Zyoptix Custom LASIK: Personalized Vision Correction

Detailed measurements of your eye’s wavefront gives ophthalmologists a more accurate picture of your vision issues. That allows them to make the necessary corrections, leading to a higher rate of successful outcomes (91.5 percent). Breastfeeding women or pregnant women are discouraged from having the surgery.

What Is the Zyoptix Custom LASIK Procedure?

Zyoptix is an FDA-approved system that provides personalized vision correction through wavefront-guided refractive surgery. Besides treating myopia (nearsightedness), it corrects severe imperfections of the eye called high-order aberrations (HOAs).

It is both an upgrade of and an alternative to the standard laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) eye surgery. Accurate measurements of your eye’s wavefront enhance the effectiveness of the Zyoptix solution, which is why it is called wavefront-guided LASIK.

With the wavefront data, doctors find it easier to customize their treatment by determining all your focusing problems (refractive errors) at the start. Your ophthalmologist can then perform LASIK surgery on your eye with better chances of restoring near-perfect vision without eyeglasses.

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Who Is a Candidate?

Just like traditional LASIK, Zyoptix is not for everyone. You must qualify for the surgery by having specific issues with your vision. 

Doctors perform a comprehensive preoperative eye exam to determine your suitability for the wavefront-guided procedure. You may be eligible if you meet the following conditions:

• You have nearsightedness of -7 diopters or better (while Zyoptix provides a wider range of vision correction, it’s more effective within -7D).
• You have HOAs that prevent your eye from focusing light on the retina properly, causing vision problems like halos or glare.
• You have a healthy cornea.
• You have no active eye disease or infection, such as glaucoma.
• You’re at least 21 years old when your eyes and vision power are fully developed.
• You have stable vision (you have been using the same eyeglass prescription for at least the last two years).
• You wish to stop wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses for nearsightedness.
• You have astigmatism within the -3D range (poor near and distance vision due to an imperfect curvature of the cornea).

According to the FDA, Zyoptix LASIK may be unsafe if:

• You are pregnant.
• You are breastfeeding.
• You are taking sumatriptan (Imitrex) for migraines due to the risk of distorting your wavefront measurement before LASIK.
• You have a disease related to a weak immune system (immunodeficiency).
• You have a collagen vascular disease (affects connective tissue holding bones, ligaments, etc.).
• Your cornea is too thin.

How Zyoptix Works

The two main phases of the Zyoptix LASIK procedure are:

• Wavefront mapping (eye measurements) with a wavefront detector
• LASIK surgery with a wavefront-guided microkeratome

Wavefront Mapping

A wavefront map of your cornea reveals all your refractive (focusing) errors, especially nearsightedness and astigmatism. It also captures any subtle corneal imperfections beyond the normal ranges, such as HOAs.

Your ophthalmologist (eye surgeon) will use a wavefront detector to create the map during your preoperative examination. The device beams light into your eye and measures the light reflected back out.

With the wavefront measurement, the surgeon works out the precise amount of vision correction that your eye requires.

Zyoptix LASIK Surgery

The surgeon uses a surgical tool called microkeratome to cut a tiny flap of tissue off your cornea. After lifting the flap, they’ll use a Zyoptix excimer laser to reshape the corneal surface underneath.

Since the entire Zyoptic system is integrated with the wavefront detector, it has the necessary diagnostic data to accurately eliminate imperfections beneath the folded flap.

Your surgeon places the corneal flap back in place on your cornea after the procedure. 

Benefits

Zyoptix LASIK can benefit your vision immensely provided that your eye, including the cornea, is healthy enough for the invasive procedure. Here are some pros of the wavefront guided treatment option:

• It has a broader vision correction range (-1D to -7D for nearsightedness and up to -3 for astigmatism).
• It can eliminate your reliance on eyeglasses or contact lenses for distance vision.
• Wavefront measurements allow surgeons to customize vision correction based on the person’s exact needs.
• Wavefront-guided excimer lasers are highly precise and can minimize the risk of surgical errors while reshaping the cornea.
• The treatment is permanent. 
• Treats HOAs that are difficult to correct with glasses or contacts.

Risks

Zyoptix LASIK surgery has a few concerns you may want to discuss with your ophthalmologist beforehand. Rarely do these outweigh the potential benefits of this high-precision vision treatment system, however. 

Here are some known Zyoptix risks:

• Vision with glasses or contacts may decline after LASIK.
• You develop corneal flap complications because of surgical errors.
• You get an infection.
• You have permanent scarring of the eye.
• You experience vision problems like night driving difficulty and halos (for people with a larger pupil).

Outcomes and Success Rates

Zyoptix Custom LASIK surgery produces remarkable vision improvements. It enables most beneficiaries to reclaim key aspects of their everyday life, such as night driving. In one clinical study, 91.5 percent of people who underwent the procedure achieved 20/20 vision or better without after the procedure.

About 99 percent enjoyed 20/40 vision or better by their six-month appointment, qualifying them for a driving license in most states. Also, 78 percent of people have the same vision power without glasses after Zyoptix as before with glasses.

So, if you have an active lifestyle involving activities like playing sports or exercising, you can choose Zyoptix to avoid wearing glasses for nearsightedness.

Zyoptix vs. LASIK

Both conventional LASIK and Zyoptix are highly effective interventions for refractive errors, but the latter enhances the effectiveness of refractive eye surgery significantly. With standard LASIK, your ophthalmologist relies on your eyeglass prescription to evaluate your vision correction requirements.

They’ll proceed with surgery based on that information and can reshape your cornea, usually with good vision results. For an ideal candidate, the traditional approach is safe and much more effective than eyeglasses or contacts.

Zyoptix is still a LASIK, but an advanced, customized version that goes beyond low-order vision correction needs. Incorporation of your eye’s wavefront profile in preoperative exams allows the surgeon to completely personalize treatment by first capturing any unique, high-order imperfections of your cornea.  

The diagnostic data from your wavefront map precisely guides the reshaping of your cornea with the Zyoptix excimer laser system. This way, it enables your doctor to correct more than just nearsightedness or astigmatism.  

Its outstanding results include elimination of HOAs like spherical aberrations, which often inhibit night vision.

How to Find a Zyoptix Provider

Zyoptix LASIK is a refractive surgery performed by ophthalmologists — board-certified eye surgeons. To find one near where you live or work, you can use the Find an Ophthalmologist directory on the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) official website.

Please note: Not all ophthalmologists can perform LASIK surgery, so you should insist on a specialist in this area of eyecare.

To generate more relevant results on the AAO directory, select “Refractive Surgery” under the “Subspecialty” filter. The American Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) is also a reliable medical resource.

Once you identify a relevant listing, you can call their office to find out if they offer Zyoptix or just LASIK. You will need a comprehensive eye exam to determine your candidacy for the custom refractive surgery.

References

1. Is Your Ophthalmologist A Refractive Surgeon? (February 2022). American Refractive Surgery Council.

2. Does My Eyeglass Prescription Qualify for LASIK? (October 2021). American Refractive Surgery Council.

3. Higher-Order Aberrations in Myopic Eyes. (January 2010). Journal of Ophthalmic & Vision Research.

4. Summary of Effectiveness and Safety Data. (October 2003). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

5. Patient Information Booklet. (2003). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration.