Our Services
Cataracts
A cataract is a common condition that causes a progressive clouding of the eye’s natural lens. This painless loss of vision affects millions of people over the age of 65 each year. Cloudiness develops as a result of a buildup of protein in the lens causing a gradual reduction in vision.
Patients with cataracts often do not experience any symptoms when the condition first develops. However, upon progression of the cataract the patient may notice blurred or hazy vision, double vision, poor vision in bright light, difficulty driving especially at night, seeing halos around lights, yellowish vision or altered color vision and the patient will frequently feel the need to change his/her glasses or contact lenses.
Treatment of Cataracts
If visual impairment begins to interfere with your ability to live life normally; which means difficulty reading, writing, doing computer work, cooking, driving (especially at night), then you may want to consider cataract surgery to restore your vision. Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed surgical procedure in the US, and can be performed quickly and easily with a success rate of 90 percent and a minimal risk of complications. If left untreated, cataracts will worsen over time and may lead to permanent vision loss or even blindness. It is important to see Dr. Galiani regularly in order to detect cataracts as early as possible and to plan an effective treatment method.
Custom Refractive Cataract Surgery
State of the art cataract surgery refers to techniques to decrease the recovery time for the eye after surgery, and to match the post operative vision with the needs of the patient. Dr. Galiani uses no stitch surgery which reduces the need for anesthesia and allows for a smoother and more comfortable post-operative recovery period. There is no implant that can give the patient perfect vision at every distance, and it is not possible to restore vision to the way the patient saw when they were a teenager. However, through sophisticated measurements and calculations Dr. Galiani can choose an intraocular lens implant which will attempt to reduce or eliminate the need for full time glasses wear for most of the activities of daily living.
Virtually all health insurance plans cover cataract surgery and traditional implants once the patient's vision drops to a certain level. For certain patients, additional techniques such as Limbal Relaxing Incisions, Astigmatic Lens Implants and Multifocal Lens Implants may be discussed and recommended to provide an optimal visual outcome. Health insurers allow the patient to choose these options and self-pay the additional costs that are incurred in these procedures.
Limbal Relaxing Incisions
Limbal relaxing incisions (LRIs) are a minimally invasive surgical procedure used to treat low to moderate degrees of astigmatism. This procedure is often performed in conjunction with cataract surgery to help patients achieve clear vision with a reduced or eliminated need for glasses or contact lenses, but can also be performed at a later date. Limbal relaxing incisions are small incisions placed in the cornea (clear front part) of the eye at a precise location and depth to decrease or “relax” the cornea’s steep curvature and improve the way the eye focuses light.
Astigmatic (Toric) Lens Implant
While cataract surgery corrects cloudy lenses, it still leaves patients that have astigmatism with distorted blurred vision. Toric lenses are premium lens implants specially designed to correct astigmatism along with overall vision because the correction is manufactured directly into the lens. The lens is able to be implanted and rotated in the eye at a specific axis to provide the needed correction. Patients with very high amounts of astigmatism may need both Limbal Relaxing Incisions and an Astigmatic or Toric IOL to achieve the best possible post operative visual correction. Higher power astigmatism correcting Implants are becoming available by the Summer of 2011.
Click here to view Toric Lens video
Multifocal Lens Implants
Advancements in technology have produced multifocal IOL’s that allow patients to see clearly at all distances – near, far and many distances in between.
These implants can help reduce the need for near correction (reading glasses) after cataract surgery. There are several types available, based on your examination and visual needs. Dr. Galiani can recommend which option would be best for the patient.
Click here to view Multifocal Lens video
Accommodating Lens Implants
These are new technology lenses such as the Crystalens, which have the ability to focus at multiple distances similar to our natural lenses.
YAG Laser Capsulotomy
During cataract surgery, Dr. Galiani will replace the clouded, blurry area of the lens with an artificial lens to correct your vision. However, after surgery some people experience a gradual clouding behind the new lens, a condition known as "after cataract" or "secondary membrane". Clouding is common after cataract surgery and can cause blurred vision to return, but a solution is available to treat this side effect. A procedure called a posterior Capsulotomy can be performed to remove the clouding of the lens capsule allowing light to pass through to the retina to improve your vision. The Capsulotomy, which is a painless procedure that does not require any anesthesia, is performed by Dr. Galiani.
Click here to view YAG Laser Capsulotomy video
