The development of cataracts is one of the most common conditions affecting people in the U.S. over the age of 40. By the age of 80, more than half of the U.S. population has at least one cataract. Cataract surgery is the most effective way to eliminate the debilitating effects on vision that cataracts can cause, and a technology that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers a way to perform customized cataract surgery without a surgical blade. The Gordon Schanzlin New Vision Institute was one of the first practices in the country to employ the LenSx® Femtosecond Laser.1
Please call us at (858) 295-1734 or click here to contact our practice for more information about LRx® laser refractive cataract surgery.
The LenSx Femtosecond Laser makes it possible for our surgeons to perform blade-free cataract surgery. This offers significant benefits to our patients, including reduced risk, increased accuracy, and enhanced efficiency in comparison to traditional cataract surgery.2
Rather than a surgical blade, the LenSx Femtosecond Laser uses light energy to make incisions during cataract surgery. Every eye is unique, and the state-of-the-art computer guidance system that accompanies this laser is an ideal complement to your surgeon’s experience and skill, allowing for the most precise results possible.
Following the creation of precise incisions, your surgeon will remove the lens that has been clouded by cataracts and replace it with a clear artificial lens. In many cases, an advanced lens can be used to correct refractive errors in addition to the removal of cataracts, providing further enhancement of your vision.
The LenSx Femtosecond Laser can be used to treat astigmatism in some patients. Astigmatism is a refractive error caused by improper curvature of the cornea or the eye’s lens. The cornea, the clear part of the eye, is connected to the white part of the eye (the sclera) by the limbus. Using the LenSx laser, your ophthalmologist may be able to create tiny limbal relaxing incisions (LRIs) at the time of cataract surgery. By relaxing the limbus, the cornea is able to heal into a more properly rounded shape, reducing or even eliminating low to moderate astigmatism.
Many patients who undergo LRI at the same time as cataract surgery are able to decrease their dependence on glasses or contacts for most situations, though corrective lenses may still be needed for near reading.
Interested in learning more about your vision correction options? Call us at (858) 295-1734 or click here to schedule a consultation.
1 National Eye Institute. Cataracts. Available: https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/cataracts. Accessed June 29, 2020.
2 Reddy KP, Kandulla J, Auffarth GU. Effectiveness and safety of femtosecond laser-assisted lens fragmentation and anterior capsulotomy versus the manual technique in cataract surgery. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2013;39(9):1297-1306. doi:10.1016/j.jcrs.2013.05.035. Accessed June 29, 2020.
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The doctors at Gordon Schanzlin New Vision Institute have either authored or reviewed and approved this content.
