Cataract surgery eliminates dependence on spectacles

MANILA, Philippines - Cataract surgery can make your vision even better than before the cataract formed, according to the Galileo SurgiCenter.

Modern cataract surgery, done by phaco-emulsification (phaco, for short), includes the implantation of an IntraOcular Lens (IOL), which has the correct lens power for the operated eye.

The power is calculated using a computer that also measures the eyeball. The measurements are done using the Lenstar, a top-of-the-line instrument at Galileo that measures the curvature of the cornea and the depth and length of the various compartments of the eye up to the retina.

Armed with this information and calculations, the surgeons at the center can choose the correct lens for each patient. The choice of the implant is made in collaboration with the staff, the doctor and the patient and his or her relatives.

The advantages of the available lenses are discussed thoroughly so that the patients can make an informed decision. Throughout the past years, the informed approach has led to greater patient satisfaction with the level of service and transparency at Galileo SurgiCenter. Cataract surgery can make one spectacle-independent.

Elizabeth S. is a typical example. She was diagnosed to have early cataracts in both eyes when she was just 49 years old. Her vision became so bothersome after three years.

After being informed that there was a multifocal IOL that could make her independent of glasses for both near reading and distance vision, Mrs. S. opted for the surgery and she never regretted it.

Now at 56, she is able to do all her activities without the need for glasses. She can drive without any problems, except for mild haloes around headlights at night. She can read without glasses unlike most of her friends who have to look for their reading glasses to look at photos, read the menu, and check the prices when shopping.

Alberto S. had to wear contact lenses when he was studying. Eventually, he became intolerant of contacts and he switched to glasses but the optometrists could not give him his full grade in the right eye because “it was too high,” much higher than the left eye which had a grade of -8.00 sph.

When he came to see the center in January 2010, he also had cataracts. He could only see shadows in the right eye and the middle of the E chart with his glasses in the left eye. He underwent phaco the following month, first in the right, then in two weeks in the left. After the surgeries, he began to use both eyes together, balanced for the first time in 60 years.

He can now see the distance very clearly in both eyes without glasses. He only uses spectacles only for reading fine print. “Because we determined that this patient had very long eyes, 29.91 mm in the right and 26.35 mm in the left, with the Lenstar, versus the usual 22 mm, we were able to explain to him the reason for the disparity of his grade in both eyes.

We were able to calculate that he would not need an implant in the right eye and that he would need a very low power IOL in the left eye,” explains the doctor who operated on him at Galileo. Now one year later, Mr. S. is able to see 20/25 with both eyes without the cumbersome glasses or contact lenses of the past.

At Galileo SurgiCenter, the investment in the latest equipment for diagnosis and microsurgery for cataract has definitely paid off in terms of patient satisfaction with their visual outcomes. For more information, call 721-7135, 721-6412 or 09178847466.