What are the latest technological advancements in eye care in Hawaii?

Ophthalmology is a specialty of medicine that has reaped tremendous benefits from technological advancements. These improvements have aided the diagnosis and treatment of many eye diseases, and the vast majorities of these are now or will soon be available in Hawaii.

In the area of diagnostics, OCT, or Optical Coherence Tomography, is an evolving technology that provides images of multiple structures of the eye including the retina, optic nerve and cornea. The extreme precision delivered by the OCT gives ophthalmologists the ability to image the retinal structures with a resolution of about 8 microns, which is the size of a red blood cell. Other devices, such as a corneal topographer, map the front and back surfaces of the cornea to aid in the diagnosis of corneal disease or for the optimal planning of refractive laser correction procedures.

One of the newest and more exciting advancements available in Hawaii is Contoura™, a topography-guided LASIK system by Alcon Laboratories. Contoura™ integrates the LASIK excimer laser with a corneal topographer, enabling the only truly customized LASIK platform that smooths every imperfection of the cornea. Many patients are seeing better after surgery without glasses than they ever could see with glasses or contact lenses before surgery.

Baby boomers experiencing increased glare or cloudy vision may be starting to feel the onset of cataracts. New technology such as Femto-Laser Assisted Cataract Surgery, or FLACS, allows for the exact placement and creation of incisions with unparalleled accuracy. Other new devices used in surgery such as the ORA™ System with VerifEye+™ Technology, allow for the precise alignment and power selection of the intraocular lens implant, further increasing the satisfaction of patients with their visual outcomes.

Keratoconus is a serious and potentially blinding disease that affects one in every two thousand people. Recently, the FDA approved the Avedro Photrexa® crosslinking system, the first and only true treatment for this disease which has been available worldwide for a number of years, but only on a limited basis in the United States. This will be available next month at Aloha Laser Vision.