Surgical Specialties

Opthalmologic Surgery

Maintaining or improving vision is the goal of ophthalmologic care, which encompasses not only medical and surgical care, but optical care as well.

Eye surgery trends have been toward techniques that utilize operating microscopes and tiny instruments and sutures to repair the delicate tissues of the eye. Gone are the days when eye surgeons worked with a magnifying glass attached to a pair of glasses, with a limited array of instruments to perform a small number of procedures. Eye surgery is particularly suited to an outpatient setting, as it causes no loss of blood and minimal post-operative pain.

Common ophthalmologic surgery procedures include cataracts removal, surgical treatment of glaucoma, macular degeneration and retina detachment, radial keratotomy for treatment of vision problems, and replacement of vitreous. Common pediatric eye surgeries include opening blocked tear ducts, correcting drooping eyelids, and adjusting eye muscles to treat crossed eyes.

Maintaining or improving vision is the goal of ophthalmologic care, which encompasses not only medical and surgical care, but optical care as well.

Eye surgery trends have been toward techniques that utilize operating microscopes and tiny instruments and sutures to repair the delicate tissues of the eye. Gone are the days when eye surgeons worked with a magnifying glass attached to a pair of glasses, with a limited array of instruments to perform a small number of procedures. Eye surgery is particularly suited to an outpatient setting, as it causes no loss of blood and minimal post-operative pain.

Removal of cataracts and replacement with a lens implant is a relatively simple procedure that has become the most frequently performed eye surgery in the United States. Cataracts, created when the transparent lens behind the pupil becomes cloudy, are the most common cause of blurred vision in people over 50.

Cataracts are removed in two ways: either with an ultrasonic device called a phacoemulsifier, which dissolves the cataract, or with a microsurgical technique called phacosection, which involves fracturing the cataract and removing it through the same tiny incision used in phacoemulsification. Cataract surgery requires just a local anesthetic.

Glaucoma is a condition in which pressure within the eye causes damage to the optic nerve and loss of vision. Ophthalmologists recommend that a test for glaucoma be included in regular eye examinations to catch the disease in its early stages. If special eyedrops fail to treat the problem, surgery may be recommended to either shrink tissue inside the eye with a laser or cut a tiny surgical flap in the iris to help drainage and reduce pressure. Glaucoma is often fully managed in the ophthalmologist's office.

Macular degeneration is the breakdown of the macula, the portion of the retina responsible for sharp central vision, which leads to blurriness or darkness in the center of one's vision. Macular degeneration can be diagnosed with digital angiography, which identifies leaking vessels. Vitamin supplements may slow the rate of vision loss for some people with the disease, and laser surgery may be performed in cases where leaking blood vessels are damaging the macula.

Ophthalmologists combine microsurgery with endoscopic techniques using fiberoptic instruments and lasers to treat bleeding within the eye and certain problems of the retina. A vitrectomy is a procedure in which tiny incisions are made to remove blood-filled vitreous, the gel-like substance within the eye, and replace it with a clear solution. A laser may then be used to seal the leaking blood vessels, or gas injected into the eye to hold a detached retina in place.

Common pediatric eye surgeries include opening blocked tear ducts, correcting drooping eyelids, and adjusting eye muscles to treat crossed.

Radial keratotomy, which alters the shape of the cornea by making incisions that cause it to flatten, has been performed to correct nearsightedness and some types of astigmatism since the late 1970s.