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Note: We have included the streaming video segments of recent media coverage regarding our center here in an attempt to provide you with the most comprehensive body of information available on our institute and to assist you in the education process regarding laser vision correction. Unfortunately, we are seldom afforded the opportunity to check the content of news stories for accuracy prior to airing. As such, I wanted to take this opportunity to correct and/or clarify the following points made in the CBS 4 segment on the Wavelight Allegretto laser that aired both locally and nationally in recent weeks.
1) The story indicated that because the Allegretto uses ultraviolet (UV) light, it is safer. This leaves the viewer with the impression that this is a departure from the norm. The excimer laser is UV by its very nature and LASIK procedures have always been performed with ultraviolet light. All excimer lasers impart very little heat and cause almost no collateral damage to adjacent corneal tissue.
2) The story is correct about Allegretto's speed which is much faster (3-4X) than other laser platforms currently available in the US. But the statement that its speed equate to "less errors" is somewhat inaccurate. Speed does help to control the very important variable of corneal hydration, which in turn impacts upon how much tissue is removed with each pulse of the laser. By controlling and shortening treatment duration one should improve on the accuracy of the correction. As an aside, the Allegretto also imparts one of the smoothest sculpting treatments available due to its small spot size (<1mm in diameter).
3) The recovery period of LASIK surgery with the Allegretto is typical of that of LASIK with most excimer laser systems. Most patients are able to drive the next day.
4) Early in the piece, Dr. Sean says "some say it (Allegretto) is the safest path to perfect vision", and later the story mentions that the patient's vision is 20/15 and goes on to say, "That's better than perfect." A more accurate statement might be "That's better than 20/20." "20/15" means that one can see from 20 feet what a patient with 20/20 vision has to get 15 feet away from to see. Webster's Dictionary defines the word "perfect" as being without defect or fault; flawless; exact. "Perfect" is a word that we may use to indicate how the patient's surgery went, but would never use to define visual acuity.
5) Finally, the treatment range of the Allegretto is broader than that of other custom technologies in its ability to deliver a higher quality treatment. However the statement that the Allegretto "...works for just about anyone" is a bit overreaching. Patients who are interested in decreasing or eliminating dependence on distance correction are encouraged to come to the center for a complimentary consultation to determine their candidacy.
The Allegretto definitely confers certain advantages over other lasers in the US market including the speed at which it lays down its treatment, and the resultant improved refractive predictability due to less variability in intraoperative corneal hydration. The Allegretto allows for larger treatment zones, (up to 8mm), that tissue allowing, can minimize glare, haloes, and other night vision disturbances. In closing, while nothing is "perfect", the Allegretto seems to give custom-like visual quality to many patients with high nearsighted and farsighted prescriptions who are not candidates for custom LASIK treatments and who may not have previously been ideal candidates for LASIK because of the potential for significant visual side effects.
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