Vision Surgery
Refractive surgeons Dr. Neda Shamie† and Dr. Karl Stonecipher† share how wavelight plus, the first fully personalized LASIK treatment, enables them to deliver exceptional visual outcomes, feel confident in their ability to meet elevated patient expectations and transform their practices through streamlined workflows and empowered surgical teams.1-5,‡
A Leap Forward in Personalized Precision
In the dynamic landscape of refractive surgery, innovation is more than a buzzword—it’s a promise to offer patients tailored solutions that exceed their highest expectations. For Dr. Neda Shamie, cataract, LASIK and corneal surgeon and partner of the Maloney-Shamie-Hura Vision Institute in Los Angeles, and Dr. Karl Stonecipher, a cornea and refractive surgery specialist and the Director of Laser Defined Vision in Greensboro, North Carolina, wavelight plus goes beyond 20/20 laser vision correction, offering the potential to enjoy life's moments with outstanding visual outcomes.3,6,*,§,^
Wavelight plus is Alcon’s fully personalized LASIK system that creates a 3D model of the eye and produces individualized ablation treatments using Sightmap®, ray-tracing technology and more than 100,000 diagnostic data points to go beyond 20/20 vision.3,6,*
“Laser vision correction has advanced from broad beam to wavefront and topography-guided treatments, each step bringing us closer to true personalization,” reflected Dr. Shamie.
With wavelight plus, LASIK surgery enters a new era. By treating the eye as a complete optical system and leveraging state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment technologies, surgeons can now create a true 3D model of each patient’s eye to produce a personalized ablation map and implement an optimized treatment approach.
Today's patients are looking for greater visual independence for a vision that enhances their lifestyle, comfort, and confidence. Wavelight plus focuses on what patients’ value most.6-8
“More and more, patients come in asking about 20/16, 20/12, and even beyond. Now I can confidently offer that possibility,” said Dr. Shamie.
Dr. Stonecipher added, “wavelight plus enables outcomes that consistently surpass 20/20 vision—sometimes even reaching 20/10 visual acuity, which supports my patients’ goals to live glasses-free.”5,6,*
An Integrated Platform for Personalized Vision Correction
Wavelight plus is an integrated refractive platform that offers fully personalized vision correction through a convenient single device.2,4,5 The technology leverages several key innovations that incorporate a patient’s eye shape and visual needs to create a unique 3D model derived from the patient’s individual eye anatomy.2–4
Sightmap® diagnostic technology uses more than 100,000 data points—including ocular wavefront, biometry, and corneal tomography—to compensate for non-symmetric aberrations, biomechanical changes, and corneal healing, while also optimizing laser-efficiency prediction.1–4,9 Ray-tracing technology then combines these measurements and performs iterative calculations to generate a 3D model of the eye and produce a fully optimized ablation profile.3
“It’s infused a lot of positive energy into our practice and given us an opportunity to truly differentiate ourselves,” said Dr. Shamie.
Empowering Surgical Teams with Confidence
Dr. Stonecipher describes the transformation as “making a telescope for your own eye.” The Sightmap’s seamless, iterative process allows for highly personalized treatments, and the system’s integration of multiple measurements—corneal surfaces, anterior chamber depth and volume, and biometry—streamlines the team’s workflow.3,4,**
“We started in May and have treated hundreds of patients already. Everyone’s noticing the difference,” he added. “For surgeons, this means greater confidence in delivering exceptional outcomes, consistently.”
In real-world clinical evidence of 200 patients, 100% of myopic eyes treated with wavelight plus achieved 20/20 vision or better at 3 months post-procedure, with 89% of patients reaching 20/16 visual acuity or better at the 3 months mark.6 Notably, in the same real-world data, 94% of eyes treated with wavelight plus had the same or better postoperative CDVA than their preoperative CDVA by 3 months, which further demonstrates the efficacy of this technology.6
Beyond these clinical results, both Dr. Shamie and Dr. Stonecipher emphasize how this integrated technology elevates team morale, and in their experiences, simplifies training. Both Dr. Shamie and Dr. Stonecipher share how their staff members quickly become proficient, and the device’s reliability allows their technicians to take a more active role in the surgical process, supporting overall efficiency and engagement.
“It has improved and increased my confidence in really delivering on the outcomes I want for my patients,” Dr. Shamie affirmed.
Renewing Patients’ Hope for Great Vision
Both surgeons have seen a resurgence of interest in refractive surgery, fueled by patient satisfaction and word-of-mouth referrals.
As Dr. Stonecipher observed, “wavelight plus not only differentiates practices in competitive markets but also revives energy and growth in a field that has seen declining volumes.”
“When technology works this well, enthusiasm builds naturally—and patients feel that energy,” said Dr. Shamie.
Wavelight plus is more than another advance in refractive technology; it’s a next generation personalized vision correction solution and a catalyst for greater confidence among surgeons in the quality and impact of the care they deliver. As Dr. Shamie and Dr. Stonecipher’s experiences show, this innovation is inspiring a new generation of practitioners to meet and exceed the discerning needs of their patients, ushering in an era where more people can live spectacle-free and enjoy exceptional vision quality.
The Bottom Line: The wavelight plus Promise
• Delivers next-level personalization with a proprietary ray tracing technology that models each patient’s full optical system, creating a treatment plan for exceptional visual outcomes.1–5
• Integrates comprehensive diagnostic data—including wavefront, tomography, and biometry—into one seamless workflow, helping surgeons streamline planning and enhance confidence.2–4
• Incorporates the evolution of the wavefront optimized pre-compensation algorithm with compensation for non-symmetric aberrations, biomechanical changes and corneal healing as well enhanced laser efficiency prediction.3,10
FAQs
1. How is wavelight plus different from other LASIK technologies?
In the article, surgeons explain that wavelight plus creates a full 3D model of a patient’s eye using over 100,000 data points. This allows for a more personalized ablation profile compared to traditional wavefront-optimized or topography-guided LASIK, which relies on fewer measurements.
2. What kind of vision results are people getting with wavelight plus?
According to the real-world clinical data referenced, 100% of myopic eyes reached 20/20 or better at 3 months post-procedure, and 89% achieved 20/16 or better.6,* The surgeons in the article report that some of their patients are seeing even sharper vision.
3. Does wavelight plus improve outcomes for surgeons and their teams?
Surgeons describe that the system integrates multiple diagnostics into one workflow, helping teams work more efficiently, support employee training, and feel more confident delivering highly personalized treatments.2–5,^
4. Why are more patients asking about wavelight plus?
The surgeons in the article note that patients increasingly want “better than 20/20” vision. The personalized nature of wavelight plus—and surgeons' confidence in delivering those results—has led to renewed interest in LASIK procedures and more word-of-mouth referrals to their practices.
Wavelight plus is also known as InnovEyes. For Indications, contraindications, warnings and precautions, please refer to the relevant product's instructions for use. Find at: ifu.alcon.com.
† Dr. Neda Shamie and Dr. Karl Stonecipher are unpaid Alcon consultants. The views and opinions expressed in this article are their own and are not influenced by Alcon.
‡ UDVA ≥20/20 in 100% WL+ vs 93.3% WFO; ≥20/16 in 83.3% WL+ vs 73.3% WFO
* In a real-world private practice setting-200 patients (400 eyes). Please refer to relevant product directions for use for complete list of indications, contraindications and warnings.
** Including corneal thickness, anterior, and posterior corneal surface
§ 3 months post-op; n=212 eyes
^ At 3 months after wavelight plus and wavefront-optimized LASIK, MRSE was within ±0.50D in 100% (95%CI: 88.6–100%) and 90.0% (95%CI: 74.4–96.5%) of eyes, and within ±0.25D in 83.3% (95%CI: 66.4–92.7%) and 76.7% (95%CI: 59.1–88.2%) of eyes, respectively (wavelight plus non-inferior for ±0.50D, p=0.125; non-superior for ±0.25D, p=0.313).
References:
1. Schumacher S, Seiler T, Cummings A, Maus M & Mrochen M. Optical ray tracing-guided laser in situ keratomileusis for moderate to high myopic astigmatism. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2012;38:28-34.
2. Mrochen M, Bueler M, Donitzky C, Seiler T. Optical ray tracing for the calculation of optimized corneal ablation profiles in refractive treatment planning. J Refract Surg. 2008;24:S446-S451.
3. Kanellopoulos AJ, Maus M, Bala C, et al. International Multicenter, Myopic and Myopic Astigmatism Femto LASIK, Customized by Automated Ray-Tracing Ablation Profile Calculation: A Post market Study. Clin Ophthalmol. 2024;18:525-536.
4. InnovEyes Sightmap Diagnostic Device User Manual 1089. [REF-03359].
5. Khoramnia R, Naujokaitis T, Blöck L, et al. Prospective intraindividual comparison of automated customized ray-tracing-guided vs. wavefront-optimized laser in situ keratomileusis. Ophthalmology. Published online June 5, 2025.
6. He G, Bala C. Ray-tracing-guided myopic LASIK: real-world clinical outcomes. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2023;49(11):1140-1146.
7. Alcon data on file, 2025. REF-27656.
8. Alcon data on file, 2021. REF-25401.
9. Penna RR, de Sanctis U, Catalano M, Brusasco L, Grignolo FM. Placido disk-based topography versus high-resolution rotating Scheimpflug camera for corneal power measurements in keratoconic and post-LASIK eyes: reliability and agreement. Int J Ophthalmol. 2017 Mar 18;10(3):453-460. doi:
10.18240/ijo.2017.03.20. 10. Bueler M, Mrochen M., inventors. “Computer program for ophthalmological surgery”. U.S. patent No. US2008/0033408A1.
©2026 Alcon Inc. CLUSTER-UKIE-WLO-2600001