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Cataract & Implant
Surgery
More than 3 million people have cataract
surgery each year! |
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The Florida Eye
Center Treatment Reduces the Risks for Senior
Drivers
Older drivers are at greater risk when
driving at night. As we age, our visual
acuity (ability to clearly see small detail)
declines and we require more light to see.
In fact, for every 15 years of life, the
amount of light admitted to the eye is cut
by half.
That means a driver over age 60 needs 3
times as much light as an average 20 year
old.
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vis'ion n:
power of seeing. |
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Did you
Know? |
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Glaucoma is a
leading cause of blindness in the United States, especially
for the older population. But loss of sight from glaucoma is often preventable.
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Articles
of Interest |
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Call
us today to schedule your appointment:
727-895-2020 |
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Ophthalmologist |
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A doctor of
medicine (M.D.) specializing in surgery and diseases of the
eye. |
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Optometrist |
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A doctor of optometry who diagnoses and
treats visual health problems. |
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As a result many older drivers feel (often are )
unsafe driving at night or don't drive at all when
it gets dark.
Here are the facts on why we are more visually
challenged as we age:
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Visual acuity (ability to see small detail) and
contrast sensitivity decline with age. This makes
it more difficult to read highway signs and dash
panel displays.
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Contrast sensitivity also declines with age. This
makes it more difficult to see unexpected
obstacles in the road.
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Reduced vision causes greater sensitivity to
glare. This makes it more difficult to recover
from glare.
By improving your nighttime vision, which can be
done at the FLORIDA EYE CENTER with the new
cataract surgery and lens implants, now older
drivers may possibly:
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Improve reaction time
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Better judge speed and distance of approaching
vehicles
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Better detect and identify obstacles in the road
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Better differentiate foreground from background
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Be safer drivers again.
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Cataract Myths and Facts |
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Myth: A cataract is a film over the
eye.
Fact: A cataract is the clouding of the
normally clear lens of the eye.
Myth: A cataract can be caused by
overuse of the eye.
Fact:
Severe eye injuries can cause cataracts, but
overuse cannot.
Myth:
Cataracts have to be "ripe," or fully
developed, before they can be removed.
Fact:
Cataract surgery can be performed any time
your vision requires it.
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What is
a Cataract? |
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A clear lens
inside the eye that helps focus light. This allows
images to be seen sharply. As a person ages,
the lens slowly grows cloudy and turns
yellow. This cloudy lens is a cataract. A
cataract scatters or blocks the light that
passes into the eye. As a result, images
appear blurry.
A cataract is a clouding of the the lens of the eye -- usually
as a natural part of the aging process. Cataracts are a major
cause of vision loss in the United States, and everyone will
eventually have some cataract formation age they get older.
Cataracts make the lens of eye cloudy, so light does not focus
on the retina clearly. The result is hazy, milky, or distorted
vision that interferes with your normal clear driving and
reading vision.
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Cataract Symptoms & Signs |
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How do I know if I have a
cataract?
Tell your doctor if any of these
statements apply to you:
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I do not feel safe driving because of
difficulty reading signs, glare from
lights at night, or other visual
disturbances.
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I do not see well enough to do my best
at work.
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I do not see well enough to do the
things I need to do at home.
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I do not see well enough to do things I
enjoy, such as reading, sewing, or
playing golf.
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Because of my poor vision, I may bump
into things, stumble, or fall.
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Because of my poor vision, I am not as
independent as I would like to be.
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I cannot see as well as I would like to
see, even with my glasses.
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My eyesight bothers me a lot.
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Blurred vision (TV, reading, driving)
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Difficulty reading, especially small
print and computers.
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Difficulty driving in bright sun or at
night.
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Halos or glare around car lights or
street lights.
For more information call Florida Eye
Center at 727-895-2020
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What
Causes a Cataract
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Unfortunately researchers do not know all
of the cause .
At the Florida Eye Center, we are certain
that there are risk factors associated
with cataracts. We can examine for these
and treat you.
These risk factors include:
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Age. Most Americans older
than 60 years have cataracts. We can
recommend nutrition therapy for this.
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Medical conditions. Diabetes and
other systemic diseases, glaucoma, and
metabolic abnormalities can cause
cataracts. We can work to control these
causes.
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Eye injuries. These are called
traumatic cataracts. A blow to the eye,
great heat or cold, chemical injury,
exposure to radiation (usually
associated with radiation therapy for
cancer patients), and other injuries can
lead to cataract formation. We can limit
this with immediate treatment.
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Ultraviolet radiation (UVA or UVB).
Long-term exposure to sunlight is
believed to speed the development of
cataracts. We can help prevent this with
proper protection in your glasses .
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Oral steroids and other medications.
Oral steroids (such as prednisone), the
gout medication allopurinol, the breast
cancer drug tamoxifen, the heart
medication amiodorone, and the long-term
use of aspirin have also been associated
with cataracts. We can monitor your eyes
for this.
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Smoking. All studies indicate
that smokers are twice as likely to
develop cataracts than nonsmokers and
that quitting can reduce the risk for
developing cataracts. We will try to
help you with this.
For more information call Florida Eye
Center at 727-895-2020.
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Cataract
Treatment |
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At the Florida Eye Center, the mutual
decision to proceed with your cataract
surgery is made with your doctor after
he/she measures your vision, examines your
eye(s), and listens to your description of
the visual problems you are experiencing,
determines the problem, and offers you a
solution.
The great news is that with our modern
medical technology at the Florida Eye
Center, cataracts are routinely treated
safely and effectively using advanced
microsurgical techniques. Today, cataract
treatment at the Florida Eye Center is one
of the most successful surgical procedures
in America. Almost 3 million will be done
this year and about 98 percent of all
cataract surgical procedures result in
improved vision.
Today, cataract surgery is performed
through a microscope with the assistance
of several highly trained operating room
personnel in a suite with specialized eye
surgery equipment.
During the early stages of cataract
changes, more frequent changes in your
eyeglass prescription may help to restore
adequate vision for awhile. But finally,
new glasses will not help.
Surgery should be considered when the
reduced vision caused by cataracts begins
to interfere with normal daily activities
such as reading and driving, even when
corrective glasses are used.
Although the potential risks of surgery
must be weighed against its potential
benefits, delaying surgery can lead to
increased chance of accidents when driving
as well as personal injury such as falls.
In addition, we know that the longer you
"put it off", the more difficult surgical
removal of advanced cataracts is, compared
to the easier and safer removal of less
dense cataracts.
You may have other specific visual
problems you want to discuss with your
Florida Eye Center eye doctor.
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No Stitch Cataract Surgery
The good news is that the advanced cataract surgery at the
Florida Eye Center is very simple, safe, and successful. The
out-patient treatment is a highly effective way to restore
lost reading, driving ,and TV vision impaired by cataracts.
Dr. Sibley and Dr. Shriver perform stitchless cataract surgery
with an advanced technique called phacoemulsification. In this
technique, ultrasound is used to break up the cloudy cataract
lens .It is then aspirated through a tiny straw. The doctor
then implants the highest quality intraocular lens (clear
artificial lens) that is custom ordered for each patient.
The micro-incision heals on its own, without requiring any
stitches. Anesthetic eye drops or local anesthesia helps keep
you comfortable during the procedure. We have a highly trained
staff to monitor your condition and keep you comfortable the
entire time.
There has never been a better time to have cataract surgery.
Recent advances by the doctors at the Florida Eye Center have
made the procedure more effective and more comfortable for
you. It has never been simpler, safer, or more successful.
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Benefits of Advanced Cataract Surgery |
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Since 1980, patients who
had cataract surgery at the Florida Eye
Center have enjoyed an improvement in
their quality of life, reflected in their
independence, driving skills, community
activities, home activities, ability to
read ,drive ,watch TV and improved energy
and mental health.
Driving and Cataract
Surgery
The benefits of modern
cataract surgery are proven. The Florida
Eye Center feels that older people who
have cataract surgery reduce their chances
of having a car accident or falling by
more than 50 percent.
In addition to greater
safety, those who had cataract surgery
enjoyed other benefits. People who did not
have the cataract surgery were less
independent and got out only 1/2 the time.
This could be that cataracts cause
patients to limit their driving, going out
, activities, enjoyment, and mobility.
The limitations on
driving, an ability that may be needed to
commute to work or an activity site, could
have a significant impact on the quality
of life for someone who wants to remain
active and independent.
Despite the proven
benefits, many patients are reluctant to
have cataract surgery. They may delay it
because of an unrealistic fear of pain,
fear of the unknown or lack of family
support. They may procrastinate to address
other chronic conditions, or the mistaken
perception that cataract surgery requires
a significant amount of time for recovery.
At the Florida Eye
Center, our advanced cataract operations
are performed in an out-patient setting
that is safe and convenient. You do not
require admission to a hospital. Twenty
years ago, thick glasses were prescribed
so that people who had cataract surgery
could see. Since 1980 , however, small,
soft artificial lenses are safely
implanted in the eye. These intraocular
lenses (IOLs) are custom ordered for you
to restore your vision to its full
potential. This out-patient treatment can
provide good distance vision with thin
glasses or, sometimes, without glasses at
all.
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Advanced Lens Implants |
FLORIDA EYE
CENTER CATARACT SPECIALISTS are using only the newest,
safest, clearest Bausch and Lomb Advanced lens
implants.These lens implant are the 1st and only ones with
the highest optical technology and vision results and
quality for cataract patients and clear lens replacement
patients...
That fact /
benefit should of interest to everyone considering in
their cataract , lens implant options to ensure getting
the best technology...
The new
SofPort AO Lens with Violet Shield Technology is used by
the FLORIDA EYE CENTER CATARACT SPECIALISTS. This is the
newest and safest lens implant technology. This restore,
improve, and preserve your best sight, both day and
night by taking a new approach to blocking harmful light
rays. Instead of blocking blue light like competing
lenses, the SofPort AO Violet Shield Lens used at
FLORIDA EYE CENTER provides a better defense from
potentially more dangerous , hazardous violet light,
without compromising your low-light vision.
The safe, unique design of the new and improved Bausch &
Lomb SofPort® Advanced Optics Aspheric Lens
System results in a range of lens implant industry
firsts, that simply stated, help you realize exceptional
post-procedure vision after your cataract treatment.
The SofPort
AO Lens used by FLORIDA EYE CENTER is different than
older, competing lenses in a number of important ways:
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The SofPort
AO Lens is designed to be "aberration free" and thus
reduce spherical aberration (vision imperfections) for
better vision quality relative to current, standard
spherical IOLs.
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Optical
performance is unaffected by optic decentration (the
movement of the lens in the eye) or pupil size due to
uniform 'center-to-edge' power.
Patients
can enjoy the lifestyle benefits of improved vision
quality in all kinds of light conditions — day and
night, indoors and outdoors, especially increasing their
safety when driving.
Our new
lens implant improved results are seen in the right
hand pictures ...
About Cataract Surgery
More than 3 million people have
cataract surgery each year, making
it one of the most commonly
performed surgeries in the United
States. It is an outpatient
procedure, which typically takes
about 10-15 minutes to complete.
At Florida Eye Center, cataract
removal is performed through a
procedure called
phacoemulsification. In this
procedure, high-energy ultrasound
waves are used to gently remove
your cataract. In most cases, we
use only eye drop anesthesia,
allowing our patients the fastest
possible recovery. It is the
simplest, safest, and most
successful cataract treatment.
Once the cloudy , human cataract
lens is removed, a permanent,
artificial lens custom ordered for
you is inserted in its place. It
is not uncommon for our patients
to have the benefit of
dramatically improved vision
within a few hours of their
procedure.
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Step 1 – The first step is to
make a small hole in the clear
cornea. Then,we open the front
of the capsule that holds the
brown, natural lens or
cataract.
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Step 2 – The next step is to
insert the small ultrasonic
straw into the eye. The
ultrasonic straw breaks up
and liquifies the lens into
tiny pieces and just like a
straw, removes them.
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Step 3 – A permanent,
artificial lens ( lens implant
) is then folded and inserted
into the eye through the straw
opening.
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Step 4 – The new lens then
unfolds where your natural
lens used to be.We make sure
it is positioned, centered,
checked and the opening is
self-sealing and closes
without needing stitches. The
operation is over.
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For more information call Florida Eye
Center at 727-895-2020 |
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Ask The Doctor |
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Dr. Sibley
has
over 20 years of experience in the
ever evolving field of ophthalmology.
He is a board-certified
ophthalmologist, F.A.C.S., and he is
highly trained to perform the advanced
operations offered by the Florida Eye
Center.
He is
medical advisor to the Society to
Prevent Blindness and to the American
Diabetes Association, and is team
ophthalmologist for the Devil Rays.
eMail:
AskTheDoctor@FloridaEyeCenter.com
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For more information call Florida Eye
Center at 727-895-2020 |
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Make YOUR eyes smile again ... |
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The information
contained herein is intended to be educational
and is not intended in any way as a substitute
for medical advice and care from qualified
vision care providers. Consult a vision care
professional in matters relating to visual
health and particularly with respect to any
symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical
attention. |
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