Cataracts are one the leading causes of vision loss in the U.S. By age 65 most people have some degree of cataract development. But cataract surgery is an easy pain free procedure! What is a Cataract? A cataract is the gradual clouding of the natural lens inside your eye, which allows less light to pass through the eye, causing blurred vision. Cataracts form naturally as we ate and most people will start to notice clouding in the lens as early as 40 years of age! But not to worry cataract surgery is one of the most common ophthalmic procedures performed with more than 4 million procedures done per year in the U.S. How will I know if I have Cataracts?
Intraocular Lenses: How To Choose The Best IOL For Your Cataract Surgery
Intraocular Lenses: How To Choose The Best IOL For Your Cataract Surgery What can I expect from different lens options for my cataract surgery? Intraocular lenses (IOLs) are medical devices that are used in a type vision correction surgery called refractive lens exchange.
5 Cataract Facts and Myths
5 Cataract facts and myths. Though cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss worldwide, myths persist about their cause and treatment. Cataracts affect nearly 22 million Americans aged 40 and older. By age 80, more than half of all Americans will have cataracts, according to the National Eye Institute.
How does cataract surgery work?
Cataracts have been known to be one of the leading causes of vision loss in the United States, and by the age of 65 90% of all Americans will develop a degree of cataracts. A cataract is the gradual clouding of the lens inside your eye, which causes vision impairment or vision loss. But the good news is cataract surgery is one of the safest and most effective surgical procedures performed. This simple and pain free procedure takes very little time and the success rate is very high!
Can Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery be Beneficial?
Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery vs. Traditional Cataract Surgery When you find out you have cataracts, it can be unsettling and scary!
Answering The Most Common Surgery Fears
Answering the Most Common Cataract Surgery Fears Having surgery performed on your eyes can be a little scary so our Ophthalmologist, Dennis Kilpatrick, MD, has answered some of the most common surgery fears! Can I go blind from surgery? Going blind after cataract surgery is extremely rare. If a patient were to go blind it would most likely be due to an infection in the eye. With the antibiotics and advanced technology blindness after cataract surgery is very uncommon! Do I need stitches in the eye? The incision for the surgery is about 2.5mm in size and most of the time no stitches are needed. In some more rare cases a stitch will be used. The stitch is usually removed 1 week after surgery and most patients do not feel it being removed. Do I need to wear a patch on my eye? Eye patches are not usually necessary after cataract surgery! Do I need a driver after surgery? Yes, State Law requires someone other than the patient to drive away from the surgery center after cataract surgery. Most patients will be able to drive themselves the day after surgery, however. How limited are my activities? Almost not at all. You can go back to your regular routine the day of surgery! Years ago patients were not allowed to shower, bend over, pick up heavy objects, or sleep on the side that the eye was worked on; but with the advancements in surgery technology there is no longer a need for extreme limitation in your daily routine. Can I swim? Swimming or sitting in a hot tub after surgery is totally fine as long as no water gets in the eye. Protective eyewear is highly encouraged. There is no restriction on tap water, such as face washing or showering. When can I go back to work? The next day in most cases! Will I experience any pain? Dr. Kilpatrick almost always uses topical anesthetic to numb the eye when performing cataract surgery. After surgery, if there is minor discomfort, Tylenol or Ibuprofen can be taken. Will I need a shot in my eye! No shots will be needed in or around the eye for cataract surgery! Shots in the eye are a very rare occurrence! Will I need glasses after surgery? Yes, after cataract surgery reading glasses are usually needed. Special implant lenses are available to correct astigmatism and replace reading glasses. However they are not covered by insurance. Are there any questions we didn’t answer about Cataract Surgery? Call Scottsdale Eye Physicians & Surgeons at 480-994-1872 to speak with one of our staff members or to make an appointment with one of our Doctors!
New Advancements in Cataract Surgery
At Scottsdale Eye Physicians and Surgeons we strive to offer the best technology for our patients. We are excited to share some of the recent advancements in Cataract Surgery. When performing Cataract surgery, the patient may choose a blade-less surgery procedure with the use of the femtosecond laser. The femtosecond is a cold laser that uses a series of very brief pulses to make incisions in tissue without using a blade. Each pulse is only a femtosecond in duration, which is one-millionth of one-billionth of a second. It is the same laser technology that has been used so successfully in LASIK procedures for over 15 years. The machine first scans the eye and creates a 3-D computer image. This image is then used by the laser to quickly create customized corneal incisions at just the right depth and placement, create the incisions on the front of the lens, and soften the cataract in preparation for removal. The laser can also treat astigmatism, reducing the dependency on glasses or contact lenses. The laser portion of the cataract surgery requires only topical anesthetic, and takes about 3-4 minutes from start to finish. The patient is then moved to a conventional operating room to complete the cataract removal. The precision and architecture of the incisions made by a femtosecond laser is far greater than can be achieved by manually using metal or diamond blades, like in the past. This greater precision allows more accurate centering of the intraocular lens implant, faster healing, and more predictable results. Because the laser pre-softens the cataract, it lowers the risk of surgery complications during removal of the cataract. The femtosecond laser allows surgeons to achieve the safest, most consistent visual outcome for their patients. A major advancement last month makes it even better. The femtosecond laser platform Dr. Kilpatrick uses (LensAR) now utilizes a pre-operative corneal scan that loads data wirelessly right into the laser. The Cassini Corneal Shape Analyzer takes measurements quickly and painlessly, a little like getting a photograph taken of the eye, and is done at the surgery center a few minutes before the patient receives their femtosecond laser treatment. When the surgeon makes an incision in the cornea to do cataract surgery, that incision changes the orientation and amount of the patient’s astigmatism. The Cassini uses a special formula to program the femtosecond laser to automatically correct for the surgeon-induced astigmatism. The Cassini also “registers” the appearance of the iris so that the astigmatism measured while the patient is upright can be accurately corrected when the patient is lying down for surgery. This is important because the human eye often rotates a little when we lie down, which could make the astigmatism treatment less precise. Finally, the Cassini measures the density of the cataract, which allows the femtosecond laser to tailor the amount of cataract softening energy used. Now the surgeon can lower the laser energy on some patients who don’t need as much, and increase it on others to get better softening. Although there are other femtosecond laser platforms now being used, none of the others offer the marriage with the Cassini Corneal Shape Analyzer equipment. Dr. Dennis Kilpatrick is one the first cataract surgeons in Arizona to start doing femtosecond cataract surgery in March 2013, and he continues to offer the cutting edge technology to his patients. For more information about Cataracts and Cataract surgery Please visit our website ScottsdaleEye.com or call 480-994-1872 to make an appointment!