Alcon announces launch of wavelight plus, fully personalized LASIK treatment, in US and Canada

Wavelight plus (Photo courtesy Alcon)

Alcon has announced its launch of the first fully personalized LASIK treatment, wavelight plus, in the US and Canada.¹ The new treatment utilizes ray tracing technology through the Sightmap diagnostic device, which considers a patient’s individual eye shape and vision needs, according to a news release.

Wavelight plus was first launched in China, with several European and Asia-Pacific markets following suit. The commercial launch in Canada is late 2025.¹

“Wavelight plus marks an exciting new chapter in Alcon’s journey to provide personalized precision in laser eye surgery,” said Sergio Duplan, Alcon senior vice president and president, Americas, in the release. “For the first time, surgeons in the U.S. and Canada will have the opportunity to deliver a fully tailored refractive treatment that takes into account the unique features of each patient’s eyes.”

By using over 100,000 data points, wavelight plus works to create a 3D model, or “Digital Eye Twin,” of each patient’s eyes with a combination of ocular wavefront, biometry, and corneal tomography measurements. The 3D model then guides a highly personalized procedure with the goal to improve visual acuity and correct more complex vision problems, according to Alcon. Additionally, the measurements are completed without nomogram input, which streamlines planning time.¹

“Patients come to my practice with increasingly high expectations for their vision after surgery. With wavelight plus, I can now offer a premium, personalized treatment with a high probability of achieving visual outcomes surpassing 20/20 vision and even pushing the boundary of visual possibilities,” said Mark Lobanoff, MD, refractive surgeon and CEO of OVO LASIK + LENS in St. Louis Park, MN, in the release. “This not only benefits my patients but also provides my colleagues and me with streamlined surgical planning and exceptional diagnostics through the Sightmap.”

Real-world clinical evidence supports the efficacy of the new treatment, with 200 patients undergoing WaveLight Plus LASIK involved in the study. Specific findings reported 100% of myopic eyes achieving uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) of 20/20 at 3 months, and 89% of myopic eyes achieving postoperative UDVA of 20/16, and 50% achieving 20/12.5 at 3 months. Additionally, 98% of eyes achieved postoperative UDVA within 1 line of their preoperative corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) by 3 months, and 94% of eyes achieved the same or better CDVA than their preoperative CDVA by 3 months.^2,3

“I’m excited to offer my patients ray tracing LASIK, a significant advancement in refractive technology that delivers better results than standard LASIK,” said Raymond Stein, MD, FRCSC, DABO, medical director of the Bochner Eye Institute and professor of ophthalmology at the University of Toronto, in the release. “With this next-generation technology, I can deliver highly personalized refractive surgery, precisely tailored to the unique optical system of each individual. It’s incredibly rewarding to help my patients achieve the lifestyle they want while advancing my practice to the forefront of ophthalmic care.”

This announcement is one of many from Alcon in 2025, as the company has had a busy year. Just recently, Alcon completed its planned acquisition of LumiThera, Inc, which was announced earlier in July of this year.

Additionally, earlier this year, Alcon announced it had acquired a majority interest in Aurion Biotech,⁴ a clinical-stage company developing advanced cell therapies to treat eye diseases, and intends to acquire LENSAR.⁵ The LENSAR acquisition includes the ALLY Robotic Cataract Laser Treatment System, LENSAR’s proprietary Streamline software technology, and the LENSAR legacy laser system. As noted, Alcon also completed its acquisition of LumiThera, Inc and its PBM device for the treatment of early and intermediate dry age-related macular degeneration.

Most recently, Alcon entered into a definitive merger agreement with STAAR Surgical Company, through which Alcon intends to acquire STAAR. The planned acquisition of STAAR includes the EVO family of lenses (EVO ICL) for vision correction for patients with moderate to high myopia with or without astigmatism.⁶ EVO ICLs are implantable lenses that address a wide range of vision correction needs through a minimally invasive procedure that is reversible. EVO family ICLs are implanted between the iris and the natural crystalline lens during a procedure that does not remove corneal tissue.

References:

1. Alcon announces first fully personalized LASIK treatment with wavelight plus in the US and Canada. News release. Alcon. September 9, 2025. Accessed September 10, 2025. https://www.alcon.com/media-release/alcon-announces-first-fully-personalized-lasik-treatment-wavelight-plus-us-and-canada/

2. He G, Bala C. Ray-tracing-guided myopic LASIK: real-world clinical outcomes. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2023;49(11):1140-1146.

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. Harp MD. Alcon acquires majority interest in Aurion Biotech. Ophthalmology Times. March 27, 2025. Accessed September 11, 2025. https://www.ophthalmologytimes.com/view/alcon-acquires-majority-interest-in-aurion-biotech

5. Harp MD. Alcon agrees to purchase LENSAR. Ophthalmology Times. March 25, 2025. Accessed September 11, 2025. https://www.ophthalmologytimes.com/view/alcon-agrees-to-purchase-lensar

6. Harp MD. Alcon agrees to acquire STAAR Surgical. Published August 5, 2025. Accessed September 11, 2025. https://www.ophthalmologytimes.com/view/alcon-agrees-to-acquire-staar-surgical