Laser Vision Correction (15)
What is Wavefront?
Wavefront is a technology that is able to determine and measure aberrations of the cornea beyond that of conventional eye examination techniques that only identify and measure myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism.
Wavefront measures the individual imperfections in your eye much more precisely than traditional means. It produces an individualized and detailed "map" of the surface of your eye and generates digital information that can be transferred directly to the laser.
What is CustomVue?
Custom LASIK, also known as wavefront LASIK, combines the use of the STAR S4 Excimer Laser System with the WaveScan Wavefront System to created the CustomVue Procedure.
The combination of the Wavefront scan with the LASIK procedure can increase the precision and accuracy of laser vision correction. Studies have shown that CustomVue has a higher percentage of patients with a 20/20 outsome. CustomVue has also been shown to reduce side effects of starburst and halo.
Refractive Surgery Service
Dept. of Ophthalmology, 200 Hawkins Dr., Iowa City, Iowa 52242
Contact us directly at 866-309-0840 (toll free) or 353-7625 (locally).
Email us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Laser Vision Correction
Our Refractive Team
Your experience is just as important as clinical results. Our physicians will meet with you personally and are available to address your questions and concerns. We provide quality care and attention to your needs throughout your vision correction experience, from your first phone call until your last follow-up visit.
 |
 |
 |
Dr. Kenneth Goins
<about Dr. Goins> |
Dr. Anna Kitzmann<about Dr. Kitzmannr> |
Lisa MilderRefractive Coordinator |
Refractive Surgery Service
Dept. of Ophthalmology, 200 Hawkins Dr., Iowa City, Iowa 52242
Contact us directly at 866-309-0840 (toll free) or 353-7625 (locally).
Email us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
What is a Refractive Error?
Refractive error is a term that is used to describe an inability of images to focus properly on the retina of the eye. The goal of glasses, contact lenses, and refractive surgery is to correct or improve these errors by helping images to focus closer to or onto the retina.
Myopia
The refractive error known as myopia or nearsighedness occurs when the eye is too long or the cornea is curved too steeply. Myopia is usually the result of a larger than normal eye. In the myopic eye, light rays from distant objects focus before they reach the retina, causing distant objects to appear blurry.
Hyperopia
The refractive error known as hyperopia or farsightedness occurs when the eye is too short or the cornea is too flat. As a result, a person can see distant objects more clearly than near objects. The images focus is directed beyond the retina and cause close objects to appear blurry.
Astigmatism
The refractive error known as astigmatism occurs when the cornea is not round like a basketball, but curved more like a football. This uneven curvature prevents light rays entering the eye from focusing to a single point on the retina. Light focuses in two different locations in the astigmatic eye. The images focus at different planes and cause objects to appear blurry both at distance and near. Often people have astigmatism as well as myopia or hyperopia.
Presbyopia
The refractive error known as presbyopia begins to occur in most people around age 40 when the lens of the eye begins to lose its elasticity (or flexibility). It is a normal part of aging of the eye which makes it difficult to focus on near objects and is usually corrected with bifocals or reading glasses. Presbyopia should not be confused with hyperopia.
Emmetropia
Emmetropia is the state of the eye in which no refractive error is present, there is no need for glasses or contact lenses. In emmetropia, the curvature of the cornea, the shape of the lens and their distances from each other all work together to focus the rays of light to create a sharp image on the retina.
Refractive Surgery Service
Dept. of Ophthalmology, 200 Hawkins Dr., Iowa City, Iowa 52242
Contact us directly at 866-309-0840 (toll free) or 353-7625 (locally).
Email us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Photo-refractive keratectomy (PRK)
PRK is most often used to treat low to moderate levels of nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
PRK treats refractive errors by removing tissue from the surface of the cornea. Before the procedure, your eye is numbed using "eye drop" anesthesia and an instrument is placed between the eyelids to prevent blinking. In less than two minutes, your surgeon, using a laser, removes the proper amount of tissue and reshapes the cornea's surface. By altering the shape or placement of the laser beam, the cornea is made flatter to treat nearsightedness, steeper to treat farsightedness, and/ or more rounded to treat astigmatism. you will wear a bandage contact lens for three to five days after the surgery. Your surgeon may recommend treating one eye at a time because recovery with this surgery may take longer.
Refractive Surgery Service
Dept. of Ophthalmology, 200 Hawkins Dr., Iowa City, Iowa 52242
Contact us directly at 866-309-0840 (toll free) or 353-7625 (locally).
Email us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The Verisyse™ Phakic IOL
The Verisyse™ Phakic IOL is used to treat myopia (nearsightedness) that can be corrected with lenses between -5 and -20 diopters. It is a plastic lens that is surgically inserted between the cornea and the iris in the eye. This type of lens is called a phakic intraocular lens (IOL), “phakic” refers to an eye that possesses its natural lens, thus a lens that is placed in an eye that has its natural lens is called a phakic IOL. (This is in contrast to intraocular lenses that are implanted into eyes after the natural lens is removed, such as in cataract surgery.)
The Verisyse™ Phakic IOL is made from polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) -- an extremely well proven biocompatible material that has been widely used in and on eyes for over 50 years. The Verisyse™ Phakic IOL has been used successfully in Europe since 1990 (known in Europe as the Artisan Lens). United States clinical studies conducted between 1997 and 2003 showed that over 84% of subjects achieved 20/40 vision or better without the use of glasses or contact lenses.
Clinical evaluations have proven that PMMA can remain in the eye for decades without changing its properties or losing stability; however, the procedure is completely reversible. If, in the future, your surgeon determines that there is a better procedure, the Verisyse™ Phakic IOL can be surgically removed at any time. The Verisyse™ Phakic IOL does not eliminate the need for reading glasses and in some cases you may need reading glasses after surgery even if you did not need them before.
Please contact us (866-309-0840 (toll free) or 353-7625 (locally) orEmail us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) for more information about the Verisyse™ Phakic IOL.
- Information from the manufacturer
- More information about these lenses may be found on the Food and Drug Administration Website.
Refractive Surgery Service
Dept. of Ophthalmology, 200 Hawkins Dr., Iowa City, Iowa 52242
Contact us directly at 866-309-0840 (toll free) or 353-7625 (locally).
Email us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics offers a variety of refractive surgery options
Explore the options:
- PRK: Photo-refractive keratectomy
- LASIK: Laser in-situ keratomileusis
- INTACS: Corneal Ring Segments
- Verisyse™ Phakic IOL
Frequently Asked Questions about Laser Vision Correction
Attend one of our Educational Seminars to have your questions answered by one of our physicians. Register>>
Refractive Surgery Service
Dept. of Ophthalmology, 200 Hawkins Dr., Iowa City, Iowa 52242
Contact us directly at 866-309-0840 (toll free) or 353-7625 (locally).
Email us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
LASIK: Laser in-situ keratomileusis
LASIK combines the use of an instrument called a microkeratome to create a flap of cornea tissue which is lifted up while the laser is used to reshape the underlying surface.
LASIK differs from PRK in that it corrects vision by reshaping the corneal tissue beneath the surface of the cornea rather than on the surface. LASIK combines the accuracy of the laser with the healing benefits of a surgical procedures called Lamellar Keratoplasty.
After your eye has been numbed using "eye drop" anesthesia, an eyelid holder is placed between your lids to prevent blinking. Your surgeon then makes a protective flap in the cornea. During this process you may feel a little pressure, but no discomfort. Using a laser, protective flap is folded back in place where it bonds without the need for stitches
Because LASIK is performed under a layer of protective tissue, there is less surface area to heal, less risk of corneal haze, less postoperative discomfort, and less need for postoperative medication. Your vision also returns more rapidly- often within a day or so. LASIK can also be used to treat higher ranges of nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. LASIK carries more surgical risks than PRK.
What is Custom Lasik?
Custom LASIK, also known as wavefront LASIK, combines the use of the STAR S4 Excimer Laser System with the WaveScan Wavefront System to created the CustomVue Procedure. (Read about Wavefront and CustomVue)
read more about LASIK from the U.S. F.D.A.
Refractive Surgery Service
Dept. of Ophthalmology, 200 Hawkins Dr., Iowa City, Iowa 52242
Contact us directly at 866-309-0840 (toll free) or 353-7625 (locally).
Email us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
LASEK: Laser assisted subepithelial keratomileusis
LASEK, a modification of LASIK, is similar to PRK because the treatment is performed on the cornea's surface. It is a possible option for patients with very thin or very flat corneas for whom LASIK is not a good option. While LASIK creates a hinged flap on the surface of the cornea and PRK completely removes the epithelium, LASEK removes the epithelium, but replaces it after the cornea has been reshaped
After numbing your eye with anesthetic drops, your surgeon loosens the epithelium (outer surface) with a diluted alcohol solution and pushes it aside. The surgeon then uses a laser to treat the cornea surface, similar to the PRK and LASIK procedures. The epithelial flap is returned to its original position, and a bandage contact lens is placed during the healing process.
Refractive Surgery Service
Dept. of Ophthalmology, 200 Hawkins Dr., Iowa City, Iowa 52242
Contact us directly at 866-309-0840 (toll free) or 353-7625 (locally).
Email us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Other Vision Correction Options
Epi-LASIK is similar to LASEK, but uses a mechanical device to create the epithelial flap. It cannot be used for enhancements and the added cost does not result in faster healing, less potential haze or more comfort in several studies done to compare it to PRK or LASEK. It is not the same as Intralasik because epi-LASIK makes a more shallow, less stable flap that cannot be lifted in the future to allow for fine tuning. We chose not to invest in this mechanical separator, but rather to obtain the more predictable, IntraLase® machine to do IntraLASIK.
REFLEX (refractive lens exchange). Patients with high degrees of farsightedness may be candidates for REFLEX. In this procedure, a small incision is made at the edge of the cornea and the natural lens is removed. The intraocular lens implant is then inserted into place. Refractive lens exchange is sometimes called Clear Lens Exchange, Clear Lens Extraction, and Refractive Lens Replacement.
Multifocal Intraocular Lenses (IOL) are available to patients undergoing cataract surgery or lens exchange surgery to allow both reading and distant vision without using glasses for most patients. Multifocal IOLs have two points of refraction ("focal points"). There is a refractive point for close-up vision and a refractive point for distance vision.
CK (Conductive keratoplasty) to help presbyopia ("old eyes") is available at other centers. CK is a method of vision correction using controlled-release radiofrequency energy to reshape the cornea.
Refractive Surgery Service
Dept. of Ophthalmology, 200 Hawkins Dr., Iowa City, Iowa 52242
Contact us directly at 866-309-0840 (toll free) or 353-7625 (locally).
Email us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
IntraLase
IntraLase replaces the hand-held microkeratome blade with a silent, computer-guided laser; with the precision of the laser, you can now have greater assurance of a safer procedure and an excellent result.
see also epi-LASIK and why we do not perform it
IntraLase®-Enabled Keratoplasty (IEK)
Refractive Surgery Service
Dept. of Ophthalmology, 200 Hawkins Dr., Iowa City, Iowa 52242
Contact us directly at 866-309-0840 (toll free) or 353-7625 (locally).
Email us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
