By utilizing the LenSx®, cataract surgery has now shifted from the standard manual technique to the advanced technology femtosecond laser which allows our surgeons to customize your procedure using your eye’s unique characteristics in order to optimize your post-operative vision.
WHAT ARE CATARACTS?
Cataracts are a clouding of the natural lens of the eye which causes blurred or reduced vision at all distances. In a healthy eye, light passes through the clear lens to the retina which then converts the image into nerve signals that are sent to the brain. As cataracts form, the lens of the eye becomes clouded and the images sent to the retina are not as clear and vivid as they once were. This condition generally starts gradually, sometimes as early as age 40. Drs. Douglas and Ann Williams.
HOW ARE CATARACTS TREATED?
Cataract patients typically undergo surgery to remove the cloudy lens from inside the eye and replace it with a clear artificial lens implant called an intraocular lens (IOL). This procedure, designed to remove the impediment to clear vision, is called standard cataract surgery and is covered by medical insurance. With a standard IOL, the surgery can produce clear vision, but patients may still need glasses or contact lenses to focus on objects at near, far or both distances due to remaining astigmatism and presbyopia.
Astigmatism is a condition where the cornea, or the clear window at the front of the eye, is oval or football shaped rather than round or basketball shaped. Astigmatism causes images to focus at different points on the retina, resulting in blurred vision for both far and near.Presbyopia is the loss of the ability of the lens of the eye to change focus from far to near. Presbyopia is a natural part of the aging process, and it affects everyone – usually starting in the early to mid 40’s.
CUSTOM LASER CATARACT SURGERY
The LenSx® femtosecond cataract surgery laser offers a number of advantages compared to standard cataract surgery. For unparalleled precision, our LenSx® laser pulses in a femtosecond which is one quadrillionth of a second. The custom cataract laser also:
- Allows for the correction of low to moderate amounts of astigmatism with the accuracy of a computer-controlled laser. This is an important part of optimizing vision.
- Provides greater surgical precision, particularly for some of the most challenging parts of cataract surgery.
- Eliminates the need for blades and needles for corneal incisions and the anterior capsulotomy.
- Allows our doctors to customize a treatment plan for optimizing your vision to meet your lifestyle and visual
goals.
Custom laser cataract surgery goes beyond traditional cataract surgery in that the goal is not just to remove the impediment to clear vision but to optimize your vision by reducing or eliminating astigmatism and managing presbyopia.
For more information on the LenSx® femtosecond laser and optimizing your vision, call Williams-Deschamps Eye Institute at (219) 931-7509 to schedule your appointment!
