CUSTOM & LASER CATARACT SURGERY

A cataract is your own natural lens in the eye becoming cloudy (generally due to increasing wisdom and maturity!). To improve your vision, your doctor can remove the cataract and insert a new, clear, plastic lens in its place during cataract surgery which lasts for the rest of your life.

The good news is cataracts don’t return and this new lens implant can be targeted for your visual needs; this can be a once-in-a-lifetime investment in your eyes to improve your quality of life for the long term. Your cataract surgeon will discuss your lifestyle/hobbies/activities/work, examine your eye, review your eye’s measurements (e.g., scans of the cornea and retina) and make a recommendation as to what lens would best be suited for you. We believe in personalized eye care and providing custom cataract surgery, specifically designed for your unique needs. Options may include:

1. Astigmatism correction: The cornea (front window) of the eye can sometimes be shaped more like a football than a sphere, which is called astigmatism. If you have astigmatism of the cornea, leaving it untreated would mean you would need glasses for both distance and near vision after cataract removal. Your doctor can use laser astigmatism correction (reshaping of the cornea) or an astigmatism-correcting lens implant to treat your astigmatism at the time of cataract removal.
2. Multifocal Lens implants: These implants split light incoming into your eye for distance and near vision, so that you can see both distance and near in each eye at the same time. Certain eye conditions (e.g., glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, retinal scar tissue or holes, corneal scars, prior radial keratotomy) would make you ineligible for this technology, and your doctor will review all of your examination findings to determine if you are a good candidate. In a few patients, these implants can cause halos (rings around lights at night) which tend to fade over 4-6 weeks after surgery. If you are a good candidate, this approach will give you the most freedom from glasses. Astigmatism can be corrected at the same time on the cornea by your doctor.
3. Accommodating Lens Implants: These implants can move position within your eye based on your eye muscle effort (much like your own natural lens, generally prior to age 40 when “your arm was not long enough”). These implants can also treat astigmatism at the same time, but give slightly less near power than multifocal lenses. These accommodating-astigmatism correcting implants can be used in patients with prior mild or moderate glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, retinal scar tissue, corneal scars, or radial keratotomy.

Laser Cataract Surgery

Dr. Ambati, in Eugene, has access to both the LensX and the Intralase femtosecond lasers for use in treating patients with cataracts interested in laser cataract surgery. Both devices can precisely correct astigmatism at time of cataract surgery. Laser cataract surgery does entail some additional time and expense, but can help soften up the cataract (which can be useful in patients with hard cataracts, older patients, or those with Fuchs’ dystrophy), and it can enable the procedure to be blade-free. Dr. Ambati believes in employing the best technology and techniques to seek and craft the best outcomes for each patient, whether using lasers or custom cataract surgery by hand.