Laser Cataract Surgery
WHAT IS A CATARACT?
A cataract is a condition inside the eye which greatly inhibits your vision. The lens behind your iris can become so clouded that it prevents light, colors, and images from entering the eye and reaching the retina, which then sends the images to your brain. Eye injuries, some diseases, or even some medications can cause this inner lens of the eye to cloud. This condition can also be degenerative with time. You cannot prevent or treat cataracts with your diet or home remedies. Cataracts are a truly debilitating condition that will change your daily life and activities unless treated effectively.
The best way to treat a cataract is with laser cataract surgerythat removes the old, clouded lens and replaces it with a new, artificial lens to restore your vision, and significantly improve your quality of life. Modern technology, such as what is employed with our renowned CATALYS® Precision Laser System, has made both the surgery, and the replacement lenses, safer and more effective. For instance, the refractive cataract laser significantly improves surgical precision. And, unlike traditional replacement lenses that only work for distance, multifocal lenses nowallow patients to see better at all distances. Things near, far, and in-between are all crystal clear without glasses.
WHAT IS CATARACT SURGERY?
Great leaps in medical technology make cataract surgery one of the safest, and most successful procedures. Cataract surgery is generally a simple, outpatient procedure with little discomfort, requiring only a few hours, and a topical anesthetic. The goal of the operation is to break the old, cloudy lens into pieces, remove the pieces from the eye, and insert a lens to replace the natural lens. Traditionally, the surgeon would make a tiny incision in the eye with an instrument about the size of a pen tip. Now, patients also have the option of choosing a bladeless, computer-controlled refractive cataract laser to perform several of the most critical steps of cataract surgery to avoid any human error.
CATALYS
The CATALYS® Precision Laser System is indicated for use in patients undergoing cataract surgery for removal of the crystalline lens. Intended uses in cataract surgery include anterior capsulotomy, phacofragmentation, and the creation of single plane and multi-plane arc cuts/incisions in the cornea, each of which may be performed either individually or consecutively during the same procedure.
Femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery offers a reproducible, noninvasive technique to replace the least predictable and most technically demanding steps of conventional cataract procedures.
Ocular Refractive Lenses
There are four different types of refractive errors: Myopia, or nearsightedness; Hyperopia, or farsightedness; Astigmatism, or steeper meridians in a cornea; and Prebyopia, an age-related decline in eyesight. While glasses and contact lenses can correct refractive errors, there is a more permanent solution. Ocular refractive lenses are a new technology that may be more effective to correct astigmatism as well as reading vision, than the traditional single vision lenses that are typically used in cataract surgery. A Refractive Lens is an intraocular lens that is placed in the eye to correct refractive errors. However, this procedure is only recommended for patients who have a Cataract and need Cataract surgery to restore there vision. If you have a refractive error, consult Dr. Garrana to see if Refractive Lenses would work for you.
