We offer a number of Corneal Surgeries.
Cataract with Intraocular Lens (IOL)
A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. The lens works much like a camera lens, focusing light onto the retina at the back of the eye. The lens also adjusts the eye's focus, letting you see things clearly both near and far.
A cataract starts out small, and at first has little effect on your vision. You may notice that your vision is blurred a little, like looking through a cloudy piece of glass. A cataract may make light from the sun or automobile headlight seem too bright or glaring, which may wash out the image you're looking at. You may also notice a need for very intense light when trying to read. Colors may not appear as bright as they once did.
Consider cataract surgery when your cataracts have progressed enough to seriously impair your vision and affect your daily life or quality of important activities. Many people consider poor vision an inevitable fact of aging, but cataract surgery is a simple, relatively painless procedure to regain vision. Cataract surgery is very successful in restoring vision. Most people who have cataract surgery regain very good vision, somewhere between 20/20 and 20/40.
Prior to surgery, measurement will be taken to determine the strength of the new lens. During surgery, Dr Snyder will remove your clouded lens, and in most cases replace it with a clear intraocular lens (IOL). You should feel little to no pain after the surgery. Depending on the length of time you endured the cataract and the severity of the cataract you may notice an immediate improvement in your vision. You will experience an immediate improvement in your vision within a few days.
Premium Lenses
We now offer presbyopia correcting IOLs (Crystalens and RESTOR). These lenses are intended to provide distance vision and assist in intermediate and near vision. There are a variety of designs and strategies. In some cases we prefer the new accommodating Crystalens, which we believe gives the best distance vision while providing over 80% of our patients very good intermediate vision, and approximately 30% with good distance, intermediate, and reading.
We also recommend and offer the new multi-focal RESTOR lens which has been redesigned and reported to provide excellent distance and near, with good intermediate range in many cases. This multi-focal lens may result in faint halos and, in some patients, vision may not seem as crisp in low light.
We also offer the new TORIC lens, which reduce astigmatism and dramatically improve distance or near vision in cataract patients with astigmatism and reduce their dependence on post-operative prescription glasses.
If you believe you have a cataract you should contact the office to schedule an evaluation with Dr Snyder to discuss your options. During your evaluation our staff will evaluate the effect the cataract has had on your vision. In most cases this is considered medically necessary and can be billed to you health insurance.
> Learn more about Crystalens
> Learn more about RESTOR
> Learn more about TORIC
Pterygium Treatment
A pterygium is a growth of tissue from the white (conjunctiva) of the eye onto the clear dome (cornea) in the front of the eye. They can occur on either side of either eye.
Although the growths are harmless, they can cause decreased vision, pain, irritation, redness and scarring. In addition, they can be cosmetically unacceptable to many patients.
Pterygium surgery in the past consisted of simple excision. This led to high rates of recurrence (approximately 50%). We perform several grafting techniques which improve the chances of long term success of the procedure with only around 10-15% of patients estimated to have a recurrence. In addition, recovery time and discomfort are less compared to simple excisions.
If you believe you require this type of surgery you should schedule an appointment at your earliest convenience to discuss your options for treatment or removal. In most cases this is considered medically justified and can be billed to your health insurance.
Limbal Relaxing Incisions (LRI)
Limbal relaxing incisions (LRI) modify the shape of your cornea. Astigmatism is present when the cornea is not perfectly round; resulting in one portion of your eye does not see the same as the other portions. A cornea with astigmatism is shaped more like a football rather than basketball. LRI’s are incisions that are placed on the far outer edge of the cornea (the limbus) resulting in a cornea that is more round resulting in your uncorrected vision being improved.
The procedure can be completed in a few seconds after numbing the eye with anesthetic drops. There is usually little or no, post-operative discomfort. The procedure is very safe and is not associated with glare or starburst. The cornea is usually stable within a week, which means your vision should be stable.
Limbal relaxing incisions have gained widespread acceptance amongst cataract surgeons where it is often combined with the cataract operation to reduce pre-existing astigmatism. The incisions can be done as part of cataract surgery or at any time after. This results in better post-operative vision without glasses. The procedure can also be used in individuals whose primary refractive error is astigmatism.
If you have had cataract surgery or have a significant amount of astigmatism and believe you would benefit from the reduction of astigmatism then you may want to consider an LRI. Please schedule an appointment to discuss your options with Dr Snyder. In most cases this is an elective procedure and can be done at your convenience.
Lamellar Keratoplasty
Lamellar keratoplasty involves replacement of your damaged or diseased anterior corneal stroma (middle layer of your cornea) and Bowman's membrane (second layer of your cornea) with donor material. Most of the bottom three layers of your cornea can be preserved. The donor corneal disc becomes repopulated with host cells, and the recipient epithelium usually covers the anterior corneal surface.
This procedure is technically more difficult than penetrating keratoplasty. Lamellar keratoplasty has the advantage of being primarily outside the eye, making it a procedure that preserves your endothelium. The risk of rejection becomes less of an issue.
The risks of wound leaks or flat anterior chambers associated with an intraocular procedure may be eliminated. Microsurgical techniques have vastly improved the technique of lamellar keratoplasty, but they have also substantially improved the results with penetrating keratoplasty. The use of conjunctival flaps and therapeutic soft contact lenses has reduced the indications for lamellar keratoplasty.
If you believe this procedure to be an option in correcting a corneal problem you suffer from, schedule an evaluation with Dr Snyder to discuss all your options. If another physician has recommended this type of procedure Dr Snyder would be happy to give you a second opinion and possibly offer other option to correct or repair your problem.
