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HOT TOPICS
Contact
lenses for most types of prescriptions, including astigmatism
and eye bifocals, are now available. Many are in disposable
lens form, making spectacle-free vision more comfortable
and safer for a greater number of people. Spectacles have
become fashion accessories as well as high tech devices,
some as light as four paper clips. These have been engineered
to give the full range of clear vision with no-line bifocals.
Cataract
surgery is a large part of Dr. Hughes practice and she states,
“I have seen the cataract operation evolve many times
over. Early in my residency training we used a very large
incision through which we removed the entire cloudy lens
and patients required thick spectacles to see after surgery.
Now I use a 3 mm clear corneal incision to remove the cloudy
portion of the lens. It is then replaced with a clear acrylic
foldable lens implant. This glides into the remaining envelope
of the patients own lens.
Most
of the time no suture is required, compared to ten in the
past. Patients require little distance correction, but still
need correct for near. Most normal activities can be resumed
the day after surgery.
New
diagnostic technology, such as ocular coherence tomography
and digital fundus photography allow images and details
only recently available. We have added this equipment to
our practice and they afford more exquisite evaluation and
documentation of ocular status.
Perhaps
the most exciting area in Dr. Hughes practice is laser refractive
surgery LASIK and PRK. The technology has been refined to
include smoother laser ablation patterns, eye tracking devices,
and blended treatments to decrease glare problems. The most
recent advances are the Intralase and CustomVue modalities.
The Intralase femtosecond laser allows the Lasik flap to
be made without the use of a surgical blade. The CustomVue
scan allows measurement and treatment of image aberrations
beyond those corrected with spectacles and contact lenses.
These advances have enhanced the level of safety and the
achievement of even more accurate results.
Each
potential candidate is examined for corneal thickness, eye
curvature, baseline eye health, and realistic expectations
for seeking laser refractive surgery. For good candidates
the procedure can be truly miraculous. By careful screening,
we take every step to maximize patient safety and to achieve
our desired outcome. |
