Your eyes are complex systems that involve specialized components all working in harmony. If any one of those components malfunctions, it will affect your vision. You may have:
- Glaucoma
- Macular degeneration
- Myopia (nearsightedness)
- Hyperopia (farsightedness)
- Flashes and floaters
- Astigmatism
- Presbyopia
- Cataracts
If you have any of these conditions, Dr. Kim Doan at Advanced Eyecare of Orange County can expertly and safely treat them to restore your vision or prevent it from worsening. For her patients with cataracts in Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, and the greater Orange County area of California, she offers two highly effective procedures using the latest technology.
Traditional cataract surgery
Your eyesight is precious, so it’s understandable if you feel a little apprehensive about any procedure that involves incisions. But cataract surgery is actually one of the most common procedures worldwide and has been performed safely and effectively for many years. It becomes necessary when the lens in your eye, which is largely made up of proteins, begins to break down and become cloudy.
To correct this, Dr. Doan makes a tiny incision in your cornea, then inserts a probe behind your pupil to access the capsule that surrounds your lens. Ultrasound waves break up the cloudy lens so she can suction it away. Then, she replaces it with a new prosthetic intraocular lens.
Multifocal intraocular lens surgery
Traditionally, cataract surgery was merely concerned with restoring your ability to see clearly and to see far away, as is needed when driving, watching a ball game, or even viewing a TV. But most people had to wear reading glasses or bifocals after their cataract surgery to compensate for lost near vision.
However, multifocal intraocular lens surgery takes care of that problem. If you’re familiar with bifocal glasses or multifocal contact lenses, then you get the picture. If you and Dr. Doan agree this is the best option for you, then she replaces your old lens with one that lets you see near, far, and everywhere in between. It may also improve your night vision while driving.
Another option is to replace the lens in one eye with a multifocal intraocular lens and put a monofocal lens in the other. Depending on your vision needs, such as whether you do more driving at night, extensive reading, staring at the computer, etc., Dr. Doan can help you understand what the different lenses can do for you and which option is best.
LenSx® laser cataract surgery
Advances in laser technology have greatly impacted the field of ophthalmology, especially when it comes to cataract surgery. Using the LenSx system, Dr. Doan can now perform your cataract surgery with a higher degree of precision and a lower chance of complications.
The LenSx device uses femtosecond laser technology rather than a hand-held device. In addition to higher accuracy, the LenSx procedure breaks up your cataracts with laser energy rather than ultrasound energy, which softens them in addition to breaking them into pieces, requiring less energy, and therefore less chance of distorting the incision and the capsule.
What to expect from cataract surgery
Whichever procedure you and Dr. Doan decide on, you can anticipate a quick and painless experience. We give you a sedative to help you relax, but you won’t need any general anesthesia.
Many people wonder if they will see the tools approaching their eyes, but don’t worry. You won’t see anything but a bright light during your procedure. The whole thing generally takes about 5-10 minutes.
Your vision should be greatly improved the minute you walk out of our office, but it will take three months to completely heal.
If you have astigmatism, a condition caused by an irregularly shaped cornea or lens that makes your vision blurry, Dr. Doan can usually correct that during the procedure as well.
If you have cataracts and are tired of looking through a haze, call us at any of our locations or request an appointment online today.