Laser Cataract Surgery: A Gentler Approach

Laser Cataract Surgery Offers a Gentler Approach

When you visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center for a cataract evaluation and decide to have cataract surgery to help improve your vision, lifestyle and mobility, based on our eye examination and the health of the delicate structures and tissue inside your eye, we may recommend using laser cataract surgery to provide you with a more gentle cataract surgery and lens implant procedure.

 

LenSx Laser Cataract Surgery Laser

According to researchers reporting in the Journal of Refractive Surgery, laser cataract surgery does indeed allow for a gentler cataract surgery procedure. While there is really little or no difference between  traditional or manual cataract surgery and laser cataract surgery in uncorrected distance visual acuity, corrected distance visual acuity, surgically induced astigmatism, and corneal aberrations, the laser cataract surgery was gentler on the cornea as it caused less loss of fragile endothelial cells and less corneal swelling from the cataract surgery. This is related to the fact that by using the laser energy to “presoften” the cloudy lens material of the cataract we are able to use considerably less ultrasound energy during the “phacoemulsification” portion of the procedure making the overall procedure much gentler. In addition, the amount of time required for the more intense phacoemulsification parts of the cataract surgery procedure-chopping, fragmenting and removing the cataract are significantly lower with the laser cataract surgery. 

If you or someone you know has a question about laser cataract surgery and lens implants please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center, Google+ or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment. 

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is located at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Osteoporosis & Cataract Risk

What do calcium, osteoporosis and your risk of developing cataracts have to do with each other? Quite a bit as it turns out! Researchers reporting in the journal Clinical Ophthalmology shared some interesting information regarding an association between cataracts, cataract surgery and osteoporosis.

Calcium, Osteoporosis & Risk of Developing Cataracts

Most of us know that calcium is an important nutrient necessary for bone health and avoiding osteoporosis. But, did you know that calcium is an important factor in cataract formation? The researchers evaluated the association between osteoporosis and cataracts and found that age, female sex, higher socioeconomic class, smoking, chronic renal failure, hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases are all associated with an increased prevalence of osteoporosis. Then through careful statistical modeling also found that these factors and osteoporosis are ALL associated with an increased prevalence of cataracts. 

Thus, they concluded that osteoporosis is associated with the presence of cataracts which may be related to calcium imbalance, hormonal abnormalities, and even a shared genetic predisposition.

If you or someone you know is concerned about osteoporosis and their risk of cataracts, please feel free to call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center, Google+ or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is located at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Cataract Surgery-Taking the Fear Out

I am still working full time in Manhattan and noticed my vision was decreasing rapidly. I live in New Jersey and began asking around and doing research as to the best cataract surgeons. The same name kept coming up, Dr. Joel Confino.  I went to see Dr. Confino in his Westfield office for a consultation and learned that I had cataracts.  Dr. Confino and his staff explained that given the underlying good health of my eyes, I qualified for a multifocal lens implant that would allow me to see both distance and read without glasses. I could hardly believe what I was hearing. I have worn glasses for over 60 years and I knew nothing else. They had become part of me.

Dr. Joel Confino, M.D.

I was a little scared, as we are dealing with my eyes. The entire staff put me at ease and treated me like one of their family. Once I had my first eye done, I couldn’t believe the difference in the quality of my vision. Everything was so clear, crisp, colorful and vibrant. I couldn’t wait to have my second eye done two weeks later.

Now I have completed both of my surgeries and I am thrilled. It has helped me excel at my job; daily tasks are much easier without having to look for glasses or try to find my reading glasses. The process from the first examination through both treatments was PAINLESS! I mean it…No Pain.  Now that I am done, I telling all my friends that are still scared to go get checked, GO, it’s nothing.

Thank you to The Eye Care & Surgery Center, Dr. Confino and his team for making me feel young again.

Ted M.

If you or someone you know has a question about cataracts, laser cataract surgery or lens implants, please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center, Google+ or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is located at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Stop Smoking to Reduce Cataract Risk

Smoking is a well recognize risk factor for many health problems including high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes, as well as eye problems and diseases such as age related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma and cataracts. There is relatively good news in that we now know that stopping smoking can reduce your risk of developing cataracts.

Research on Smoking & Cataract Development

Researchers studying the risk of cataracts among smokers reported in JAMA Ophthalmology that stopping smoking decreases the risk of cataracts over time. The researchers followed a total of 44,371 men, 45 to 79 years old over a 10 year period and the participants filled out questionnaires on their smoking habits and lifestyles and were then matched with the Swedish National Day-Surgery Register and local records of cataract extraction. The researchers found that smokers of more than 15 cigarettes a day had a 42% increased risk of cataract surgery compared with men who had never smoked. It also found that men who smoked an average of more than 15 cigarettes a day but had stopped smoking more than 20 years earlier had a 21% increased risk. Thus, they found a positive association between cigarette smoking and cataract surgery in men, with a significant increase of cataracts among smokers compared to those who never smoked. Also, stopping smoking was associated with a statistically significant decrease in risk with increasing time from stopping smoking. Even heavy smokers had some benefit from quitting smoking. Further, a previous study reviewed the relationship between smoking cessation and cataract risk in women. In this study, they found that after cessation of smoking, cataract risk in women decreased with time. Women who smoked 6 to 10 cigarettes a day but had ceased smoking 10 years earlier, and women who smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day but had ceased smoking 20 years earlier were found to have a relative risk of cataracts not significantly different from women who had never smoked.

Smoking cessation seems to decrease the risk of cataract development and the need for cataract surgery with time, although the risk persists for decades. The higher the intensity of smoking, the longer it takes for the increased risk to decline. These findings emphasize the importance of early smoking cessation and, preferably, the avoidance of smoking altogether.

If you or someone you know has a question about smoking, cataracts risk, laser cataract surgery or lens implants, please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center, Google+ or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is located at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Eyelid Surgery: How Much Time Will I Need Off?

How Much Time Will I Need Off After Eyelid Surgery?

For patients considering eyelid surgery, knowing how long to be off work and what to expect in general helps patients plan. The recovery time following surgery varies from patient to patient depending on the type of surgery, their age and general health.  Even when undergoing the same procedure, patients may take different amounts of time to heal.

In general, for patients having uppereyelid blepharoplasty, 5 to 7 days off work is typical while for those having both and upper and lower eyelid blepharoplasty, up to 10 to 14 days may be necessary. Patients with occupations requiring minimal physical activity may be able to get back to work sooner.

All patients having eyelid surgery will experience some swelling and bruising that will gradually improve over the first 1 to 3 weeks.  Ice packs, head elevation, and rest may help minimize swelling. The amount of swelling and bruising varies from patient to patient and even from the left and right sides in the same patient. Mild bruising may resolve in 5-7 days, whereas more significant bruising may last 10-14 days. Makeup can be applied to help hide residual bruising, usually starting two weeks after surgery. 

If you or someone you know would like to know more about eyelid surgery, what to expect before, during and after eyelid surgery or schedule a consultation to find out if eyelid surgery might be helpful in looking their best, please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999 to schedule a consultation with Cosmetic Eye Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon Baljeet Purewal, M.D. You may also learn more by visiting The Eye Care & Surgery Center, Google+ or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter.

Vitamin Supplements & Cataract Risk

In general, people take vitamins because they believe that they will have a favorable impact on their health and well being. While the best source of getting the daily required amount of micronutrients to maintain or improve health is by eating a proper diet each day, sometimes we just can’t be consistent with food alone. So, taking vitamin supplements may in fact be helpful in avoiding or preventing health problems, diseases and conditions. But how much vitamin intake is good? And is there any adverse effect of taking vitamins?

Vitamins & Risk of Cataracts

Are vitamins good or bad for affecting your risk of developing cataracts? Researchers reporting in the American Journal of Epidemiology evaluated the risks and benefits of taking high dose supplements of vitamins C and E and low-dose multivitamins with the risk of developing age related cataract.  Their study looked at any associations of high-dose supplements of vitamins C and E and low dose multivitamins with the risk of age related cataract in a group of 31,120 men who ranged in age from 45–79 years of age. Their results suggest that the use of high dose-but not low dose-single vitamin C or E supplements may increase the risk of age-related cataract. The risk may be even higher among older men, corticosteroid users, and long-term users.

If you or someone you know takes high doses of vitamins or is concerned about their risk of cataracts please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center, Google+ or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is located at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.