Wavefront Aberrometer

The instrument seen here is an aberrometer and the technology that it provides us in known as “aberrometry”. This is a new technology that allows us to design a scleral lens with superior optics when compared to previous scleral lens designs. There are millions of patients around the world who have lost quality vision due to refractive surgery, keratoconus, corneal transplant surgery and corneal disease who suffer varying degrees of vision defects known as “higher order aberrations” or simply “HOA’S”. HOA’S are complex vision disorders responsible for patients experiencing ghosting, double vision, starbursts and halos around lights. Measuring these aberrations cannot be done by simply scanning the anterior surface of the eye. In order to identify and measure these aberrations, the aberrometer seen here is used to send a light into the eye. This light passes through the cornea and the lens of the eye and is reflected back to the retina. The reflected light is then identified and measured by the aberrometer. Finally, these aberrations (HOA’S) are displayed in 3D on the aberrometer’s computer screen. How the light passes through the eye is known as wavefront technology. The resulting aberration profiles are uploaded to a special laboratory that embeds this information into the surface of a highly oxygen permeable so that these HOA’S can be eliminated
and the patient’s vision improved.

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Autologous Serum for Dry Eyes

There are many patients suffering from chronic dry eyes due to prior surgeries, medications and autoimmune disease. Many of these patients will not be able to obtain relief from over the counter lubricating eye drops. A well designed and fit scleral lens will provide great relief to this very “high need” patient population. This is because a scleral lens will keep the front surface of the eye in a moist environment. Occasionally however, a scleral lens will not provide the level of comfort that the dry eyed patient is seeking.

With this group of patients, autologous blood serum tears (serum tears for short) have been known to provide significant improvement in patients’ symptoms. Serum tears are made from the patient’s own blood and are composed of a complex mix of growth factors, proteins, antioxidents and lipids. Because the serum tears are made from the patient’s own blood, they
will closely mimic their own natural tears. Many of our patients suffering from ocular surface disease, are wearing scleral lenses and using blood serum tears when not wearing their lenses.

The following three images use a special dye to highlight defects on the cornea. Each of these eyes might benefit from autologous serum



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The Wavefront Scleral Lens

Most patients who have suffered vision loss due to keratoconus, refractive eye surgery (LASIK, Radial Keratotomy, PRK, etc.) and many other corneal conditions and diseases, experience a variety of vision distortions known as “higher order aberrations” or “HOA’s). Higher Order Aberrations are complex vision disorders responsible for the perception of ghosting, double vision, glare, loss of contrast, starbursts and halos. When patients require a scleral lens, it is these usually these conditions that they find most bothersome.

Measurement of higher order aberrations cannot be done simply by scanning the surface of the eye. Moreover, while some patients find a measure of relief from a “classical scleral lens,” others continue to report significant problems with their vision. Sometimes the problem lies with the posterior cornea, sometimes with the natural lens of the eye, or with an intraocular lens, or elsewhere in the visual system. Research scientists and eye doctors around the world have been working to address these crippling and life altering vision distortions. The instrument seen in the photo below is an aberrometer. The measurements that it provides are known as “aberrometry”.

In order to identify and measure these aberrations, the Ovitz XWAVE aberrometry system seen below is used to send a light into the eye. This light passes through the cornea and the lens and is reflected back from the retina. Distortions in the reflected light are then identified and measured by the XWAVE aberrometry system. Finally, these aberrations (HOA’s) are displayed in 3D on the aberrometer’s computer screen. How light passes through the eye is known as “wavefront” technology. The resulting aberration profile is uploaded to a special laboratory that embeds this information into the optics of a scleral lens so that these HOA’s can be eliminated and the patient’s vision improved. The ARES HOA correcting scleral lens coupled with the XWAVE aberrometry system is the world’s first accessible HOA correcting technology. The great majority of patients who we have used this technology on have experienced significant vision improvement.







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