At Alabama Eye & Cataract Center, P.C. our eye surgeons provide examinations and consultations for patients who have undergone previous cataract & lens implant surgery elsewhere and suffer from complications of the surgery resulting in vision dissatisfaction. Sometimes this occurs when patients have had previous Radial Keratotomy (RK), LASIK, multifocal or toric lens implants with poor visual outcomes or other refractive procedures. Our physicians offer surgical solutions for even the most complex cataract surgery as well as complications arising from lens implants in patients who have had previous cataract surgery. Intraocular lens exchanges may successfully restore high quality visual performance in patients with poor visual outcomes after multifocal lens implants. Lens exchanges can be performed in most patients, even if the posterior capsule has been opened with a prior YAG laser treatment. Although cataract surgery & lens implants are extremely common and successful, there are a growing number of patients who have eye problems preoperatively that can make cataract surgery more complicated and complex than normal. Patients who have ever been prescribed Flomax® or patients who may have had an eye injuries or serious infection may also require more complex surgery. For these patients cataract surgery can be more complex and require special considerations. In addition, we specialize in managing patients who suffer from vision deterioration following previous refractive surgery such as LASIK or PRK and even those who suffer from the vision deterioration who have previous radial keratotomy (RK). We specialize in surgical management of cataracts in patients with irregular astigmatism.
As more patients elect to have their vision corrected after cataract surgery with near vision presbyopia correcting lens implants, there are instances where the visual performance is not optimum following implantation of a multifocal lens implant. Additional measurements, including a corneal wavefront analysis, can help determine if the patient’s eye can successfully tolerate a presbyopic correcting multifocal intraocular lens implant. If it is determined that a multifocal lens, that has previously been implanted in the eye, is producing poor vision and poorly tolerated, exchanging the lens implant (IOL) with an alternative lens design can be performed to achieve the desired visual results. An IOL exchange can be successful even if a YAG laser has been performed to open the posterior capsule that may have clouded the vision after the original surgery. Dr. Marc Michelson is a Corneal Specialist and Refractive Cataract & LASIK Surgeon who has a unique combination of skills in all three areas necessary to help patients in need of complex cataract and lens implant surgery. He has extensive experience in Diseases and Surgery of the Cornea, Refractive Surgery and Cataract Surgery, all of which support his clinical expertise in handling complex cataract surgery, complications of cataract surgery and vision problems with advanced technology lens implants that can occur in certain situations.
Radial Keratotomy (RK) was popularized in the United States in the 1980’s and 1990’s as a surgical treatment for nearsightedness prior to the introduction of the excimer laser and LASIK. Progressive deterioration of vision, decades following RK, has unfortunately become increasingly more prevalent. The corneal incisions initially created to treat nearsightedness and astigmatism, in many cases become unstable leading to severe astigmatism and/or progressive farsightedness as patients’ eyes age. Decades following RK, these incisions produce abnormal curvatures on the cornea, called irregular astigmatism, resulting in loss of vision that cannot be improved with glasses. Vision restoration is now possible in patients who have suffered vision loss after Radial Keratotomy (RK). Lens replacement surgery with implantation of advanced technology lens implants may restore near normal vision to many patients who have not seen well for years following RK. Surgical removal of cataracts and Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE), which is the removal of the clear lens with implantation of a Toric Lens Implant, may be used to successfully treat patients with severe irregular astigmatism following RK (Radial Keratotomy) and return vision to a useful and functional level.
Marc Michelson, M.D., of Alabama Eye & Cataract Center, P.C., has successfully utilized advanced technology lens implants to restore near normal vision in many patients who have had progressive loss of vision due to progressive corneal changes from RK (Radial Keratotomy).