Sandy T. Feldman, M.D., the Medical Director of Clearview Eye and Laser Medical in San Diego, California, talks about an advanced system that uses NASA technology to customize LASIK treatments.
Interview conducted by Ivanhoe Broadcast News in March 2017.
Tell us a little bit about iDesign, what it is and how it is different than regular LASIK.
Dr. Feldman: iDesign represents the next generation of LASIK, like a smart phone it relies on space age technology to customize the laser procedure so it’s more precise than ever before.
What are the benefits, is it a surgery time benefit is it an actual vision benefit, what’s better about it?
Dr. Feldman: There are a number of different aspects that are beneficial for patients. The first is that almost everyone achieves 20/20 vision or better. With the recent approval of mixed astigmatism 92 percent of people were 20/20 or better. The quality of the night vision with customized iDesign procedures is better than ever before so there is less incidence of glare and halos.
We talked about what was different about iDesign, you talked about mixed astigmatism and the fact it’s better for extreme nearsighted, farsighted, if you could explain that again.
Dr. Feldman: The iDesign is like the brain that drives the LASIK procedure. The iDesign was originated from astronomy from the eight billion dollar James Webb telescope where the Wavefront sensor inside the iDesign unit was used to measure the mirrors to the millionth of an inch. What it does, in practice, is it measures 1257 prescriptions of the eye. When you go to the eye doctor and we ask which is better, one or two, we’re measuring just one prescription. We’re also measuring imperfections that are unique to your eyes. Then the iDesign is like the brain it guides the laser treatment so we are customizing LASIK based on imperfections of your eye. That leads to better quality of vision as well as better vision.
Is iDesign the name of the computer?
Dr. Feldman: The iDesign is a separate instrument. The data is transferred from the iDesign instrument to the laser to guide the laser treatment so it’s personalizing the laser treatment. There’s a trend towards personalized medicine nowadays. When you’re treated in cancer it’s what your cancer cells are showing, the genes and the DNA. The same thing for the eye; our eyes have unique imperfections. In the past, two people with the same prescription got the same LASIK treatment. Today they don’t because we’re measuring your unique imperfections of the eye. The iDesign is basically telling the laser put one spot here, two spots here, five spots here and it’s reshaping your eye to give an optimal quality of vision.
Do you see this as the way of the future, is this the way that surgery is going now?
Dr. Feldman: Absolutely. Surgery is going toward personalizing based on a person’s unique DNA or imperfections.
How long has this been approved?
Dr. Feldman: iDesign was FDA approved as a diagnostic device in June of 2015 for nearsightedness and astigmatism. The approval for use in LASIK was the fall 2016.
That’s new right?
Dr. Feldman: That’s new.
So what did people with mixed astigmatism do before if they wanted LASIK?
Dr. Feldman: Some people got customized treatment. There is also a way for optimized treatments that’s given you based on many people’s Wavefront technology rather than your individual own technology. The sensitivity of the Wavefront sensor in iDesign is greater. It’s five times greater than the previous Wavefront sensors that were available on the market.
When you say Wavefront was it that?
Dr. Feldman: Wavefront was initially developed in astronomy to see stars moving through the atmosphere at night, it was built for telescopes. That technology was then adapted to ophthalmology to measure the prescription of the eye and the imperfections. The goal is to treat not only the prescription of the eye, prescription is what determines is a person going to get twenty/twenty, twenty/thirty but also the quality of the vision by treating imperfections of the eye.
What’s this going to do for Krista?
Dr. Feldman: For Krista it’s going to mean that she is going to be less or not dependent on glasses or contacts lenses anymore. It will improve the quality of her life. It’s going to improve her functioning in the world without her glasses which are pretty thick. Contacts lenses get irritated, they dry out, there’s a hassle with them. Being free from them gives you a sense of visual freedom and confidence that being able to see brings.
How soon will she be able to see an improvement?
Dr. Feldman: When I sit her up after surgery she’ll be able to see clearer. However, it’s like looking through a sea of water immediately after surgery. Over the next few hours that begins to clear and by the next day the vision is often quite good with LASIK.
Will it continue to get better over the next few days?
Dr. Feldman: Yes.
Is this good for anybody, is anybody a candidate for this iDesign?
Dr. Feldman: Many people are candidates for iDesign, if you are nearsighted with a small to a very large nearsighted prescription, if you have astigmatism up to a high degree of astigmatism. You can be treated as young as eighteen if your prescription is stable. The iDesign is capable of measuring people who have small pupils or very large pupils and that’s enabled us to more customize treatments for those patients.
Is this a treatment that’s available across the country?
Dr. Feldman: Yes.
So people just need to ask for iDesign?
Dr. Feldman: Yes. So if you’re going to look for a LASIK procedure you want to look for a custom procedure iDesign.
END OF INTERVIEW
This information is intended for additional research purposes only. It is not to be used as a prescription or advice from Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. or any medical professional interviewed. Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. assumes no responsibility for the depth or accuracy of physician statements. Procedures or medicines apply to different people and medical factors; always consult your physician on medical matters.
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