursts, and double vision, and can be particularly helpful for patients with post-LASIK vision issues or patients who require exceptional visual acuity, such as athletes or military personnel. PROSE patients may also benefit from our HOA technology.