Diagnostic and Treatment Technology

How does Durrie Vision choose its laser platform and diagnostic equipment?  The answer is simple; we choose the lasers with the best visual outcomes.  And since Durrie Vision is involved in the comparative research, we have the data to prove it.

Dr. Daniel Durrie has always been at the forefront of refractive surgery technology. He has been an investigator and involved with the research of every excimer laser since their introduction in 1989. As investigators, Dr. Durrie and Dr. Stahl have the unique perspective to be able to test and compare diagnostic technology and lasers in clinical research trials.

Wavefront Guided, Topography Guided, Wavefront Optimized or Custom LASIK?

These are terms that are often used in conjunction with the technology or lasers used in LASIK. All treatments at Durrie Vision are “customized” to each patient and the doctors determine the best treatment plan for your prescription.

Wavefront Guided Treatment

• Treats nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism plus measures and treats higher order aberrations.
• A map is made by measuring thousands of unique points of each patient’s vision. This measures distortions that glasses and contacts do not correct. A wavefront guided treatment has the possibility of reducing halo and glare in some patients and may sharpen vision beyond what glasses and contacts can.

Wavefront Optimized Treatment

• Creates a treatment pattern that maintains the eye’s round, natural curve   and helps produce crisp, sharp vision with the possibility of less night time halo and glare after surgery. The ALLEGRETTO WAVE® Eye-Q laser was specifically designed to incorporate wavefront priciples in every treatment and maintain the round curve to the cornea rather than flattening it.

Our Laser Platform

Excimer Lasers

An excimer laser is a cool beam laser that is used in modern vision correction surgery. This laser is much more precise than the surgical incisions doctors previously used to change the shape of the cornea for vision correction. There are several lasers used in the marketplace today and many surgery centers claim to have the “best,” but many of these are older technology. And, if a surgery center only has one laser, they may not have the ability to treat some visual conditions. The advantage Dr. Durrie has in being one of the principal investigators for FDA clinical trials is first hand knowledge of which lasers perform the best in regard to patient outcomes.

At Durrie Vision, our doctors have chosen the ALLEGRETTO WAVE® Eye-Q excimer laser with wavefront optimized technology.

ALLEGRETTO WAVE® Eye-Q Laser

The ALLEGRETTO WAVE® Eye-Q laser is the latest and most advanced technology available.  In fact, the Allegretto Wave laser received the widest range of approvals ever granted to a new laser platform from the FDA in its clinical trial and it is the fastest selling laser platform in the world.

Here’s how it will work for you:

The ALLEGRETTO WAVE® Eye-Q has PerfectPulse Technology™ to ensure safe and precise work at high speed. Each ultra-thin laser pulse is used to sculpt the corneal surface of the eye with the utmost accuracy. The high-speed eye-tracker follows the eye’s fastest movements, checking the eye’s positions 1000 times per second while ensuring an accurate placement of each laser pulse on the cornea. In addition, it provides the surgeon with an exact alignment of the eye’s position, making the ALLEGRETTO WAVE® Eye-Q one of the safest, most effective optical lasers currently available.

It’s fast!

Currently, the ALLEGRETTO WAVE® Eye-Q is the fastest vision correction laser for LASIK available in the United States. At 400 laser bursts per second, it takes only about two seconds of treatment to correct one diopter. Of course, spending less time under the laser means less stress and discomfort for the patient.

It’s precise!

Taking human sight beyond 20/20 is possible. The ALLEGRETTO WAVE® Eye-Q customizes every treatment to the patient’s individual prescription and cornea while aiming to improve what nature originally designed. Wavefront Optimized™ treatment considers the unique curvature and biomechanics of the eye, preserving quality of vision and addressing the spherical distortions than can induce glare and night vision reduction.

Femtosecond Laser technology

Intralase Femtosecond Laser

Ziemer Femto LDV

Blade free LASIK is all laser technology; no blade is used on the eye. By replacing the blade commonly used for corneal flap creation with a Femtosecond laser, the procedure is safer than ever before. The femtosecond laser delivers micron-level accuracy 100% greater than a microkeratome for more accurate and consistent flap thickness which is critical for a successful LASIK outcome.

Advantages to the femtosecond laser:

• Allows the surgeon to customize the flap to each individual patient.
• It is computer controlled, allowing for more consistency.
• It follows the curvature of the cornea allowing for a better fitting flap with less likelihood of dislocation.
• Allows the surgeon to treat a wider range of prescriptions because the depth of the flap can be customized.
• Flap dimensions are accurate and programmable.
• Not gear driven like the manual microkeratome that can get jammed.

Increasingly, successful LASIK procedures have one thing in common — they use a femtosecond laser to create the corneal flap.

Clinical trial results* using the Intralase Femtosecond Laser:

• Our 4th-generation laser is designed as a primary laser for LASIK procedures and advanced corneal surgery procedures
• 60 kHz performance delivers microkeratome speed and laser precision
• Better biomechanical stability vs. a microkeratome (1)
• Lower induced high-order aberrations vs. a microkeratome (2)
• Better refractive outcomes vs. a microkeratome (2)

^{*Through three months postoperative}

1. Alió JL, Ortiz D, Piñero D. Flap biomechanics with femtosecond and mechanical microkeratomes. Data presented at: European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons; September 10-14, 2005; Lisbon, Portugal.

2. Durrie DS, Kezirian GM. Femtosecond laser versus mechanical keratome flaps in wavefront-guided in situ keratomileusis: prospective contralateral eye study. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2005;31(1):120-126.

Femotosecond Laser Lens Technology

The Alcon LenSx Laser

Alcon LenSx Laser

Diagnostic Technology

Durrie Vision performs a complete diagnostic exam on each patient during our Advanced Ocular Analysis. The value of performing each test prepares the doctor to answer your questions about your vision, provides a benchmark of where your vision is today and a road map to your future vision.

We have the most advanced diagnostic technology available on the market today.

Anterior Segment Camera – A device that takes a digital image of the front of the eye and crystalline lens. These images aid in evaluating the tear film, eyelids, cornea and early cataract formation.  Digital slit lamp photography is taken of the lids and lashes, the crystalline lens as well as the fundus and optic nerve.

Fundus Camera – This device takes a digital image of the retina to ensure the health of the inside of the eye.

Pentacam – A device that digitally maps and provides topography of the surface of the eye to detect curves or irregularities.   Necessary for refractive surgery, the pentacam measures corneal thickness and how steep or flat the cornea is to help the surgeon prepare the surgical plan for the patient.   The Pentacam also performs a dilated Scheimpflug image of the lens to track the progression of changes in the lens.

3D OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) – A device that allows the physician to visualize ten layers of the retina.  FDA approved in 2007, this device has helped detect significant retinal and optic nerve findings that normally would have gone undetected until much later.

These images are integrated into the patient’s electronic medical record at Durrie Vision and allow our physicians to monitor changes in eye health at each exam.

Contact Durrie Vision today to schedule your appointment or call (913) 871-1166.