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25 Years of Refractive Light Surgery Innovation

Celebrating a quarter of a century of helping people see brilliantly through many groundbreaking innovations by the Alcon subsidiary WaveLight® GmbH.

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Each year, millions of patients undergo refractive surgery –often referred to as laser vision correction. It’s a procedure in which an eye doctor uses a laser beam to reshape the surface of the eye, making it more effective at focusing light and ultimately leading to better vision.

Today, we celebrate a quarter of a century of helping people see brilliantly through many groundbreaking innovations by the Alcon subsidiary WaveLight® GmbH.

Since WaveLight’s founding in 1996, our research has focused on high-end laser systems and diagnostic solutions. In 2000, WaveLight introduced the world’s first 200 Hz excimer laser for refractive surgery. By 2003, WaveLight became the first European manufacturer to receive US FDA approval. These accomplishments, coupled with the ability to design a refractive laser system that combined precision, speed and quality, quickly established WaveLight as a global market and technology leader and a favorite among ophthalmologists. Today, the WaveLight portfolio includes the most modern excimer and femtosecond lasers, which are supplemented by a comprehensive range of surgical-diagnostic devices. All systems are connected by a specially developed computer network.

“Having performed more than 40,000 laser treatments with WaveLight lasers, I continue to be impressed by this technology,” says Dr. Arthur Cummings, one of the first users of the WaveLight devices and technology.

The WaveLight refractive portfolio focuses on the best possible visual outcomes for our patients and makes a decisive contribution to the development of new technologies worldwide. For example, our eye-tracking systems, which follow eye movements during the LASIK procedure to direct the laser pulses precisely to the right place, are a staple component of modern eye lasers.

We look forward to the next twenty-five years of continuous advancement and innovation and taking refractive surgery to the next level to help people see brilliantly!