Technology refines cataract surgery at Baptist hospital

(CNS): The Miami based hospital popular with Cayman and other Caribbean patients has introduced a new surgical technology used by ophthalmologists to remove lenses clouded by cataracts with minimal trauma to the eye. A femtosecond  laser, manufactured by LENSAR, Inc., is now being used to perform cataract surgery at the Medical Arts Surgery Center at Baptist Hospital (MASC), one of only two sites in South Florida with this new technology.  “We’re seeing great results from the cases we’ve done,” ophthalmologist William Trattler said.  “Our patients are recovering much faster than with the traditional methods of cataract surgery.”

According to Dr Trattler, the femtosecond laser provides increased precision to modern cataract surgery, helping to further improve an already very safe procedure.  With the LENSAR system, a rotating camera generates an image of the eye and the lens within, enabling the surgeon to make very precise incisions to ultimately remove the cataract. The system also detects when the lens is tilting so that the surgeon can more accurately follow patients’ unique eye anatomy, resulting in a custom treatment for each patient.

Prior to this technology, surgeons manually created the opening of the cataract and more ultrasound energy was required to remove the cataract, resulting in a longer recovery for vision.  In addition to cataract surgery, surgeons within MASC’s ophthalmology service also perform retinal surgery and treat problems of the cornea and glaucoma.