Practising in Sydney Parramatta for more than 15 years, Dr Peter Sumich and Dr Ridia Lim are specialists in Cataract, Glaucoma and Laser Vision Correction.
The successful outcome of our Cataract procedures at Hunter Street Eye Specialists are achievable through the wealth of experience and latest technology in the hands of our eye surgeons.
Whether its Laser Vision Correction, Cataract Surgery, other Refractive or Eye Surgery, choosing your surgeon can be a overwhelming task. Choosing who to have your procedure with and trust with your vision is of utmost importance in the road to having eye surgery.
Of all things to consider – Experience is the key.
Technology requires skilled hands to use it safely and to achieve optimal results.
Regardless of procedure, by choosing an experienced surgeon who utilises the latest state of the art technology, increases a favourable and successful outcome.
Blended Vision or Monovision is a term coined for those whose non-dominant eye is intentionally made slightly shortsighted to reduce or sometimes remove the need for visual hardware for near tasks such as reading, sewing and computer work. Though it can be achieved with contact lenses many opt to have a more permanent solution in reducing the reliance on reading glasses and so choose to have blended vision either with laser eye surgery or lens replacement procedures.
Blended vision offers a good solution for those who want to be able to perform both distance and near tasks free from visual hardware.
With improvements in technology both in surgical techniques and Intraocular Lenses, refractive lens procedures have become more commonly performed not just purely to treat Cataract, but also to reduce dependence and often remove the need for visual hardware. In fact more candidates who do not have cataracts and not suitable for Laser Vision Treatment, are choosing to have clear refractive lens exchange in order to reduce or remove the need for glasses or contact lenses.
With an increasing ageing population, more active lifestyle and increased longevity more and more people are opting have treatment sooner rather than later, to improve quality of life through better vision.
Patients now more than ever have more options at their disposal and Surgeons better equipped at delivering better refractive outcomes through different types of Intraocular Lens Implants (IOL’s), laser cataract, small and micro-incisional surgical techniques.
Femtosecond laser is now also used to perform some cataract procedures, however, data shows the results are no better with Laser Cataract Surgery as compared to non Laser Cataract Surgery if performed by an experienced Surgeon. Laser cataract is performed similar to small or micro-incision cataract surgery, the only difference is that a laser is used to make the incisions – the remainder of the procedure is the same
A cataract is a clouding of the crystalline lens that causes gradual loss of vision and cause additional symptoms such as colours appearing “washed out”, glare and halos, poor night vision and at times double vision.
Left untreated, a cataract can eventually worsen at a pace that is different from person to person, eventually causing blindness. On the upside this type of blindness is temporary and once Cataract surgery is performed if the eye is otherwise healthy, full visual recovery is achievable.
The old adage “wait for the cataract to ripen” is now becoming more and more irrelevant – with increased longevity and more people staying active longer, most choose to have cataract treatment sooner, before it impacts quality of vision and life.
With improved safety, accuracy, better results and a myriad of Intraocular lens implant correcting for ocular aberrations, correct for distance, near or both and even Intraocular lens implants that can correct for astigmatism, no longer do we need to wait until a cataract is “ripe for the picking” – Improving the quality of life through better vision sooner is now a possibility.
Cataract surgery is one of the most commonly performed procedures in Australia. With people living longer, more active lifestyles people are opting to have treatment sooner rather than later and with precision improving an increased number of patients are not only able to see clearer but are also relatively spectacle independent for most activities.
Like Laser Vision Correction, correcting long-sightedness, short-sightedness and astigmatism whilst treating Cataracts is no longer an impossibility.
An in-depth look at Monovision
Dysfunctional Lens Syndrome (DLS) part of which is Presbyopia, is a progressive lens disorder that worsens with age and can result in the need to rely on reading glasses to perform near tasks. It encompasses the aging of the crystalline lens, with or without lens opacities, the inability to accommodate due to presbyopia and increased spherical aberrations and/or coma.
Between the ages of 40 to 50 years the lens starts to harden and lose focusing power, near vision starts to deteriorate and development of higher-order aberrations
At 50 to 65 years of age, the loss of near vision or focussing ability, Light scatter and Decreased contrast and night vision
65 Year Olds and above usually would have developed cataracts as the nucleus of the lens yellows, causing reduced vision, affecting color perception
For patients with DLS – Refractive lens exhange is the treatment of choice, with Monovision or Blended Vision being an effective alternative in reducing dependancy on glasses for near tasks such as reading, computer, sewing, reading menu or looking at price tags or lists when shopping.