When your doctor tells you that you have a cataract and it should be removed, it may seem frightening.   But, once you understand what a cataract is, how it will be removed, and the life-changing benefits cataract surgery can bring, you'll likely wish you'd had the procedure sooner. A cataract can progress until eventually there is a complete loss of vision in your eye, and neither diet nor laser treatment will make a cataract go away. However, cataract surgery can help restore your vision, long before you experience loss of vision significant enough to interfere with your daily activities. 

Modern cataract surgery makes use of an amazing array of high-tech equipment and techniques. Gone are the days when cataract surgery required a two-week stay in the hospital, with your head immobilized with sandbags until you healed. Today’s cataract surgery is an out-patient procedure that takes a half-hour or less and lets you get back to your normal activity level within a few days.  Over the past 15 years, Dr. Parisi has performed over 10,000 cataract operations, restoring lost vision and function for patients.

Dr. Joseph Parisi performing cataract surgery at OMH

One of the most dramatic advances in cataract surgery involves anesthesia for the procedure. Long ago, patients were put to sleep for cataract surgery. More recently, patients were given a shot behind the eye before surgery to numb it. But now, the vast majority of cataract surgeries are performed under topical anesthesia, with only a few numbing drops placed on your eye before the start of the procedure. This eliminates both the risks and discomforts of the shot. Also, the shot made the vision blurry for several hours after surgery—with just the numbing drops, some patients notice improved vision within minutes after the surgery is completed.

The technique of cataract removal has also undergone major improvements. Once upon a time, the cataract was removed whole through an incision over a half-inch long. Modern cataract surgery is performed through an incision less than an eighth of an inch long. A small instrument is inserted through this tiny incision, and is used to break the cataract into many small pieces that are removed without the need for a large incision. There are many advantages to a smaller incision, including a faster recovery time, less need for glasses after surgery, and a smaller risk of infections after surgery. In addition, while the old incisions required many stitches to close up, modern cataract surgery can often be performed without any stitches, or with one stitch at most.

During cataract surgery, the cloudy lens of your eye is removed and replaced with a clear lens implant. In the old days, there were no implants, and patients had to wear thick glasses (“Coke-bottle glasses”) after surgery to see well. Now there are implants that are placed directly into the eye, reducing or eliminating the need for any glasses after surgery. Custom Cataract Surgery utilizes the newest implants (called multifocal implants, or presbyopia-correcting implants) which can even provide sharp vision at both distance and up close, reducing or eliminating the need for any kind of glasses, including reading glasses, after surgery.  At Clemson Ophthalmology, we are proud to provide you with this exciting new technology with the ReSTOR® lens.

ReSTOR® surgery is similar to standard cataract surgery plus addresses your need for glasses. The ReSTOR® lens provides you all ranges of vision, near, distance & intermediate and provides the best opportunity for you to never wear glasses again.  In an FDA study of new technology, 80% of patients who had cataract surgery with the ReSTOR® lens in both eyes NEVER wore glasses again, while 94% of patients who had ReSTOR® put in both eyes said they would have the surgery again.  In our clinic, these numbers have already been even higher.

Antibiotic advancements also benefit patients undergoing cataract surgery. Cataract surgery is among the most successful operations in all of medicine, but complications can occasionally occur. One of the most severe complications is an infection in the eye called endophthalmitis. To reduce your risk of getting endophthalmitis, your doctor will prescribe antibiotic eye drops to use around the time of your surgery. New antibiotics developed in the past few years are more effective than ever at preventing eye infections during cataract surgery.

Routine cataract surgery is so well tolerated that it has become the most common surgery performed on adults in the United States. As a result of these many high-tech developments in all aspects of cataract surgery, the operation is more successful—and has a faster recovery time—than ever before. 

If you are interested or would like more information about Custom Cataract Surgery and the ReSTOR® lens, then please let us know when you come in for your consultation.

During your surgical consultation, our doctors may recommend a procedure called astigmatic keratotomy (AK) or limbal relaxing incisions (LRI) to treat your astigmatism. This surgical procedure ensures that you will have the best possible vision after surgery. Astigmatic keratotomy/limbal relaxing incisions are surgical procedures which consist of making microscopic curved relaxing incisions at the limbus, which is the junction of the clear part of the eye (cornea) with the white (sclera) of the eye. These cuts are made for the purpose of flattening the steepest part of the cornea in an attempt to obtain a more spherical cornea. AK/LRI permanently changes the shape of the cornea. 

AK and LRI are elective procedures not covered by Medicare or private insurance.    Please note that the fee for AK/LRI is in addition to any deductible, co-insurance and co-payments you might have for the cataract procedure. For more information on the additional costs for these procedures, we would be happy to discuss these with you after your consultation with the doctor, but first, our doctors must determine if you are a suitable candidate for AK/LRI.