Eye Associates First in Region to Offer New Advances in Cataract Surgery (August Cataract Awareness Month)

Jeffersonville, IN, July 28, 2011 --(PR.com)-- David Shrebtienko started wearing glasses over 35 years ago. With high levels of astigmatism, he often made visits to the eye doctor asking them to help with his vision “all they could do was make new, stronger lenses. But nothing seemed to make everything clear like I wanted,” said Shrebtienko. “Now everything’s great. I’m well satisfied!”

In May, Shrebtienko was the recipient of the first High Cylinder Power Toric lens implant in the region. The AcrySof® Toric High Cylinder Power Intraocular Lens (IOL) recently received FDA approval. Since Bradley Black, M.D. was an investigator in the FDA clinical trials for the lens, Eye Associates was granted pre-release access. As part of the trials, Dr. Black was one of the first surgeons in the United States to implant one of these highly specialized lenses.

David Shrebtienko was 20/20 in both eyes one day following cataract surgery. “The first thing I do every morning is reach for my glasses…but now I don’t need them anymore,” said Shrebtienko.

The AcrySof® Toric lens is a uniquely designed IOL that is shaped to counteract a corneal astigmatism, and implanted at the time of cataract surgery. The new High Cylinder Power versions of this lens (Models SN60T6-T9; and AcrySof® IQ Toric Intraocular Lens Models SN6AT6-T9) offer an enhanced optic that improves image quality and increases contrast sensitivity in patients with higher levels of astigmatism (Astigmatism range 2.57 – 4.62 D). These patients often have been saddled with thick, “coke-bottle” glasses, for most of their lives and are seeking a means of reducing or eliminating dependence on glasses.

“The approval of this new lens allows us to offer even more patients the prospect of spectacle independence after cataract surgery. With its predictable power outcomes and excellent rotational stability the majority of patients have been able to achieve good distance vision without the need for glasses or contacts,” said Dr. Black.

The new High Cylinder Power Toric lens is only one of the many recent advances in cataract surgery. Not long ago, the surgery took hours, and patients spent days in the hospital. Today, the surgery is much quicker, patients go home after a couple of hours and they resume their normal activities.

Better surgical techniques, such as phacoemulsification, which breaks up the cataract quicker than older methods, have reduced the surgery's duration; advances in anesthesia usually eliminates the need for heavy sedation, so patients are alert sooner; and incisions made are smaller, resulting in a sturdier wound and less astigmatism. Eye Associates doctors Bradley Black and Kristopher Pugh are among a small group of surgeons in the country who use some of the smallest surgical incisions. This is because they generally operate using only one 2.2 mm incision, rather than the more widely used two-incision technique.

Other recent improvements include better measuring devices, such as the ORange® Intraoperative Wavefront Aberrometer, provide more accurate measurements of the eye, allowing doctors to better pinpoint which artificial lens to use, resulting in patients that can see better. Eye Associates is the first, and only, ophthalmology practice in Kentuckiana to offer the world's first intraoperative wavefront aberrometer -- ORange® Custom Cataract. ORange allows cataract surgeons to measure refraction during surgery; something only previously possible following the surgical procedure.

“This allows us to more precisely predict and customize how patients will see following the procedure than ever before,” said Dr. Bradley Black. "Unlike a traditional aberrometer that is designed for use in the office, the ORange is designed for use in the O.R. The system allows real-time analysis of the refraction during the cataract procedure so that adjustments can be made while the patient is still on the table – we, and our patients, no longer have to wait days or even weeks to see potential results."

“With all of the recent advances in cataract surgery technology and techniques, the procedure is now better than ever. There is no reason to wait to have your vision corrected. If you are experiencing vision problems associated with cataracts, talk with your eye doctor about your surgical options,” said Dr. Black.

About Eye Associates - Eye Associates has been providing expert, personalized eye care for over 25 years. It is a premier multi-specialty vision care practice including: Advanced Cataract Surgery, LASIK, Pediatric Eye Care and Strabismus, Retina Services/Macular Degeneration, Dry Eyes, General Optometry and preventive eye care, with the most experienced doctors, using advanced, innovative technologies to provide the best possible individualized care to their patients. Dr. Bradley Black has served as a clinical advisor for several FDA trials, including a recent study comparing the use of the Acrysof® Toric Lens to the LRI (Limbal Relaxing Incision) procedure to treat astigmatism at the time of cataract surgery. The Vision Surgery Center, at which the surgeries take place, is affiliated with Dr. Black’s Eye Associates and is an AAA –HC certified surgery center that has been designated as an Alcon Center of Excellence.

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