EP #13: The Art and Precision of Cataract Surgery

Ever wondered about the intricacies of cataract surgery? Brace yourself for a thrilling journey as we uncover the truth about laser assisted procedures, the role of insurance, and the importance of meeting specific criteria to qualify for surgery. Hosted by Dr. Laura Falco, we debunk myths and shine light on this delicate procedure where precision and expertise matter.

As we venture deeper, we explore the varied lens options on the table: single vision, distance monofocal, and toric lenses for those with astigmatism. Dr. Falco also unravels the fascinating world of multifocal lenses, their unique design, benefits, and potential drawbacks. However, it's not just about the lenses; your personal prescription and eye health significantly influence your choices. Learn why understanding your visual needs and effectively communicating them to your optometrist is the key to the best outcome. So tune in and arm yourself with valuable knowledge, whether you're considering cataract surgery or simply curious about the process.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the Jazzy Eyes podcast.
Taking care of your vision withexpert precision.
Here's your host, dr LauraFalco.

Jeremy (00:15):
Hello everyone, welcome back to another episode of the
Jazzy Eyes podcast.
I'm your co-host, jeremy Wolfe.
I'm joined by your host, drLaura Falco.
Dr Falco, fancy meeting youhere again so soon.
We were just talking aboutcataracts and the various
symptoms that one wouldexperience when they have

(00:38):
cataracts, and we were going tokind of get into what to do when
they need to actually getsurgery and seek a referral to
get these matters corrected,correct.

Dr. Falco (00:51):
So your vision starts to decrease.
You're no longer correctable to2020.
And, just like any other bodypart, you think, ok, I don't
like the vision, I want to havethe cataract surgery.
But the reality is insurancekind of dictates what the vision
has to be before we can send.
I don't send patients unlessthe insurance is going to chip

(01:14):
in and cover the procedure.
So there's a certain amount ofdecreased vision that you have
to have before you qualify for areferral.
So let's say you've met thatcriteria and I'm going to send
you for cataract surgery.
I'm going to send you to see anophthalmologist.
So the first thing I want peopleto know is there is a type of
surgery called laser assisted,but there is not a purely laser

(01:40):
cataract surgery.
So it does involve cutting.
It does involve a blade, itinvolves removing the lens and
putting in an implant.
Now, laser assisted exists andthey will use a laser in
conjunction with the blade, butit's not LASIK, it's not PRK,
it's not the type of surgerythat is only done via laser.
There is also cutting involved.

(02:00):
A lot of people think it'spurely laser and when you go
speak to the ophthalmologist,based on your particular eye
conditions, your prescription ispart of it.
If you have specific retinalconditions, you are going to be

(02:21):
given certain choices of lensesbased upon your eye.
So everybody isn't going to getall the choices because if you
suffer from certain retinaldiseases macular degeneration
for example they're not gonnaoffer you all the different
choices.
There are specific lenses asimplants that you're going to be

(02:43):
qualified for based on yourprescription and your eye health
.
But the choices that prettymuch exist out there are one
that is called single vision orwe call it distance monofocal,
where the goal of cataractsurgery is to remove the lenses
and put in lenses where youreally don't need any glasses to

(03:06):
see far away.
Sometimes you might need alittle light prescription to
sharpen up a sharp 2020, but thegoal of distance monofocal,
which is distance one focalpoint, is to not need glasses
for distance.
Some people have a lot ofastigmatism in their
prescription and when thathappens they have to get a lens

(03:29):
that's called a Toric lens tocorrect for the astigmatism, to
try to achieve that goal of noglasses for distance and lenses
do come like that.
Some people wanna have a multifocal, which means the lens
itself can.
You can see distance, theintermediate and a little bit of

(03:50):
close, you likely need a lightreader for small, small printer
prolonged reading.
That implant works verydifferently.
It's a different material andit works very differently than
the distance monofocal.
If you think about a recordwhere the songs are those

(04:11):
circles, like when you would puta record on a record player and
you would see a short songwould have concentric rings that
are very close together andthen you would get to like a
stairway to heaven and therewould be a very large flat space
between the concentric rings ona record.
That is how a lot of the multifocal lenses work.
They have concentric rings anddifferent focal points.

(04:34):
Some people really like thatbecause they don't have to wear
glasses pretty much at all.
Some people have a little bitof glare halos and don't love
the concentric rings.
So I think it's reallyimportant that your optometrist
really understands your needsand the type of visually

(04:54):
specific person you are.
What I mean by that is, I havesome patients who anything less
than 2020 sharp is unacceptable.
And then I have some patientswho walk in saying they don't
need glasses at all and they canbarely see 2200 and they like
living in that world, stubbornfolk.

(05:15):
So when your doctor knows youand understands you how you like
to see, then you work togetherwith your optometrist.
So when you go into thatreferral you go in well educated
and you have an idea of whatyour choice will be and what the
right implant for you is.

Jeremy (05:33):
Very interesting and you touched.
I didn't wanna stop you as youwere talking to give
explanations for all thedifferent terms you focused upon
or you touched upon.
There was macular degeneration,there were a couple of other
terms that kind of went over myhead.
I think what we should do is,in another segment later kind of
unpack some of those otherterms so that folks can get a

(05:55):
better understanding.
Dr Falco, anything else you'dlike to share on that subject?

Dr. Falco (06:02):
No, I think you'll hear the rest from my associate,
dr Newin, and enjoy your CyberMonday.

Jeremy (06:09):
All right, I shall.
Always a pleasure.
Thanks everyone for tuning inand we will catch you on the
next episode.
Everyone take care.

Speaker 1 (06:18):
Thank you for listening to the Jazzy Eyes
podcast.
For more information, visitjazzyeyescom or contact
954-473-010.