Wavefront sensing, a technique used to measure deviations in the 18 James Webb mirror segments as they were ground and polished to precise specifications, has already improved LASIK eye surgery.
Image Caption: Alignment evaluation image for the James Webb Space Telescope.
In early 2000, the company WaveFront Sciences started working with NASA to develop a way to test the curvature of the James Webb mirror segments as these were being polished. The mirrors were one of the critical technologies that would enable the observatory. The wavefront system had to measure that the curvature of each of the 18 mirrors matched the shape of the next mirror as these cooled down. Within one day, as each mirror came off grinding, this process would get a detailed map on how to do the next step of the grinding. The result of this technique, reflected in the power of Webb’s mirrors, gives an incredibly detailed glimpse of the universe in the infrared.
WaveFront Sciences understood the power of this system for other, more earthly, applications. They took some of the algorithms used in Webb mirrors and put them into a commercial product called the Complete Ophthalmic Analysis System. This system, also known as COAS, could diagnose eye conditions like cataracts, Keratoconus (an eye condition that causes reduced vision), and eye movement by mapping the eye. This technology changed hands over the years to finally end up in 2017 with Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc. The J&J product called iDesign Refractive Studio won approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2018.
With this technology, LASIK surgery becomes a personalized treatment. Using wavefront-guided technology, iDesing Refractive Studio takes, in a matter of seconds, about 1200 precise eye measurements to map imperfections in visual pathways and cornea curvature. This is like an optical fingerprint unique to each patient's eye.
iDesign Refractive Studio is now available to eye doctors in 47 countries. According to Johnson & Johnson, the iDesign technology has enabled well over 18 million successful LASIK procedures worldwide.
For more information refer to:
https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Telescope-Mirror-Tech-Improves-Eye-Surgery
https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2012/hm_5.html