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The
ALLEGRETTO WAVE
SPEED
. COMFORT .
PREDICTABILITY
Dr. Rabinowitz is dedicated to offering his patients seeking LASIK in Los Angeles, Santa Clarita, Lancaster and the surrounding area the latest available technology. He is proud to use the Allegretto Wave excimer laser platform to help provide his laser eye surgery patients with safe, rewarding vision correction results. Please read the information below to learn more about this exciting technology.
The
ALLEGRETTO WAVE system is the first new laser to receive approval
in the
United States
since 1999. It is the fastest
laser system in the
United States
today, using PerfectPulse
Technology to safely and accurately control every single laser
pulse from start to finish. Faster treatment time means less anxiety,
less time under the laser, and a more comfortable procedure.
The ALLEGRETTO WAVE offers a customized
treatment that incorporates wavefront
principles to patients with nearsightedness, farsightedness and
astigmatism.
Every procedure is tailored to the patients' corneal curvature and
refraction with the intention to preserve
the natural aspheric
cornea shape and to maintain
or improve quality of vision and visual acuity.
Speed
SAFETY
.
PERFORMANCE . QUALTITY
OF VISION
The ALLEGRETTO WAVE is today the fastest laser available to
patients in the
United States
. In one second the system applies 200 fine laserpulses on the cornea.
In fact, one diopter only takes 4 seconds to correct (at a 6.5mm true
optical zone). That means that the average patient treatment with
about less than 3 diopters takes only ten seconds... the time it takes
you to pour yourself a cup of coffee.
Eye
Tracking
ACCURATE
FAST-TRACK
Such
a high-speed laser must also have an ultra-fast eye tracking system to
follow eye movement during the procedure. The ALLEGRETTO WAVE captures
the current position of the eye 200 times per second. It then only
takes the laser a fraction of a second to reposition the laser putting
it exactly into the desired location on the eye. Should the eye ever
move too fast or out of range, the laser will automatically stop and
wait until the eye is back in position. So you can simply relax,
knowing that your eye is being followed at all times.
Working
at such high speed, the ALLEGRETTO WAVE relies on its PerfectPulse
Technology to accurately control the exact placement of every pulse as
it reaches the eye. This
is critical as the ALLEGRETTO WAVE operates at high speed with 200 laser pulses per second. Every laser pulse
thinner than your fingernail in order to precisely sculpt the corneal surface.
Therefore, PerfectPulse Technology uses advanced high speed eyetracking to follow the eye's fastest
movements and ensures accurate placement of every laser pulse. During
the treatment the energy stability of every pulse is controlled with a
smart energy control
program. This program automatically balances the energy levels during
the treatment to ensure that every laser pulse creates the same
result.
More
about PerfectPulse Technology
PerfectPulse
Technology comprises of many different technological components all
aimed to control the laserpulse.
Smart Energy Control measures
the energy of each pulse three times while the pulse travels through
the laser system. If at any of the three checkpoints the
laserpulse's energy does not meet the desired energy, then the
system will automatically adjust itself.
Energy is heat and if two hundred pulses of energy are applied on the
eye per second, this could potentially cause heating which is not
desirable. PerfectPulse Technology makes sure that only every fifth
laser pulse overlaps the first and therefore reduces the chances of
any kind of heating effects.
PerfectPulse also means that the ALLEGRETTO WAVE precisely sculpts the
cornea in order to create a even ablation. With a pulse
diameter of less than 1mm and a so-called Gaussian beam profile PerfectPulse Technology creates very fine,
smooth pulses.
The eye can move at extreme velocities. Therefore it is critical to
follow the eye's movements and place the pulses into the desired
location. Active-track automatic eye
tracking technology ensures that this is the case. Our
eyetracking system check the position of the eye 200 times per second
- as many times as laser pulses reach the eye. Once the position of
the eye is determined, the laser system automatically adjusts all
internal mirrors to place the next pulse into the right location.
Right before that pulse is launched, the system reconfirms that the
eye has not moved in the meantime. Only if that is confirmed will the
system release a laser pulse. The total reaction time from the
detection of the eye position to the release of the next pulse is
called response time and the ALLEGRETTO WAVE's response time is only
4-6ms depending on the moving speed of the eye.
You can rely on
PerfectPulse Technology to control every laser pulse from start to
finish. This gives you the benefit and comfort of an ultra fast
treatment and less time to worry.
Wavefront-Optimized
The
ALLEGRETTO WAVE was designed with the understanding that the human
cornea is not a simple optic. Based on extensive empirical research,
WaveLight developed a proprietary
treatment that is adjusted to the patient's individual corneal
curvature.
 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.
More
information about Allegretto Wave and their Clinical Studies
When
the FDA approved the ALLEGRETTO WAVE system for use in the
United States
in October 2003, it was the first time that an entirely new laser had
been granted approval since 1999. Even more, the ALLEGRETTO WAVE
received clearance for the widest treatment range ever initially
granted to a new laser.
Throughout the course of three years, more than 1000 eyes were treated
for near- and farsightedness. 11 clinical investigators across the
United States
and several international sites validated the technology and its
outcomes in detail.
More than 90% of the patients were followed closely over the course of
one year in order to determine outcome development, stability and
possible side effects.
Please visit the FDA website on the ALLEGRETTO WAVE for complete
information on the approval order for myopia and hyperopia.
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is a federal agency that
operates as part of the Department of Health and Human Services. It is
a unique institution in the world, that safeguards consumers and
ensures proper validation of the safety and efficacy of medical
devices and procedures, drugs and cosmetics.
In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the risks and
benefits associated with a product or procedure the FDA requires that
companies conduct extensive clinical trials before they can be made
commercially available to the
U.S.
market. Depending on the application of the product, clinical trials
can take numerous years and only if the FDA is fully convinced of the
validity, safety and efficacy of the product or procedure, it will
grant market approval.
For more information on LASIK and the technologies associated with it,
visit the FDA's
website.
About
WaveLight
WaveLight,
the company that manufactures the ALLEGRETTO WAVE Excimer laser is
based in
Erlangen
,
Germany
. The company was founded in 1996 by refractive industry
professionals, scientists and physicians who had the common goal to
create a laser that had the speed and precision necessary to perform
custom treatments.
In
1999, the first global wavefront-based custom treatment was performed
on a WaveLight laser. Since then the company has achieved major
success around the world. For the past two years in a row, the
ALLEGRETTO WAVE system has been the most successfully sold laser
internationally. As the first European company, WaveLight received FDA
approval for the marketing and sales of the ALLEGRETTO WAVE in October
2003.
Today
the company employs more than 200 people and operates direct offices
in
Sterling
,
Virginia
,
France
and
Spain
. Its laser based product range includes technical solutions for
refractive surgery, aesthetic applications and general surgery.
With
the slogan "Our Vision is the Future" WaveLight continuously
strives to enhance technology and find better ways to improve vision
for people around the world.
Since
WaveLight's commitment to quality and care does not stop with
technology, the company also supports Vision
for the World, a charity organization that fights
against blindness in third world countries.
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