Role of image-guided systems
While intraoperative aberrometry is a great
way to check your progress, image-guided
systems are designed to create a smooth
process of planning and executing refractive
cataract surgery. This new technology incor-
porates several digital planning and surgical
positioning tools aimed to avoid errors that
can occur between the initial patient evalua-
tion and the day of the procedure.
Image-guided systems work by first using a
diagnostic machine to take a pre-op "photo"
of your patient's eye that shows the shape and
measurements of the cornea, locations of lim-
bal vessels and other important readings.
Those measurements are then held in the sys-
tem's software and are used to help you deter-
mine where to place the lens or incisions.
After your pre-op planning is complete, the
software takes your planned incisions and/or
lens placement and sends it to a device
attached to your microscope that creates an
overlay to guide you during surgery.
Some of these systems also include software
to help calculate the power of the IOL you need
to use to correct the astigmatism. As with the
aberrometer, this doesn't alleviate the need of
the surgeon to make his own manual calcula-
tions, but can certainly help aid or confirm his
decisions. The real star of these systems is their
ability to produce the overlay used on the day
of surgery. The overlay helps you pinpoint
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