Medical procedures, techniques, and methods consistently evolve. As professionals research and test new ways of detecting medical issues and then develop improvements to their treatments, medical science becomes more advanced and effective. LASIK is a result of such research and advances, but in the eye care field, there is no greater studied and advanced area than the treatment of cataracts.
Cataract surgery has evolved significantly in the last few decades. Sutureless surgery, the advent of ultrasound extraction, and foldable intraocular lenses all enabled patients to have cataract surgery without being bedridden in a hospital for a week as was common practice in the 1970s. Multifocal lenses were introduced in the mid-2000s enabling patients to see at 2 focal points at a time. In this decade, femtosecond laser was introduced to the US, allowing bladeless surgery and laser-precise astigmatism correction at the time of cataract surgery. A few weeks ago, the Panoptix trifocal lens was approved by the FDA for use in the US, and it is the first trifocal (distance, intermediate, and near focal points) intraocular lens available in the US.
Dr. Bala Ambati was the first surgeon in Oregon to use the femtosecond laser (the Ziemer Z8) with a clear Panoptix trifocal intraocular lens 2 weeks ago. The patient this new method was used on has had now both eyes done and is recovering well, with 20/20 vision at distance, intermediate, and near. This is huge! The combination of technologies represents a revolutionary advance in what we can offer cataract patients in terms of visual freedom and speedy recovery at a full range of distances to meet the visual demands of modern lifestyles.
We pride ourselves on providing the best possible care to our patients and with this latest advancement, we continue to live up to that expectation. Contact us today to see if this exciting new procedure is right for you.
