Cataract Surgery

A Leap Forward in Cataract Surgery

Cataract surgeons Dr. Barber and Dr. Friedman of Center for Total Eye Care were the first to bring laser cataract surgery to Carroll County.

Quality Care From Start to Finish

In addition to a state-of-the-art procedure performed by one of our experienced cataract surgeons, our team also provides personalized pre- and post-operative cataract surgery care to optimize your results.

Ready to find out if you’re a good candidate for cataract surgery? Start by taking our cataract self-test and then schedule your cataract consultation at Center for Total Eye Care.

The Center for Total Eye Care team performs traditional and laser assisted cataract surgery. The difference between traditional cataract surgery and laser assisted cataract surgery is the advanced technology and precision that is available with the laser assisted surgery.

• Traditional Cataract Surgery: ultrasonic energy is used to break up the cloudy lens.
• Laser Cataract Surgery: Laser cataract surgery's customizable method includes a more precise way of mapping the eye, providing surgeons with the images and data needed to plan and perform surgery. Each incision can be personalized for your eye. Like fingerprints, no two eyes are exactly the same. This is why every eye needs to be precisely measured and mapped when getting evaluated for cataract surgery. The LenSx® Laser offers a novel way for surgeons to perform cataract surgery with laser precision. Unlike traditional cataract procedures that use a blade to make incisions in the eye, laser cataract surgery uses a computer-guided laser to make the incisions. This allows each cataract surgery to be more precise and more customizable than traditional methods, achieving highly accurate and predictable results.

Both methods remove the eye’s cloudy lens and replace it with an Intraocular Lens. Incisions in both methods are typically so small they do not require sutures. The team at Center for Total Eye Care will talk with you about which type of surgery is best for your specific needs.

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Before Your Surgery

Before your surgery, our team will discuss various types of lens implants with you. How you see after surgery will depend on the type of lens implant used. It is vital that you discuss your lifestyle and vision expectations so that we can determine the right premium lens implant for you.

During Your Surgery

Cataract surgery is relatively “patient-friendly.” It is usually performed as an outpatient procedure requiring only a few minutes. “Phacoemulsification” is the microsurgical technique used. It requires a tiny incision and breaks up the cataract with ultrasound waves.

• Eye drops are applied for anesthesia.
• The surgeon makes an incision and uses ultrasound waves to break up the hard, yellow proteins that form the cataract, leaving the lens membrane in place.
• Next, a soft, flexible synthetic Intraocular Lens (IOL) is inserted into the lens capsule of the eye.
• The lens is a permanent fixture that helps your eye to focus. You will not be able to feel or sense the implanted lens in any way.

After Your Surgery

Because there are no needles or injections, only a tiny incision, stitches and an eye patch are not required after the surgery. In most cases, the incision is so small that the eye heals rapidly, with little or no discomfort, and the patient experiences a quick visual recovery. Patients can typically return to normal activities within 24 - 48 hours. The following video describes some symptoms patients may experience directly after their cataract surgery.

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Once a cataract-clouded lens is removed, it must be replaced with an intraocular lens (IOL) to restore focus. Our team will work with you to decide when your cataracts must be removed and which type of IOL is best for your visual needs.

Many patients are perfectly happy with a traditional monofocal IOL to restore focus at one distance (usually far vision). These patients require glasses for reading after surgery. Others find their lifestyle requires a boarder range of vision with less dependence on glasses and contacts. These patients often lean towards advanced technology replacement lenses, such as the Acrysof® Toric IOL and the AcrySof® PanOptix® Trifocal IOL offered at Center for Total Eye Care. These lenses are designed to give patients distance, intermediate and near vision with less dependence on glasses after surgery.

Toric IOL

The Acrysof® Toric lens is a foldable, single-piece lens designed to replace the cataract-clouded lens and reduce or eliminate corneal astigmatism to significantly improve uncorrected distance vision. In other words, AcrySof® Toric lens provides quality distance vision, independent of glasses and contact lenses.

If you depend upon eyeglasses, you may have experienced the inconvenience of not being able to find your glasses when you really need them. Glasses are easily lost or damaged, expensive to replace, and inconvenient to clean and maintain. The more active you are, the more glasses may interfere with your lifestyle by complicating your participation in daily and recreational activities. Many people do not like the "look" of glasses and prefer another type of vision correction such as contact lenses. Toric contact lenses designed to correct astigmatism are an option; however, some users find them uncomfortable and experience difficulty in adjusting to wearing them. There are several surgical options your surgeon may choose to treat astigmatism, such as LASIK laser vision correction, astigmatic keratotomy (AK), or limbal relaxing incisions (LRI). However, if you are planning to have surgery to remove a cataract, the implantable toric lens makes it possible to treat the cataract and correct the corneal astigmatism at the same time.

Multifocal IOL

Center for Total Eye Care uses the AcrySof® IQ PanOptix® Trifocal Lens, which is the first trifocal lens available in the United States. Over 100 million lenses and counting have been implanted. And 99% of people surveyed with the PanOptix Lens would choose the same lens again. Compared to the older "monofocal" intraocular lenses (IOLs), the AcrySof® IQ PanOptix®  provides an extended depth of focus, producing enhanced near and intermediate vision to reverse the effects of presbyopia. The PanOptix Lens enhances quality as well as range, so your vision will be as sharp and vivid as it is complete.

As we perform daily activities such as reading, watching television or working at the computer, our eyes are constantly focusing on objects at varying distances—up close, far away and everything in between. The ability to quickly change focus throughout this range of vision is called accommodation. Unfortunately, this ability diminishes as we grow older, causing us to become dependent on bifocals or reading glasses. However, the AcrySof® PanOptix® Trifocal IOL was designed to provide quality near to distance vision by combining the strengths of apodized diffractive and refractive technologies. Similar technology has been used for years in microscopes and telescopes to improve image quality, and has now been patented for use in intraocular lenses by Alcon.

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The RxSight™ Light Adjustable Lens is the first and only intraocular lens (IOL) that can be customized after cataract surgery. Alongside our partner practice, Carroll Vision Center, Center for Total Eye Care is proud to be one of the only practices in Westminster and throughout Carroll County to provide this cutting edge technology to our cataract surgery patients.

The Light Adjustable Lens is made of a special photosensitive material that can be adjusted in response to ultraviolet (UV) light. This optimization is done by your eye doctor in the weeks following lens implantation through a series of non-invasive light treatments that take only a few minutes each. You will have the unique ability to adjust and preview your vision until it meets your personal desires and lifestyle requirements. The Light Adjustable Lens delivers superior vision outcomes that non-adjustable IOLs cannot match.

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We accept many major insurance plans, including Medicare. Medicare and most insurance plans cover the costs for traditional cataract surgery with single-focus lenses. There is typically an additional out-of-pocket cost for laser assisted cataract surgery, as well as multifocal and toric lenses. Patients usually find the out-of-pocket expense is worth it for having laser technology used in their surgery and the added precision.

Financing is also available for a portion of the premium lens charge. Our staff will review all of this information with you before your surgery.

We offer several payment options to suit your needs:

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA): You can save up to 30% by using tax-free dollars to pay for your cataract surgery. Many employers offer an FSA or Health Savings Account.
• Financing: Center for Total Eye Care is pleased to offer special financing for vision correction procedures, such as cataract surgery, with approved credit through CareCredit. CareCredit is an elective healthcare financing credit card that you can use for LASIK and other procedures. CareCredit has several low monthly payment options. There are no upfront costs or pre-payment penalties. One advantage to using CareCredit over a traditional credit card is their deferred interest payment plans; under these plans, patients won't be charged interest as long as they meet their minimum monthly requirements on time and pay off their balance within the pre- determined promotional period. If you are interested in the option to use CareCredit for your laser vision correction surgery, talk to a member of our staff for more details. To find out if you qualify, you can go to the CareCredit website and fill out an application. 
• Credit Cards: Many patients opt to pay for their procedure using a personal credit card. This may be a good option, especially if you have a card that carries a low interest rate or offers points and other rewards. We accept all major credit cards, as well as CareCredit.

Contact our team at Center for Total Eye Care about the best financing options for you.

What is a Cataract?

A cataract is a clouding of the natural lens inside your eye. This lens, located behind the iris, works just like the lens of a camera, focusing light images on the retina, which sends images to the brain. The human lens can become so clouded by cataracts that it keeps light and images from reaching the retina.

A cataract can be the reason sharp images are blurred, bright colors are dull, or seeing at night is more difficult. It may also be why the reading glasses or bifocals no longer seem to help. Vision with cataracts has been described as seeing life through old, cloudy film, but a cataract is not a “film” over the eyes. It cannot be prevented and diet will not make it go away. Eye injury, certain diseases, or even some medications can cause the clouding.

Is Cataract Surgery Effective?

Yes! Many patients report vision that is even better than before they developed cataracts. Modern cataract surgery is considered one of the most effective medical procedures used today. 

Is Cataract Surgery Safe?

Cataract surgery is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures and is known to have very high success rates. More than 95 percent of the 3 million cataract surgeries performed in a year were done so without complications.  

How Long Does Cataract Surgery Take?

The procedure itself usually lasts about 15 minutes.

Will Cataract Surgery give me 20/20 vision?

While there is no guarantee that cataract surgery will give you 20/20 vision, four out of five AcrySof® IQ PanOptix® Multifocal IOL recipients reported never wearing glasses after having the lens placed in both eyes.

How Long Does Recovery Take?

Most people notice a significant improvement in their vision and are back to most normal everyday activities within 24 - 48 hours following cataract surgery. Dr. Young and Dr. Eaton provide pre- and post-operative cataract surgery care to ensure you achieve your best possible visual results.

Does Insurance or Medicare Cover Cataract Surgery?

The cost of cataract surgery will vary depending on a number of factors, including your choice of replacement lens. At least a portion of the cost to implant traditional monofocal IOLs (which restore vision at one distance) is often covered by private insurance or Medicare. Advanced technology lenses, such as the AcrySof® IQ PanOptix® Trifocal IOL and AcrySof® Toric IOL, are typically not covered.

At Center for Total Eye Care, we also offer low monthly payment plans from CareCredit for your vision care needs. Contact our team about the best financing options for you.