EYE CARE

Dr. Mukesh Aggarwal

MORE THAN 50 percent of people over the age of 60, and some, who are even younger, develop cataracts.  It is said that cataracts are so common that everyone will develop them eventually if they live long enough to do so. It can take months or even as long as a few years for a cataract to develop.

A cataract is developed when the natural lens of the eye gets cloudy. The clouding of the natural lens interferes with light passing through to the retina.  This causes the vision to get blurry and dim.  As cataracts develop, reading vision may get more difficult, and even driving a car can become increasingly more difficult.

Cataract patients often times complain of double vision, halos around lights, and glare problems, especially while driving at night. At this point in time there is no medical treatment to prevent or reverse cataracts. After a cataract develops the only way to get clear vision is to remove the cataract and replace the natural lens of the eye with an artificial intraocular lens implant (IOL).

A CATARACT is developed when the natural lens of the eye gets cloudy. The clouding of the natural lens interferes with light passing through to the retina. This causes the vision to get blurry and dim.

Today, cataract surgery is performed as an outpatient procedure.  It takes only a few minutes. After the surgery the patients are free to go home and rest and relax in the comfort of their own homes. There have been many advances in cataract surgery techniques and in IOL technology.  Most cataracts are removed with an advanced technique called phacoemulsification, or small-incision cataract surgery.  Once the eye is completely numbed a small self healing incision is made, the cataract gets broken into microscopic particles and is gently suctioned from the eye.  Then the intraocular lens (IOL) is implanted into the “capsular bag,” which is the same tissue that held the natural lens of the eye. Once the cataract is removed it will not grow back.

Different Types of IOLs
There are several recent advances in IOL technology.  Advances have been made in the different types of IOLs that are available to patients.  The traditional replacement IOL that is used when the cataract is removed clears up the vision but is unable to correct the astigmatism.  A new IOL has been made available to patients with cataracts and astigmatism.  This lens is unique in that it can correct the cataract and the astigmatism.  This lens is called the Acrysof Toric lens.  Its unique design makes it possible to reduce or eliminate corneal astigmatism and improve uncorrected distance vision.

One other special IOL that is available to patients is the ReZoom lens.  This lens is unique in that it gives a patient the full range of vision and gives them more independence from glasses.  The ReZoom is a multifocal lens that has five focusing zones which allows a patient to see distance, intermediate, and up close.  This lens allows most people to see well anywhere.

THE ReStor lens is also a multifocal lens that will allow patients to see from near to far without the use of any glasses.

Another breakthrough in the IOLs available is the AcrySof ReStor lens which uses an innovative optical technology called “apodization”.  It is said that the ReStor lens does not give you new eyes but it simply restores your vision.  The ReStor lens is also a multifocal lens that will allow patients to see from near to far without the use of any glasses.

ReStor lens patients should be able to read a book, do computer work, and drive a car, or even play golf free of glasses. Lastly, one more amazing innovation in the IOL technology is the Crystalens IOL.  The Crystalens IOL is designed to mimic the accommodating characteristics of the natural lens.  This IOL is designed so that it may move forward and backward within the eye in response to the muscles that are manipulated during accommodation.

This vaulting movement of the Crystalens changes the focal point,   allows patients to accommodate, thus restoring both near and far vision and reducing the need for reading glasses, bifocals or trifocals.

Dr.  Aggarwal graduated from the Institute of Medical Science and then served an internship at Philadelphia Hospital.  He completed three years of Residency in Ophthalmology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.  Dr.  Aggarwal is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, a fellow of the American Cosmetic Surgery and a member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.  He relocated to Merritt Island in 1980 and travels abroad to offer his services in Charitable Medical Missions.  You may reach Dr. Aggarwal by contacting the Eye Clinic and Laser Institute at 321-453-3937.

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