LADAR4000 RANGE OF CORRECTION (FDA approved)

While most lasers are approved for a very wide range of correction of defocus errors, only a few can claim Wavefront approval. Approval indicates that an independent third party, the FDA or Canada's HPB, has collected and evaluated treatment outcomes for a period of years before certifying that the equipment is safe and effective for the treatment the manufacturer has claimed. Without it, you have only the claims of the manufacturer and the user regarding these critical issues. In Canada, a surgeon does not require approval to use a laser for "off label" treatment, meaning the surgeon may use his or her own discretion with the range of treatment and type of treatment delivered. In the US, however, all surgical devices must have FDA approval before they can be offered to the public.

If you wish to interpret your prescription, you need to note OD refers to the Right Eye while OS refers to the Left Eye. The prescription usually has 3 numbers:

• the first is the measurement of distance correction
  • a "-" sign annotates nearsightedness
  • a "+" sign annotates farsightedness
• the second is the measurement of astigmatism correction
  • usually expressed in "-" mode
• the third number is the axis, or location, of the astigmatism.
• combined amounts are called the spherical equivalent and are calculated according to this formula:
  • the full amount of distance correction plus half of the astigmatism amount.
  • for example, a person with a correction of -4.00/ -2.00 x 85 would have a spherical equivalent of -4.00 + (0.5x-2.00) which is -5.00