Laser Cataract Surgery
Dr. Alan Mendelsohn specializes in customized laser cataract surgery. Femtosecond laser cataract surgery is highly reproducible, more accurate, and far safer than older techniques of cataract surgery with a scalpel. The laser offers excellent precision in making gentle, ultraprecise incisions in the lens and cornea, thereby producing better visual outcomes in current cataract surgery. Furthermore, patients with low or moderate levels of astigmatism can have this astigmatism eliminated or greatly reduced at the same time as the cataract procedure, resulting in a markedly enhanced quality of vision and overall outcome.
Previously, the steady hand of a surgeon was the most common method of extracting a clouded lens; however, many surgeons have put down their scalpels in favor of far more precise equipment, namely femtosecond lasers. Femtosecond lasers have been utilized by ophthalmologists for two decades and are therefore very much a proven and exceedingly safe technology. To remove the cataract, doctors must make small incisions along the cornea. This was once performed by making small incisions with a sharp blade, but can now be performed with the highest level of precision by using a laser. As a result, there is no need for shots, stitches, or patches for the eye.
Once incisions are made and the lens is accessible, the doctor can use equipment that breaks up the affected lens and then removes it entirely. The dated method was to insert a small device that uses ultrasonic energy to break up the lens before it was removed. This method, however, came with some increased risk to the patient’s vision. With new technology, a laser can be used to both soften and break up the cataracts. Since the laser is both more precise and requires less energy to use than the ultrasonic device, this procedure reduces the risk of complications.
Once the clouded lens is removed, Alan Mendelsohn, MD, FACS, places an Acrysof lens implant into the eye. The entire procedure takes five minutes. There are no injections, stitches, nor patches required for laser cataract surgery. Within 15 minutes of completion of the laser procedure, the patient is on his/her way home. Dr. Mendelsohn will examine you the following morning in the office, thereafter, one can resume activities including bending, lifting, sleeping in any position, bathing, and showering. Typically, 48 hours later, a patient can exercise rigorously, play golf and tennis, swim, thereby resuming an active lifestyle.
Am I a Candidate for Laser Cataract Surgery?
With a natural progression of cataracts, everyone experiences a downhill decline in quality of vision. The rate of progression can be slow, moderate, or rapid, depending on the specific type of cataract. When the resultant diminished vision impairs your occupational or vocational pursuits, Dr. Alan Mendelsohn and Dr. Nathan Klein recommend proceeding with surgical intervention. Fortunately, the advanced laser cataract surgery performed by Alan Mendelsohn, MD, FACS, is a five minute procedure performed at Memorial Same Day Surgery Center. This out-patient facility has been selected by Drs. Mendelsohn due to its impeccable track record for eye surgery over the past several decades; furthermore, the lasers, surgical equipment, and nursing staffs are outstanding.
Anyone who decides that the time is right to proceed with cataract surgery is a candidate for laser cataract surgery. In fact, proficient, top tier cataract surgeons, including Dr. Mendelsohn and the vast majority of his colleagues, fervently believe that laser cataract surgery offers better final vision outcomes, and a more safe procedure, when performed by a laser. Alan Mendelsohn, MD, FACS, considered it to be “no brainer” when he opted to have his own cataract surgery performed in 2014. He underwent laser cataract surgery and implantation of a multifocal lens implants at that time.
If you are interested in laser cataract surgery with Alan Mendelsohn M.D., be sure to contact Eye Surgeons and Consultants of Hollywood, FL today! We look forward to hearing from you.