On Aug 10, 6:51 pm, fake.e-m...@stonyx.com wrote:

Hi Harry,
I presume this will give all the necessary inputs for you.Good luck.
Zyoptix : a New Frontier in Laser Eye Treatment
The very latest development in laser eye treatment from Bausch and
Lomb is a system called Zyoptix, a system that takes LASIK to a new
frontier.

Personalised Vision treatments

Zyoptix means that laser eye treatment is now unique to each eye. With
Zyoptix, treatment is designed specifically to treat your individual
vision errors.
Zyoptix could improve the quality of your vision. In a clinical study
conducted by Independent Refractive surgeons on behalf of Bausch &
Lomb, significantly more Zyoptix patients had less problems with night
driving than patients undergoing treatment with a Bausch and Lomb
Standard Laser.
Each Zyoptix assessment involves an extra diagnostic (screening)
process to let the surgeon understand your vision better and select
the most suitable treatment for you.
In the Zyoptix system the latest, most advanced technology is used to
detect and treat very small vision errors.
The Zyoptix system has many advanced built-in safety features that
help to optimise the success of your treatment.
Zyoptix, like standard laser treatment, is fast and virtually
painless.

Does it hurt?
Zyoptix is a virtually painless operation. During the procedure, your
vision will become blurred and you may be aware of a slight movement
on your eye and a sensation of pressure. After the treatment, your
eyes may feel slightly gritty and watery for a few hours, but you
should not experience any significant pain.

What will you experience right after Zyoptix treatment
After the treatment, you may experience some after-effects of the
surgery. Most of these are quite normal and will disappear quickly.
They could include: dry eyes and a gritty feeling after long periods
of sleep or in very dry environments. You will be given drops for
this. hazy, unstable vision and glare with night vision; possibly an
overall tenderness of the cornea.

Is it permanant?
Yes, Zyoptix is permanent. One treatment is all that most people need,
however, 5-10% of patients need some additional fine-tuning (re-
treatment) to get the bestdesired possible vision correction.

How quickly will my eyes recover?
You should be able to see better 1-2 hours after the treatment has
been completed, but you'll notice the really dramatic difference when
you wake up the next day. Even though your sight will be reasonably
good soon after Zyoptix, your eyesight will not have recovered
sufficiently to allow you to drive. You should be able to drive after
your first check-up - but do not drive until your surgeon says it is
safe to do so. Most people soon get back to their normal routine -
even going back to work the next day. However, this will depend on
your type of work - you should take 2-3 days' rest if you use a
computer, for example. Avoid contact sports and swimming for 2-3
weeks.

What are the alternatives if I'm not suitable for Zyoptix?
Most people who want Zyoptix are able to have it, but if not, your
surgeon will be happy to discuss alternatives with you. For example,
PRK or prescription implanted intraocular lenses may be good
alternatives. A few people may have to accept the fact that they are
going to need spectacles or contact lenses - and it is worth knowing
that Bausch & Lomb manufactures a contact lens that can be worn
continuously for up to 30 days. This new range is called PureVision
and corrects up to - 9.00 dioptres
Personal factors to consider
Career Implications:
People in certain occupations - e.g. the Armed Forces or the Police -
may be prohibited from undergoing laser treatment. Always ask your
employer for advice.

Age:
Your surgeon might think it wise to postpone treatment if you are
under 21.

Time, after-care and commitment:
The treatment itself only takes a few minutes, but all the tests and
aftercare visits over a 3-month period will require your time and
commitment. You might also need check-ups at 6 and 12 months.

Money
Zyoptix may be more expensive than standard LASIK.

PLEASE NOTE: Only your surgeon can determine if you are a suitable
candidate for Zyoptix, based on appropriate diagnostic tests and your
medical history.

Medical factors to consider
You will probably be told you are unsuitable for Zyoptix if you have
contraindicated eye or health problems.

Ocular (eye) health:
Your surgeon will examine you for severe dry eye conditions,
infections, allergies, any corneal abnormalities or eye disease
(either existing or within your family) that could affect the healing
process.

General health:
Your surgeon will check with you that you do not suffer from diseases
that prevent you from having laser treatment and may well contact your
GP. You will have to postpone your treatment if you are pregnant or
breast-feeding.

Medication:
Certain medicines might interact with the drops you will be given.
Some examples are - medication for migranes (triptans), hormone
replacement therapy (HRT) antihistamines and others. Your surgeon will
advise you if and how your medication effects laser treatment. Be sure
to tell your surgeon about any current or past health problems.

What prescription range can Zyoptix correct?
People may not realise how suitable they are for laser treatment,
because they wrongly believe that their eyes are not weak enough. In
fact, many patients with mild to moderate prescriptions undergo LASIK.
But because Zyoptix removes less tissue than Bausch and Lomb standard
LASIK, it can be performed on people previously unsuitable for laser
eye treatments - such as those with higher prescriptions.

The limit of what can be corrected varies from person to person, from
surgeon to surgeon and from machine to machine. As a general guide,
the Zyoptix system can correct:

To about -12.00 dioptres of near-sight.
The range for astigmatism is up to - 7.00 dioptres (with near-sight)
Alternatives if you are not suitable for Zyoptix
Most people who want Zyoptix are able to have it, but if not, your
surgeon will be happy to discuss alternatives with you. For example,
PRK or prescription implanted intraocular lenses may be good
alternatives. A few people may have to accept the fact that they are
going to need spectacles or contact lenses - and it is worth knowing
that Bausch and Lomb manufactures a contact lens that can be worn
continuously for up to 30 days. This new range is called PureVision
and corrects up to - 9.00 dioptres.

Zyoptix: widening the scope...
Zyoptix means that people whose eyes were unsuitable for laser surgery
may now be able to undergo treatment... reflecting your outlook

Improving your working life is not the only reason to choose Zyoptix.
Many active people who wear glasses or contact lenses feel they can
never realise their full potential in the sports and games they enjoy
so much... Talk to the clinic today, change your whole perspective.

Hansatome? Microkeratome
The Hansatome? Microkeratome. This is a high-precision instrument
which the surgeon uses for the first stage of the operation - to
create the flap under which the laser operates.

The Treatment Card
The Zyoptix laser allows your surgeon to treat your corneas with much
greater precision than with a standard treatment, shaping laser
treatment for your eyes only. This is because, as well as a standard
2mm diameter beam, the Zyoptix laser also has a finer 1mm beam for
fine-tuning and for treating the aberrations caused by scattered
light.

Both laser beams are shaped by your personal Zyoptix Treatment Card,
controlling the laser beam throughout every stage of your treatment.
Only one card is used per treatment to make absolutely sure that the
beam it produces is of the highest quality.

Standard LASIK (LASer In Situ Keratomileusis)
LASIK is a highly automated, computer-controlled procedure which takes
just 3-5 minutes, is virtually painless and offers rapid, next-day
recovery.

The surgeon creates a thin flap through the top layer of the cornea.
The flap is very gently folded over and the surgeon performs the laser
treatment on the layer underneath. This usually takes about 2 minutes
per eye. The flap is then replaced and left to heal naturally without
the need for any stitches.

Closing the flap

The Laser

Creating the flap

Standard LASIK still achieves very good results for many patients -
you can see why it's currently the most popular laser eye surgery in
the USA and Europe.

In the USA, 92.3 percent of all eye treatments for near-sight, far-
sight and astigmatism are currently done with LASIK, while in Europe,
523,000 procedures were undertaken in 2003, and almost 2 million
treatments world-wide.

Zyoptix
Although based on the same technique, Zyoptix is a much more advanced
form of LASIK. Specifically, Zyoptix is different because its highly
sophisticated technology allows the surgeon to:

examine each eye for previously unseen details known as 'aberrations'
plan the treatment that can correct individual visual errors and
aberrations in each eye
programme a laser with a combination of smaller and larger beams to
deliver a precise treatment - a treatment that is unique to each
patient.
Zyoptix and LASIK corrections: the big differences:
In addition to standard visual errors, Zyoptix also measures and
treats small vision errors (higher order aberrations) that scatters
light in a pattern that is unique to you. Scattered light errors
could, for example, cause shading seen round one edge of a perfectly
round light, and certainly they are an important cause of poor quality
night vision. About 70% of people could benefit from Zyoptix
treatment.

These small errors are detected with wavefront technology and treated
by the laser with a combination of smaller and larger beams, allowing
the surgeon to deliver a more precise, personalised treatment.

Orbscan?IIz Corneal Topographer:
The Orbscan IIz topographer analyses the physical shape/contours of
your cornea and allows a surgeon to decide if it has a suitable shape,
is healthy and thick enough for treatment.

It is the only topographer currently available that measures the shape
of both the front and back surface of the entire cornea (other systems
only measure the front surface) and can therefore provide a complete
picture of the thickness of cornea. The Orbscan IIz is able to provide
such high precision information as it captures data within seconds
from 9000 points on the cornea during each measurement.
New features and benefits include:

Iris Recognition An enhanced safety feature that ensures the correct
eye is treated
Zy-ID? A personal file that stores your unique digital 'map' of each
iris & treatment information
A faster and Multi-Dimensional Eyetracker Compensates and corrects for
eye movements during surgery in x, y and z dimensions
100 Hz laser head source Treatment times can now be more than twice as
fast
Improved Illumination & new microscope Better visibility during
treatment
New treatment options More people could eligible for Zyoptix treatment
for example those with long/far sight, complicated (mixed)
astigmatism, large pupils or thin corneas.
An enhanced safety feature that ensures the correct eye is treated

A personal file that stores your unique digital 'map' of each iris &
treatment information
Compensates and corrects for eye movements during surgery in x, y and
z dimensions
Treatment times can now be more than twice as fast
Better visibility during treatment
More people could eligible for Zyoptix treatment for example those
with long/far sight, complicated (mixed) astigmatism, large pupils or
thin corneas.
What are the alternatives if I'm not suitable for Zyoptix?
Most people who want Zyoptix are able to have it, but if not, your
surgeon will be happy to discuss alternatives with you. For example,
PRK or prescription implanted intraocular lenses may be good
alternatives. A few people may have to accept the fact that they are
going to need spectacles or contact lenses - and it is worth knowing
that Bausch & Lomb manufactures a contact lens that can be worn
continuously for up to 30 days. This new range is called PureVision
and corrects up to - 9.00 dioptres.

How quickly will my eyes recover?
You should be able to see better 1-2 hours after the treatment has
been completed, but you'll notice the really dramatic difference when
you wake up the next day. Even though your sight will be reasonably
good soon after Zyoptix, your eyesight will not have recovered
sufficiently to allow you to drive. You should be able to drive after
your first check-up - but do not drive until your surgeon says it is
safe to do so. Most people soon get back to their normal routine -
even going back to work the next day. However, this will depend on
your type of work - you should take 2-3 days' rest if you use a
computer, for example. Avoid contact sports and swimming for 2-3
weeks.

Is it permanant?
Yes, Zyoptix is permanent. One treatment is all that most people need,
however, 5-10% of patients need some additional fine-tuning (re-
treatment) to get the bestdesired possible vision correction.

http://www.usaeyes.org/faq/subjects/devices.htm

I understood the z100 to be just a later version of the 217z with improved
firmware, but perhaps there are hardware changes also.

 Second

The algorithms involved are improved.

There would be less tissue removed than the previous version simply because
of the better algorithms employed.

Hope that helps.

Regards
Gary