CATARACTS

Mine eyes have seen...

By CASEY BUECHEL - Tribune Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 12:29 PM CDT

Casey Buechel

Last Wednesday I had the "extensive" cataract removed from my left eye.

Well, to be pedantically accurate, I didn't do anything except lay on the operating table sound asleep while the gifted and experienced Dr. Michael Minadeo removed the cataract from the eye.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you for your ability and your wisdom in hiring Dr. Mark Glanzer and Sharon and all the technicians who populate your office.

Thank you Robin Fincher and the Texas Commission for the Blind who have been so helpful when it came to the funding for the injection treatments in my left eye and the surgeries in both my eyes.

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God has blessed me and blessed me and blessed me this last year.

My eye problems first began before Christmas of 2010 and within four months, my eyesight had deteriorated so badly I could not drive or work.

It goes without saying that I believe, and my Mother believes, in the power of prayer.

But in addition I have friends, and my Mother has friends, who believe in the power of prayer.

Thank God for those friends.

For all my co-workers who carried my load for three months until the cataract was removed from my right eye and I could bring my (at the time) one good eye back to work.

For the Palmers, who made the decision to hold my job for me until I could come back to the office.

For Patty and Harley, for Ruby and Alma and Leon, for Sara and Ronnie, for my Aunt Peg and Aunt Gin and Aunt Dean and all my cousins, for Glen and Esther, for Mary and Ron, for Tim and Ken and John and Brent and Sheila and Joy,  for Jan and Wesley, for Deborah and for Pat (who have gone through their own hardened crucibles with humor and grace while I sometimes seemed [to me at least] to be trying for the Whiner of the Year Award), for Christine and Marilyn and Vivian and Lanell and Dee, for Lavonne and Jerry and Michelle, for Hula and Robby and Craig and Shannon and Lenda, for every one of you who prayed and who continue to pray for me and added me to your prayer lists -- Thank God for all of you.

For my Mother. Oh, my goodness, what would I have done without her?

For her faith and patience and wisdom and strength and humor.

For her generosity.

God has blessed me and blessed me and blessed me all my life.

And for His love I am thankful beyond belief.

MY FIRST CATARACT SURGERY

This is my second birthday picture. Thanks to my brother Dave who just put all our slides on CD. I'm happy he has too much time on his hands. At 6 months my parents realized I couldn't see and took me to the eye doctor. I was then sent to Oxford Mississippi to Dr. Rodgers a cataract surgeon. At two I had my first surgery of many. I had an operation every two years. Just in case you couldn't tell my birthday is Valentines Day February 14th 1962.

CATARACT FACTS

A number of myths have grown up about cataracts, and CNIB, of Canada, has cleared up some hazy ideas:


Myth: Cataracts grow on top of the eye.
Fact: Cataracts are actually clouding of the eye’s lens.


Myth: After surgery, cataracts grow back.
Fact: They don’t, but sometimes the membrane holding the new lens gets cloudy. This can be corrected with a simple laser procedure.


Myth: Cataract surgery is dangerous:
Fact: It is a common, safe procedure with a 95 percent success rate.


Myth: Cataracts are worsened by eye strain.
Fact: Eye strain has no effect on cataracts.


To prevent or slow the development of
cataracts:
• Don’t smoke.
• Eat lots of fruits and veggies.
• When outside, wear sunglasses.


For more information:
www.cnib.ca/en/your-eyes/eye-conditions


Lifeglow
November - December 2009; Vol. 26, No. 6

Dr. Kerry Solomon Brings First Laser to Correct Cataracts to Charleston, SC

Kerry Solomon, MD

“This is the wave of the future,” Dr. Solomon says. “In five to ten years, all surgeries will be done with the laser.”

The first laser in the Southeast, and one of the first in the country, to correct cataracts recently arrived in the Lowcountry. Local ophthalmologist Dr. Kerry Solomon was chosen to be one of the first to use the brand new laser technology for cataract correction – the most commonly performed surgical procedure in the United States.
Because of Dr. Solomon’s leadership in the ophthalmology profession, he has been involved in the development of the technology and was asked to use it and offer feedback. The only other four lasers in the United States are currently located in Utah, Texas, Missouri and New York.
The femtosecond laser is developed by LenSx and is the same technology used to perform LASIK procedures. By using a laser for cataract correction, ophthalmologists are able to plan and customize each procedure based on patient anatomy as well as create more precise and consistent incisions.
“This is the wave of the future,” Dr. Solomon says. “In five to 10 years, all surgeries will be done with the laser.”
Light entering the eye passes through its lens. The lens focuses that light on the retina at the back of the eye. A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s lens. A clouded lens interferes with how light passes through it, in much the same way that fingerprints or smears on a window interfere with your view of what is on the other side of the glass. Cataracts affect more than 22 million Americans age 40 and older with more than 30 million expected to have cataracts by 2020.
In the early days of cataract surgery, patients would have to limit their activity for four to eight weeks and they still needed glasses. About 20 years ago, ultrasound technology was introduced and cataract procedures became much more efficient and safer. Plus, the recovery time was shortened to just a few days.
The laser is located at Physicians Eye Surgery Center in Charleston. Dr. Solomon is affiliated with Carolina Eyecare Physicians, which has offices in Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, North Charleston, Summerville, Moncks Corner and Walterboro.
Dr. Solomon has been performing cataract correction surgery since 1990 and has been named one of the “Top 50 Opinion Leaders in the Fields of Cataract and Refractive Surgery” worldwide. Dr. Solomon is also is a leader in the field of LASIK vision correction, having performed the first LASIK procedure in South Carolina. He regularly travels the world speaking about LASIK and cataract procedures.
For more information go to:
http://www.drkerrysolomon.com/