Cataract surgery

A cataract is an opacification or cloudiness of the eye's crystalline lens due to aging, disease, or trauma that typically prevents light from forming a clear image on the retina. If visual loss is significant, surgical removal of the lens may be warranted, with lost optical power usually replaced with a plastic intraocular lens (IOL). Due to the high prevalence of cataracts, cataract extraction is the most common eye surgery.

Cataract surgery in Chicago can be an effective way to correct your vision. When you have a cataract, it means that there is a buildup of protein over part of your eye, usually due to deposits from your contact lenses or aging. Cataracts will sometimes cause blurry vision, in which case you should prepare for surgery to correct your problems.

The lens of the eye, which lies behind the pupil and iris, works like a camera lens. It is responsible for focusing light onto the retina, producing sharp and clear images.

The lens also adjusts the focus of your eyes. It helps you to see clearly both up close or far away. The lens is contained in a sealed capsule or bag. It is made mostly of protein and water.

The protein is arranged accurately in order to let the light rays pass through it. It keeps the lens clear and focuses the rays onto the retina. But as we age, the old cells die and become trapped within the capsule.

Overtime, the cells accumulate and some protein may clump together. It causes a small area of the lens to start to cloud which blocks light from reaching the retina. . It makes images look fuzzy or blurred, and makes harder to see.

This clouding of the lens or its surrounding transparent membrane, which obstructs the passage of light upon the retina, is defined as cataract. It will affect your sight to a large extent.

Types of Cataract surgery

Phacoemulsification (Phaco) is the preferred method in most cases. It involves the use of a machine with an ultrasonic hand piece equipped with a titanium or steel tip.

Extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE), involves manual expression of the lens through a large (usually 10-12 mm) incision made in the cornea or sclera.

Intraocular lens implantation: After the removal of the cataract, an intraocular lens (IOL) is usually implanted into the eye, either through a small incision (1.8 mm to 2.8 mm) using a foldable IOL, or through an enlarged incision, using a PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) lens.

Intra-capsular extraction is an out-dated method of cataract surgery, rarely performed today.

Conductive keratoplasty Surgery

An eye is a delicate organ, requiring tremendous care before, during and after a surgical process. An expert ophthalmologist must identify the need for specific procedure and be in charge for conducting the method safely.

CK is a short form for conductive keratoplasty.CK is a type of refractive surgery that uses radio waves to adjust the contour of the cornea by shrinking the corneal collagen around it. It is used to treat mild to moderate hyperopia. It is a non-invasive alternative to other types of eye surgery. It is a "thermal" or heating procedure to correct farsightedness and presbyopia. The heat is delivered through a radiofrequency probe, a needle-like device which is used to apply a series of heat treatments deep in the cornea. The heat shrinks the corneal collagen and steepens the curvature of the cornea, reducing the amount of farsightedness, or presbyopia.

Conductive Keratoplasty,uses a high-frequency electric probe. The final type of refractive eye surgery involves the use of implants. Implantable contact lenses, or ICL, can be used to correct severe levels of myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. The implants are actually tiny contact lenses that are inserted through a small incision in the side of the cornea. Implants are seated so they sit immediately in front of the eye's natural lens just behind the cornea. ICL works in conjunction with the eye's natural lens to refocus light on the retina and produce a crystal clear image.

Each of these procedures has its advantages and disadvantages, and not all individuals are suitable candidates for refractive eye surgery. Individuals who are attracted in learning more about surgical options should contact their ophthalmologist for more information about these procedures, as well as inquire about other new cutting-edge procedures. As ophthalmologic surgery is constantly growing and changing with emergence of new technologies and methods, there are always new techniques in development.

As latest apparatus is developed and methods refined that be able to get better the accomplishment and reduce the side effects of refractive eye surgery, new procedures will emerge to replace outdated techniques.

Contact lens

A contact lens (also known simply as a contact) is a corrective, cosmetic, or therapeutic lens usually placed on the cornea of the eye. Contact lenses are often touted as being far better than glasses and in many ways they are. However, it 's a good idea, to know enough about contact lenses before buying them to make an educated decision.

Types of Contacts

There are three main types of contact lenses, hard, soft and disposable. Hard contact lenses are rigid and can be more irritating to the eye, but they do last a lot longer, up to three years. Soft contact lenses are easier on the eye and can be worn for longer periods of time. They are usually replaced after a year or so of use. Disposable contact lenses are becoming very popular these days, since you can just use them and dump them. These are the cheapest types of lenses, but they are usually not specifically made for your eyes, which can cause issues.

In addition to disposable contacts, you can get 1 week or even 1 month contacts which are designed to stay in your eye for longer periods of time, but need to be tossed afterwards. Many people prefer disposable contact lenses because they eliminate the need for cleaning and saline solutions, etc. which can get confusing and messy, not to mention they are rather time consuming.

Wear and Care of Contact Lenses

Many people find that the first few times putting their new contact lenses in is a bit scary. You need to overcome the natural instinct to keep foreign objects out of your eye in order to insert them and this is more difficult for some people than for others. Usually this is just something you have to do a few times in order to get over it.

There are other issues with wearing contact lenses. For example, you shouldn't wear them in the pool or while showering, since they could be flushed out of your eyes or get water trapped behind them. Water that has chlorine in it is particularly irritating, but even regular tap water can contain bacteria that can be caught behind the contact lens and cause an infection. The easiest way to prevent problems like this is to simply remove your contacts while you shower or swim.

Looking after your contacts can be simple or complicated, depending on what type you use. Disposable contact lenses don't require any cleaning, you simply toss them when you are finished using them. Other, reusable contacts will need more care. You will have to soak them in a cleaning solution and rinse with saline. In some cases, more drastic measures need to be taken to remove protein or calcium deposits, including special tablets that dissolve in the regular cleaning solution. If your eyes are sensitive, you may have to experiment with various brands of cleaning solution to find one that doesn't irritate your eyes.

Contact lenses offer a freedom from glasses, but they aren't completely hassle free. Knowing what to expect is the best way to make a good decision as to whether contact lenses are for you or not. Talk to your eye care professional as well to get more information, since he or she will know your specific case and is in a good position to recommend the type of contacts necessary.

Crystalens

Crystalens is a single-focus accommodating intraocular lens. It was developed to address the loss of intermediate and near focusing ability. Crystalen is manufacturered from a proprietary and specially formulated solid silicone called Biosil. It is a cataract replacement lens that works naturally with your eyes' muscles to give you the quality of vision you enjoy when you are younger.

It is a revolutionary concept that mimics the natural lens. The natural lens that we are born with is attached to the ciliary muscle by a series of small fibers called Zonules. The ciliary muscle contracts, causing the lens to change shape via the zonules. That is how we accommodate, or focus our natural lens.

During cataract surgery, the zonules are broken and the implant has NO attachment to the ciliary muscle. The Crystalens bypasses the needed attachment with a new concept in accommodation. It is placed in the posterior chamber behind the iris just like older IOLs, but its unique design permits focusing.

The revolutionary design element that makes Crystalen the state-of-the-art replacement lens are "hinges" which are designed to allow the lens to move, or accommodate to focus on objects near, far and all distances in-between seamlessly.

Unlike old-style fixed focal lenses, which didn't move, Crystalens has the ability to move, thus focusing as your eye's natural lens do when you are young. Your ophthalmic surgeon will take precise measurements to insure the correct lens power selection for your eye.

Upon having your cataract removed, it is now possible for your surgeon to replace the lens with Crystalens in order to help you regain the ability to see not only at distance, but also see intermediate and near objects-without dependence on glasses.

You must be considered a good candidate and have cataracts that diminish your vision. After your surgery and the placement of Crystalens, you will "relearn" how to focus your vision with your doctor's help and instruction. After a brief time of adaptation, it is expected that you will be able to perform most tasks-far, intermediate and near-without dependence on glasses.

Custom Lasik

The human eye has been described as an optical marvel. It works just like a camera. Light rays pass through the clear part at the front (the cornea) and pass through the lens, which focuses them onto the "screen" at the back of the eye called the retina.

Custom Lasik is also called as Wavefront.It gives a huge benefit to those with huge pupils and poor night time vision. The optical performance of the eye is measured at all and every place on the cornea, including the part which is used when the pupil is large. Laser treatment is then programmed to every tiny part of the corneal surface so that every area of the cornea gets the greatest alteration. Contrast sensitivity in low lighting levels is improved and the risk of developing night time halos and glare is really decreased.

Wavefront Lasik surgical procedure aims to attain enhanced vision than standard laser treatment or glasses and contact lenses. This gives the patient the gain of having Super Vision, or vision beyond boundaries. It is modified to suit the individual's eye.

Custom Lasik is capable of improving your likelihood of -

• Increased visual crispness for better overall quality of vision
• Vision better than what you had with glass or contact lens.
• Improved contrast sensitivity
• Reduces night vision problems due to glare and halos

The following are the steps to plan your Custom lasik surgery:-

1. Contact lenses wearers: You will need to remove your contacts for a period of time previous to the laser vision correction treatment so that your cornea can return to its normal, natural shape.
2. Hard-lens contact wearers: Take out your contacts for four weeks or longer before your process.
3. Soft-lens contact wearers: Take away your contacts for 1 week prior to the procedure.

If all goes well during your Custom lasik surgery, you should notice remarkable visual changes in the first few days subsequent the procedure. A number of patients report that instantaneously after the procedure once-blurry items in the doctor's office are crystal clear. But for about two to three weeks your vision may change.

Epi -Lasik

Epi-Lasik ,also know as Lasek, is a refractive surgery method designed to decrease a person's need on eyeglasses and contact lenses.

Epi-Lasik is a rather new advance to surface ablation with the excimer laser. Nearly all experts believe it an iteration of PRK. Epi-Lasik is define as surface ablation in which an effort is made to produce and save the corneal epithelium in a sheet or sheets, to be reposited on the cornea after the ablation in an effort to reduce postoperative pain and speed the return of vision.

Advantages of Epi-Lasik are-

1. Epi-Lasik is obviously not as at ease for the patients as Lasik, while modern bandage soft contact lenses, NSAID drops, small quantities of "comfort drops", and the use of narcotics have improved matters greatly for surface ablation patients.
2. Easier theoretically, so that even the rare refractive surgeon can do an excellent job.
3. There is early evidence to suggest that wave front-based clinical outcomes are even better with Epi-Lasik than with Lasik.

Eyelidplasty surgery

In patients at younger age, the eyes may reveal the first evidence aging. A tired, sad look may on time the patient to look for plastic surgical advice. In addition, some patients may have "puffy" eyelids from a very early age on a hereditary basis. For this Eyelidplasty surgery is the best solution .Eyelidplasty is also called as blepharoplasty.

Examination might expose problems with either upper of lower eyelids, or with both. Tiredness and joblessness of the upper eyelid skin will require cutting out of the tissue surplus. This can be accomplished throughout an incision which will heal barely in the eyelid fold. The lower eyelid skin may also be loose and crepe-like, and may stick out over full fat from the eye socket. This produces disturbing shadows underneath the eyes.

If lower lid skin surplus is notable, an external incision for removal of the surplus will be made near the eyelash line. If a patient has fat bulges, but only slight skin excess, repair may be accomplished during incisions on the inside of the eyelid. This can be followed by laser resurfacing of the eyelid skin, avoiding all able to be seen scarring.

For Better Eye Sights 'Lasik Eye Surgery'

For a large majority of patients, Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) is the best way to achieve natural vision. LASIK is now the most popular of all laser vision correction procedures. It is estimated that 1½ to 2 million procedures will be completed in the United States in the year 2000. This highly successful procedure combines the minimal postoperative discomfort and rapid visual recovery of the Automated Lamellar Keratoplasty (ALK) procedure with the computer-controlled precision of the Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) procedure.

The LASIK surgeon uses a precise, specialized instrument called a microkeratome to create a very fine layer through about one third of the front surface of the cornea. This forms a "flap" of clear tissue on the central area of the front surface of the eye.

Once this flap is created, the surgeon removes the microkeratome and gently folds the flap, exposing the underlying corneal tissue.

The excimer laser is then applied to alter the curvature of the cornea to achieve the desired optical correction.

After the laser has been applied for the correction of myopia, or nearsightedness, the profile of the treated area of the cornea will be flattened.

Upon completion of the application of the laser, the flap is gently laid back into its original position over the treated corneal tissue. Because of the natural bonding qualities of the cornea, there are no stitches required for your treatment.

It is a painless procedure and is apt for one who has a thick cornea. It also helps in curing mild long sightedness bringing better results. Take care of eyes to enjoy the beauty of the nature around.

As a leading LASIK Chicago specialist, Dr. Sloane believes this refractive procedure has several advantages over both the ALK and the PRK procedures on which it was based. Although it employs the Excimer laser precision control and accuracy of the PRK procedure, the LASIK procedure does not remove any part of the epithelium, the thin, film-like protective outer layer of the cornea, as does PRK, and there is less chance of scarring. Thus, the primary healing process is the resealing of the corneal flap, which usually happens within 24 hours and with little post-operative discomfort. The LASIK procedure can also handle successfully higher degrees of myopia than PRK and can be used to treat cases of farsightedness and astigmatism.