No-touch surface treatment is the most advanced version of surface treatment. The epithelium, which is the outermost layer of the cornea and which regenerates itself, is removed by laser. No-Touch surface treatment is the only treatment that does not require any contact between the eye and a surgical instrument. The epithelium is also removed more accurately and easily than ever before.
If you decide to have a laser treatment, you want to get the best possible results. The more sophisticated the method, the better the results.
Because of their excellence in all important areas, such as speed, precision, safety and comfort, SCHWIND AMARIS lasers offer you the best technology for your treatment.
SCHWIND AMARIS lasers have all the technological characteristics of modern lasers. And they offer even more, because SCHWIND AMARIS lasers feature new innovations, such as two-level energy ablation and the unique eye-tracking system.
That is why independent experts consider SCHWIND AMARIS lasers, which are produced and developed in Germany, to be the most advanced lasers for refractive surgery. And most importantly of all, patients benefit from these features, because laser treatment is much faster, more precise and safer than ever, and it is also much more pleasant.
If higher order aberrations are affecting the sharpness of your vision, they must be corrected. In this case, your doctor will recommend a treatment that requires wavefront technology.
These is a method to detect irregularities in the eye. Because no eye is perfect, the reflected light follows a specific path, known as the wavefront. For the eyes, this path is like a fingerprint. The laser can correct the slightest asymmetric distortions of the eye by using a three-dimensional “map.”
The diagnosis is even more accurate if the Corneal and the Ocular Wavefront Analyzers are used in combination. The SCHWIND AMARIS software then harmonizes the two measurements so that doctor can determine whether there are any higher order refractive errors on your corneal surface or if there are other defects in your optical system that compensate for each other or aggravate each other.
Aberration-free treatment corrects simple refractive errors, such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism.
This method, specially developed by SCHWIND, leaves the higher order aberrations that existed before the laser correction unchanged as long as they do not affect your vision.
This way, you retain your normal sense of sight as you would have with glasses or contact lenses. Your brain needs a learning phase to adapt to the new, potentially disturbing changes. Furthermore, unlike other methods on the market, this treatment does not cause any aberrations that could reduce the sharpness and contrast of your vision.
Speed is only beneficial if it is accompanied by precision. SCHWIND AMARIS lasers have unique features that ensure a perfect balance between ablation speed and precision during treatment:
The shorter the operation, the lower the risks – SCHWIND AMARIS lasers work two to three times faster than other refractive surgery systems. Up to 1,050 tiny flashes of light per second1 shape the surface of the cornea. Furthermore, SCHWIND AMARIS lasers are extremely fast and the ablation of one diopter of myopia takes 1.3 to 2.0 seconds. The advantage: you only need to concentrate on the fixation light for a very short time. And the cornea is only exposed for a very short time. This prevents the cornea from drying out and accelerates the regeneration process.
Because high speed does not always mean accurate results, SCHWIND has developed the world’s only automatic fluence adjustment method. SCHWIND AMARIS lasers offer the perfect combination of speed and precision.
This method can be illustrated by the following concept: a fast yacht heads for the harbor at high speed, then a small boat navigates more accurately for a precise landing.
Initially, the SCHWIND AMARIS laser operates at a high energy level to remove about 80% of the corneal tissue. The length of time the strong beams are applied depends on the strength of your refractive error and is continuously revised by the software during the surgery. A weaker beam removes the remaining 20%, ensuring a particularly smooth surface and perfect vision.
The SCHWIND AMARIS laser beam has an exceptionally small diameter. The laser beam is only 0.54 millimeter in diameter and is thus much smaller than other lasers on the market.
The laser beam also has a special shape, which scientists call a “super-Gaussian beam profile.” This thin beam makes your cornea especially smooth.
Two nozzles specifically developed for use in SCHWIND AMARIS lasers ensure a fine, directed air flow that creates a constant microclimate on the cornea. Other lasers use vacuums that can cause turbulence on the cornea, which dries it out and makes it difficult to perform the procedure accurately.
SCHWIND AMARIS lasers offer all the advantages of modern laser surgery. These lasers feature revolutionary innovations, such as two energy levels for optimal ablation control, a unique eye-tracking system in up to six dimensions and an online OCT pachymeter.
If you decide to have a laser treatment, you want to take precautions. SCHWIND AMARIS lasers have unique features that offer the highest possible safety standards during laser treatment.
SCHWIND AMARIS lasers are very fast. And, because of their unique eye-tracking system, they are also safe. During the surgical procedure, turbo eye-tracking records your eye movements 1,050 times per second. This allows the laser beam to always be perfectly positioned.
In addition to horizontal and vertical movements, the eye can perform rotation, rolling, tilting, as well as upward and downward movements. The SCHWIND AMARIS laser systems record all these movements with the help of an eye-tracking system that compensates for any eye movement in up to seven dimensions.
Imagine that the eyeball is a buoy in the sea. If the sea is calm, the buoy moves from right to left or back and forth. In bad weather, however, the buoy tilts to the sides. A buoy also rotates around its anchoring system. Similarly, your eyeball can move linearly (1st + 2nd dimension), roll (3rd + 4th dimension), rotate around its axis (5th dimension) or make upward or downward movements along the Z axis (6th dimension). The seventh dimension includes the time factor and thus accounts for eye movements that occur during the laser system’s reaction time. As a result, the ablation is performed without any delay.
Online pachymetry is used to continuously measure the thickness of the cornea during the entire surgical procedure. It ensures that the cornea is still quite stable (thick) after the laser correction. Just like how divers guide themselves in the water by using a depth gauge, the online pachymeter keeps your doctor informed during the entire SCHWIND AMARIS laser procedure.
This system measures changes in the thickness of the cornea and displays these changes on the monitor in real time. At any given time, your doctor knows exactly how much cornea has already been removed and how thick the cornea still is. The measuring device provides this data without contact, thereby avoiding direct contact with the eye.
The cornea can dry out during the surgical procedure if it becomes too hot. This would result in a milky layer instead of clear vision. SCHWIND AMARIS lasers are equipped with a unique thermal control system. Despite their higher speed, there is enough time between two laser pulses.
SCHWIND AMARIS lasers have a very specific approach. The surface cools faster outside the cornea, so the next laser pulse can safely reach this area in a shorter period of time. Other lasers do not offer this technology, and as a result, they must use fewer laser pulses per second and are therefore slower.
SCHWIND AMARIS lasers offer a high level of support to the surgeon. Because of the superior user convenience, the surgeon can focus all his attention on your eyes during the operation, assisted by technology. The small screen in the surgeon’s field of vision displays the most important information.
The surgeon has the laser indications and the program sequence in his field of vision, at the same level as your eyes. With the touch of a button, he can activate his preferred working conditions and presets. The touch screen offers even more convenience.
You also benefit from the other advantages of SCHWIND AMARIS lasers. For example, a diagnostic slit lamp is located directly on the device. This way, your doctor can evaluate the ablation immediately after surgery without having to change examination rooms.
Visual acuity
The vast majority of patients could see absolutely clearly: 98% of eye treatments resulted in 100% vision or better. Of these, 65% achieved a visual acuity of at least 125%. One group of 7% even achieved a visual acuity of over 160%.
The study also compares the results with the patient’s condition before treatment with the use of optical aids: after the surgical procedure, 55.5% could see better than they could before with glasses or contact lenses. 44% could see as well as before.
The investigators also examined the accuracy of the SCHWIND AMARIS laser in enabling vision recovery without optical aids and in predicting the final treatment outcome. 96% of patients showed a maximum residual refractive error of half a dioptre. Normally, no glasses or contact lenses are worn to correct such small defects. Eye specialists call it the “no glasses” zone. 73% of those treated even came out with +/- 0.25 diopters or less. Of the 358 eyes treated, none exceeded the limit of one diopter after SCHWIND AMARIS LASIK treatment. Furthermore, in none of the cases was another treatment necessary.
The eyes of patients healed very quickly after SCHWIND AMARIS laser treatment. On average, a visual acuity of 108% was reached one day after surgery.
Normally, such values are reached one week later. Six months after treatment, visual acuity averaged 117%. After this period, the values are considered stable.
A few years ago, the rule was a reduction in contrast sensitivity. Even today, a loss of contrast sensitivity can be observed after standard laser treatment. On the other hand, the study showed that SCHWIND AMARIS laser treatment dramatically improves the perception of black and white contrast.
All SCHWIND products carry the CE mark, which is accepted almost worldwide for medical products. This mark is awarded following a complex evaluation process based on the European regulations for medical products (93/42/EEC), guaranteeing our patients the quality and reliability of SCHWIND technologies.
The certification is made possible by our sophisticated quality management, in accordance with the ISO 13485 certification. Everyone, from our production employees to doctors, are involved in this process. Patients can be sure that the technological and ergonomic characteristics of SCHWIND lasers are always exactly as they should be – High Quality Technology from SCHWIND.
SCHWIND AMARIS lasers combine all available modern technologies in one system and set standards for safety and accuracy of treatment. They offer state-of-the-art technology in the areas of pulse rate, beam profile, eye-tracking, as well as safety and comfort. Laser-guided treatment of refractive errors is now much faster, safer and more accurate than ever before. Their high quality of visual performance and the much faster healing process have been documented in clinical studies.
The UV light of the excimer laser used to ablate the cornea is absorbed, for example, by water. This means that a dry cornea is ablated differently than a wet cornea. If the treatment time is too long, the cornea starts to dry out and can cause overcorrections, in which case, the expected results are less accurate. An ablation, for example with myopia of 8 diopters, can take more than a minute, depending on the laser manufacturer. The patient’s attention is also limited during the laser treatment, and therefore, in this case, a shorter treatment time improves the results. With a myopia of 8 diopters, the ablation of the cornea with a SCHWIND AMARIS laser takes only 12 to 15 seconds per eye. The entire treatment of both eyes takes about five minutes.
The SCHWIND AMARIS laser beam has an unusually small diameter. The laser pulses measure only 0.54 millimeters, whereas they are usually much larger. Furthermore, the laser beam generated by SCHWIND AMARIS lasers has a specific shape. Scientists call this a super-Gaussian beam profile. This fine beam produces a perfectly smooth surface of the cornea.
In order to achieve a perfect combination of speed and precision, SCHWIND has equipped the SCHWIND AMARIS lasers with two energy levels. For this purpose, the researchers at SCHWIND have developed a unique method, known as “automatic fluence adjustment.” The optimal energy densities for high and low fluence, and the respective ratios for the best possible treatment were created by using complex mathematical simulations. The result: about 80% of the laser ablation is performed using a high energy level, and for the remaining 20%, SCHWIND AMARIS lasers automatically switch to a low energy level for precision smoothing the cornea. In addition, higher-order retractive errors, which are usually finely structured, are corrected much more accurately with low energy than with high energy.
While staring at the laser light, the eyes can involuntarily move in all directions for a short time, on average, 90 micrometers per millisecond. Therefore, the exact centering and constant positioning of the eye is crucial for successful laser treatment of the eye. The camera in the SCHWIND AMARIS laser eye-tracking system checks the position of the eye 1,050 times per second.
SCHWIND AMARIS lasers are equipped with static, dynamic cyclotorsion control for the correction of eye rotations around the optical axis – the fifth dimension of eye movements. During the diagnostic phase, an image is taken of the eye when the patient is sitting. When the patient lies down, the new eye position is determined under the microscope and taken into account by the eye-tracking system. The eye may also rotate during the laser treatment. In order to compensate for this rotation, SCHWIND AMARIS lasers take into account the rotations of the eye during the laser treatment by means of dynamic cyclotorsion control and pefectly compensate for these movements. Cyclotorsion control has an important influence on the results regarding the astigmatism of a dioptre. The combination of dynamic and static cyclotorsion control plays a particularly crucial role for personalized treatments in reducing higher order refractive errors.
SCHWIND AMARIS laser treatment is practically painless. Your eye will be numbed with drops before the procedure. You will probably feel a slight pressure on the eye, but this is not a real sensation of pain. You may feel the presence of a foreign object in the eye being operated on, but this sensation will quickly fade.
Clinical studies with SCHWIND AMARIS lasers have shown that, in many cases, patients see even better after laser treatment than they could before with glasses or contact lenses. Almost all patients can see as well as they had before with contact lenses.
The entire SCHWIND corporate strategy is aimed at the long-term satisfaction of doctors and patients. We constantly work with this goal in mind, because as a family-owned business, we are not tied to the price of our shares on the stock exchange or to our value for shareholders.
We are constantly optimizing our technologies, which allows us to continuously and decisively improve ophthalmology, while also increasing our own success. Our solutions are based on the solid expertise of our employees and their many years of experience and on our close and productive cooperation with doctors.
This has enabled us to grow steadily over the past 50 years – from a provider of diagnostic technology to a world leader in laser technology for eye surgery. Today, SCHWIND technologies are available in 125 countries worldwide. More than 1,400 of our lasers are already in use.
