It is my pleasure to open the BLOG section of this website.  I hope to give the reader an opportunity to obtain up to the minute information about the newest technologies offered at MIAMI EYE CENTER as well as the greater ophthalmic community.  I encourage those with an interest to become involved with questions or comments.

This evening, I was reviewing the chart of patient C.B. who is a very young 72 years.  He had R.K. (radial keratotomy) surgery in Columbia 15 years ago.  He was quite pleased with the outcom of that surgery until recently when became bothered by nighttime glare while driving.  He consulted an optometrist who diagnosed cataracts and referred him to this office.

I began performing radial keratotomy surgery for myopia in 1982, PRK in 1996 and LASIK in 2000.  Now that many of my patients from those days have “grown up” they are developing cataracts.  Cataract surgery in folks who have had prior RK, PRK or LASIK presents a unique challenge to ophthalmic surgeons but one which I have managed incorporating the newest technology.  The challenge facing the surgeon is in selecting the proper intraocular lens to place in the eye at the time of surgery.  For patients who have not had prior refractive procedures, the selection process is routine.  However, the standard computer programs used for the average patient do not work for people who have had prior RK, PRK or LASIK.  If the incorrect lens is utilized, the patient will be nearsighted or farsighted following the surgery.

In the clinic today, I measured the power of C.B’s eye as one would for making eyeglasses.  I then inserted a special diagnostic contact lens and repeated the process.  This yielded the true power of the cornea and that data was used in two additional programs to yield the power of the intraocular lens to be inserted at surgery.  These mathematical manipulations have been evolving over the past several years and I have found them to be quite accurate.

The goal of modern cataract surgery is not only to achieve excellent vision for the patient but excellent vision without glasses.  This goal can be achieved for many patients even in complex cases as outlined here.