unintentionally damaged by eye surgeons inexperienced in laser eye surgery when it was

introduced several years ago.

Lee Philipson, the Assistant District Attorney for Napa County, Calif., is one example of a

person whose vision in his left eye was severely distorted by LASIK eye surgery Los Angeles

eight years ago.

?It felt like I was trying to see while standing under the shower,? Mr. Philipson said after

the failed procedure.

But with the help of the new, state-of-the-art Wavefront mapping technology at the Maloney

Vision Institute, Mr. Philipson's vision has been restored and is now 20/25. It is one of

the most gratifying outcomes in Dr. Robert Maloney's 20-year ophthalmology career as a Los

Angeles LASIK surgeon.

Wavefront technology comes from the process of adaptive optics, first proposed by scientists

in 1953. Adaptive optics allows astronomers to compensate for the light distortions in the

atmosphere. Further studies in adaptive optics became available from declassified

information developed for the so-called Star Wars missile defense shield.

In Mr. Philipson's case, the Wavefront technology has enabled him to once again live a

normal life and with excellent vision. Mr. Philipson, who grew up in Southern California and

graduated from UCLA, said the Napa area surgeon he chose generally was well thought of and

?a very likable person.? But he says he should have done more to check the doctor's

experience and qualifications.

The new VISX Wavefront system is the latest major advancement in ophthalmology. In contrast

to conventional Lasik treatments which measure one point in the eye, the Wavefront guided

laser vision correction Los Angeles system enables eye surgeons to digitally map 200 points

on the eye. It gives the surgeon an extraordinarily detailed topographical picture with

which to perform either Lasik or photorefractive keratectomy, commonly known as PRK.

?The Lasik procedure on the right eye went fine. But the doctor made a very bad flap on my

left eye. He put the flap back down and told me to come back in three months when it

healed,? he said. But during the intervening three months, Mr. Philipson's left eye

developed epithelial cells that the doctor failed to detect when it was time to have the

LASIK Los Angeles procedure completed.

The after-effects were tragic for Mr. Philipson and marked the beginning of years of

frustration and blurry vision. Mr. Philipson immediately began a search to find a qualified

surgeon who could repair the damaged left eye. That search led him to the Maloney Vision

Institute.

?When I first met with Dr. Maloney he worked on my eye and improved my vision enough so I no

longer felt I was in the shower ? a huge improvement. But he also told me that there was

little else that could be done until new technology arrived that would take care of my

problem. That gave me hope,? he said.

On May 17 Mr. Philipson again visited Dr. Maloney, who was an FDA investigator on the new

Wavefront technology that now was approved for use. For Mr. Philipson the new technology

delivered on its promise. The procedure was enormously successful.

?Wavefront technology enables physicians to customize eye prescriptions for individuals with

greater precision than ever before,? Dr. Maloney said.

For the average patient seeking vision correction, Wavefront allows doctors to boost vision

beyond 20/20.

?Let me put it this way,? Mr. Philipson said. ?For eight years I could not ignore my vision.

I thought about it all the time. I don't even think about it now. With both eyes open my

vision is 20/15.

?I have no doubt that Dr. Maloney saved the vision in my left eye,? Mr. Philipson said.

?He's such a kind, decent, compassionate man. If lawyers were like that there wouldn't be a

whole lot of lawyer jokes. He's a lifesaver as far as I'm concerned.?