Our very own Dr. Frank Spektor was interviewed by the Miami Herald for an article they ran in the health section on Sunday, April 28, 2013.
The piece was titled “Laser Treatment Revolutionizing Cataracts Care.”
Dr. Spektor’s patient, William Hughes was featured in the bright excerpt on the article. He is 76 years old and couldn’t play tennis anymore due to his loss of depth perception. He also couldn’t drive at night.
The following day after surgery Mr. Hughes could read without the glasses he had been wearing for the past 15 years. His vision in his left eye had gone from 20/200 to 20/60.
In the article, Dr. Spektor explains what a cataract is and how it develops. He compares it to when we leave a newspaper in the driveway and it turns yellow. He explains that in the eye, the protein in our lens gets cloudy which is what we call a cataract and that this can be caused by things such as years of sun exposure, smoking, diabetes, and obesity.
The cataract removal procedure consists of 2 minuscule cuts in the cornea (clear front of the eye) made by the laser instead of a blade. Then, the doctor has access to the capsule that holds the cloudy lens (cataract). Once removed from the capsule, the cataract is replaced by an artificial intraocular lens of the patient’s choice. There are no sutures, no surgical pain and relatively little recovery time since no general anesthesia is used.
The article mentions that the femtosecond laser is not only changing the way the surgery is performed but also the results patients expect after they have their procedure.
Other surgeons from Bascom Palmer spoke about the laser technology in the article as well:
“It makes routine cataract surgery easier, difficult surgery routine and impossible cataract surgery possible.”
When this laser is paired with premium multifocal lenses, the results can be much better vision. The laser is also capable of astigmatism correction. The advantage of the laser is that the surgeon can customize each cut for the patient’s eye. Also, it makes it so little or no ultrasound is necessary for removing the cataract and the procedure is less risky. When a surgeon can use less energy, the patient usually gets less swelling and this causes recovery to be quicker and vision to be better. The results are more precise and accurate.
There are 200 of these lasers in use throughout the US right now, but only about 6 in South Florida. One of them is housed right here at Baptist Hospital and is in use by Dr. Spektor and our surgeons at the Center for Excellence in Eye Care
It is also important to note that even if a patient does not have a cataract, they can still undergo something called a “clear lens extraction” where the same laser is used to make incisions and the surgeon replaces your natural lens with a multifocal lens in order for the patient to have the chance to be glasses free. Call today for more information about this option.
For a consultation with Dr. Spektor or any of our other cataract surgeons, please call us at 305-598-2020. And when you come in, make sure to ask your doctor about the new laser for cataract surgery!
