Advanced Treatment for Cataracts
The quick and comfortable route to restored and improved vision.

If vision is the masterpiece, cataract surgeons are the restorers, bringing back the vibrant colors and clear, sharp images you once enjoyed.

Are cataracts robbing you of vision and diminishing your quality of life? Although the deteriorating eyesight caused by cataracts can be a frustrating problem, cataract surgery in our state-of-the-art outpatient surgery center represents a bright new beginning for you. Thanks to major medical advances, you can enjoy the clear, colorful vision of your youth—quickly and comfortably.

Your vision, restored and improved
Our doctors performed the first cataract outpatient surgery in Maine. Today, our board-certified ophthalmic surgeons use the latest technology and surgical techniques to restore—and even improve—the quality of your vision. Replacing a cataract with a lens implant gives you the opportunity to see more clearly than ever. Even if you’ve spent a lifetime in glasses or contact lenses for nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, lens implants can reduce or eliminate your need for eyeglasses.

See clearly near and far
Until recently, those who had cataract surgery still required reading glasses. We are pleased to be among the first to offer a new class of premium lens implants (presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses), that correct both near and far vision. These implants, including the FDA-approved Crystalens^®, can allow you to shift focus from watching a movie to using a computer to reading a book—all with less, or even no, reliance on glasses. And, we are the most experienced Crystalens practice north of Bosotn. Ask your EMG surgeon if a premium lens implant is right for you.

Quick surgery and recovery
Today’s procedures usually take less than 30 minutes in our comfortable surgical center. The entire visit typically lasts less than two hours from check-in through a short rest in our recovery room. After surgery, you may notice an immediate and dramatic improvement in your vision, and you should be able to return to your regular activities the very next day.

What is a cataract?
A cataract is a clouding of the transparent lens of the eye that develops in nearly everyone over the age of 60. People who develop cataracts often have them in both eyes, although cataracts may advance at different rates and affect one eye earlier than the other.

Treating cataracts
When a cataract is first forming, you may need no treatment at all—a change in eyeglass prescription or better lighting may be enough. Ultimately, however, cataracts usually advance and surgery is the only way to remove them. You can take comfort in knowing that cataract surgery has an extremely high rate of success and is one of the safest and most common surgical procedures performed in the U.S. today.

Should you have cataract surgery?
If vision loss interferes with everyday activities such as reading, driving or watching TV, you should consider surgery. There’s no reason to wait until small cataracts get worse before having them removed. Your EMG ophthalmologist can help you decide when you should have cataract surgery.

Common Cataract Symptoms

• Cloudy or blurry vision
• Poor night vision
• Problems with light, including seeing a halo around lights, excessive glare from lamps or bright sunlight, or headlights that seem too bright at night
• Double or multiple vision (this symptom often goes away as the cataract advances)
• Colors that seem dull or faded
• The need for frequent changes in your eyeglass or contact lens prescription

Much like a camera, your eye has a natural lens—a transparent sac of cells and fluid that helps focus light for clear, sharp vision. As we age, cells within the lens die and accumulate. Over time, this causes the lens to become cloudy instead of clear.

The clouding of the lens is called a cataract. It impairs vision by reducing the amount of light passing through and causing the focus to blur. Although it may seem like a film on the surface of your eye, a cataract is actually inside the lens.

What is the Crystalens?
Crystalens is an FDA-approved intraocular lens for the visual correction of cataracts.
The Crystalens premium lens was modeled after the human eye. Like a natural lens, it uses the eye muscle to flex and accommodate in order to focus on objects in the environment at all distances. Crystalens adjusts to your visual needs.

The Crystalens accommodating intraocular lens is made with hinges on each side that allow the part of the lens that you see through to move back and forth as you constantly change focus on images around you. Crystalens is a small lens that flexes or bends as you focus your vision.

Crystalens is:

• The first and only FDA-approved accommodating intraocular lens
• The only lens that uses the natural focusing ability of the eye
• The only lens that provides a single focal point throughout a continuous range of vision from far to near, and everything in between

Trust your eyes to experience
The cataract specialists at Eyecare Medical Group are board-certified ophthalmic surgeons. They are recognized authorities in cataract removal and are among the most experienced cataract surgeons in Maine. These skilled surgeons are joined by a highly trained team of nurses, surgical specialists and other healthcare professionals who are dedicated to providing the very best care, personalized for you.

Cataract surgery at Eyecare Medical Group
Our doctors are experts in microsurgery—the surgical techniques used to treat cataracts and restore vision. Using microsurgical instruments and a powerful operating microscope, your EMG surgeon removes the cloudy materials inside the natural lens of your eye and replaces it with a substitute lens—a lens implant—to restore the focusing power of the eye.

Under the microscope
To remove the cataract, your surgeon makes a small incision at the side of the cornea—the clear dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye. Usually, he or she then gently inserts a tiny probe into the lens. This device emits ultrasound waves that soften and liquefy the cataract so it can be suctioned out. For cataracts too large or too solid to be removed this way, the surgeon makes a slightly larger incision and removes the hard center of the lens in pieces. In both procedures, the rear membrane of your natural lens is left in place to support your lens implant.

Your clear new lens
After removing the cataract, you surgeon inserts a tiny intraocular lens (IOL) implant. Your new lens requires no care, can’t be seen or felt, and becomes a permanent part of your eye. Of the many innovations in lens implants, the most recent and exciting are the premium intraocular lens implants that help correct near and distance vision at the same time, and specialized toric lenses to correct astigmatism. Your surgeon at Eyecare Medical Group will make sure you receive the lens that’s best for you.

The quality and comfort of outpatient surgery
Our outpatient surgery center meets the exacting standards applied to hospital-based outpatient facilities. In fact, we were Maine’s first outpatient surgery center to be certified by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). In addition to offering state-of-the-art care, we’re sensitive to your comfort and well-being. The center is welcoming, comfortable and includes a private waiting room for visiting family members. After surgery, we invite your family to join you while you rest, have some refreshments and review your plan for follow-up care.

An important note about cataract surgery
A significant number of men in their 50s and 60s and beyond experience an enlarged prostate as part of the aging process. Today, many of these patients are taking the prescription medication Flomax or other similar medications that are members of the class of drugs called "alpha-agonists."

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU NOTIFY OUR STAFF BEFORE YOU HAVE CATARACT SURGERY IF YOU ARE TAKING ANY MEDICATION FOR AN ENLARGED PROSTATE.

In August 2006, a joint advisory letter was issued by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and the American Urological Association that identified that drugs such as Flomax, commonly used to treat an enlarged prostate, and other alpha-blockers, can cause abnormal movement of muscles controlling the opening and closing of the iris. During cataract surgery, the pupil must stay enlarged or dilated to allow your cataract surgeon to easily view the crystalline lens. Flomax and certain other alpha-blockers including Hytrin, Cardura, and Uroxatral can interfere with pupil dilation, creating a condition known as Intraoperative Floppy Iris Syndrome (IFIS).

If you are taking one of these medications please notify us so that your cataract surgeon will be able to take extra care to make sure the pupil stays dilated to prevent unexpected complications during your cataract surgery.

Follow-up care
Three to six weeks after surgery, your eyes should be fully healed and seeing like new. Your eye doctor will continue to examine your eyes regularly to make sure your vision is progressing as expected.

Cataract Treatment at EMG – Resources and Updates

Cataracts and Astigmatism

Introducing the Toric IOL
Cataract surgery has made tremendous strides in the past several years. Today’s lens implants can improve sight – not just restore it – correcting nearsightedness, farsightedness and even presbyopia. Another new development in cataract surgery is the toric intraocular lens (IOL), a lens implant that reduces preexisting astigmatism.

The toric IOL is a welcome addition to the growing list of lens advancements. Approximately 20% of patients who need cataract surgery have a clinically significant degree of astigmatism. Like all lens implants, the toric IOL restores focus to the eye when the natural lens is removed during cataract surgery. However, the toric IOL is also designed to correct preexisting astigmatism using the same technology that has been successfully used in contact lenses.

Understanding astigmatism
Astigmatism is a common condition associated with blurred or distorted vision. In astigmatic eyes, the cornea or the lens is ova-shaped which causes the visual distortions. Cataract patients with a minor degree of astigmatism would probably not find a toric IOL necessary. But those with larger amounts of astigmatism can request a toric IOL during their lens replacement surgery. Due to the unique design of the toric IOL, astigmatism can be reduced or corrected, allowing patients to enjoy sharper vision, with less need for eyeglasses or refractive surgery.