What is Topography Guided LASIK?
Corneal topography is a surface contour map of the cornea (similar to a topographical map of hills and valleys). The cornea is a dome-shaped clear window that allows light to pass into the eye. The laser treatment reshapes the cornea allowing you to see clearly after surgery. This corneal topography is unique to your eye (similar to a fingerprint) and allows us to customize and personalize your specific LASIK eye surgery procedure.
The new topography-guided technology, known as Customized Aspheric Treatment Zone (CATz), maps the patient’s cornea by measuring nearly 7,000 points of light, versus the approximately 200 points of light measured with traditional wavefront technology. This more precise measurement creates a topographic map of the cornea that shows even the most subtle distortions and aberrations. The topography map for your right eye and left eye is linked to the Nidek Excimer Laser allowing it to personalize each individual treatment to eliminate the visual aberrations and irregularities on your cornea. As a result, nearly half of the LASIK patients treated as part of the CATz FDA clinical study achieved better than 20/20 vision, with reduced risk of glare and halos. It is also the first technology to demonstrate improved night vision after surgery (compared to using glasses or contact lenses).
In 2013, CATz was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat patients with nearsightedness and astigmatism (blurry or distorted vision caused by an irregular curvature of the cornea). Dr. Keith Liang was the first surgeon in the United States to use topography-guided LASIK after its approval in 2013. He has traveled the country teaching other eye surgeons this new technique.
