New laser promises more precise LASIK treatment

The FDA has approved Abbott’s iDesign Advanced WaveScan Studio System, which can generate scans 25 times more precise than traditional methods to better map ocular irregularities and create a more personalized LASIK treatment plan.

In one 3-second scan, Abbott says the system captures more than 1,200 micro readings of the eye, mapping irregularities and identifying the shape of the cornea, its curvature, how light passes through the eye and pupil diameter under different lighting conditions.

In a study of 334 eyes treated with the iDesign System, 99 percent of patients experienced little or no difficulty with the clarity of their vision and 97 percent had little or no difficulty with their daily activities after surgery. They also saw significant improvements in vision while driving at night and a reduction in glare.

"The iDesign System allows doctors to detect details of the eye that we were never able to see before," said Edward E. Manche, MD, director of cornea and refractive surgery and professor of ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine.

As a result, the system could expand the patient population eligible for LASIK. Compared with Abbott’s existing WaveScan WaveFront Technology, the company says use of the iDesign system may allow nearsighted people with higher levels of astigmatism and those with a wider range of pupil sizes to undergo LASIK.

The development of the sensor technology within the iDesign System was the result of an earlier discovery by Abbott scientists, which NASA used to accurately measure and shape the mirrors in the James Webb Space Telescope to ensure it will transmit high resolution images of deep space back to earth.

Approved outside the US since 2012, the iDesign is now available for U.S. ophthalmologists.