Cataracts

Gainesville Eye Associates is on the leading edge of this technology as the first practice in Georgia to perform laser cataract surgery.

A normal part of the aging process, a cataract is a cloudiness of the natural lens of the eye that dims or blurs vision, often causing a glare or halo around lights at night and difficulty seeing or reading in low light. If your sight becomes too poor to carry on normal activities, the solution is to surgically remove the clouded lens and replace it with an artificial lens or IOL (intraocular lens).

Cataract surgery is a very safe procedure, with more than two million surgeries performed world-wide annually. Laser cataract surgery has improved the precision and visual outcomes as well, with fewer patients needing to wear glasses after the surgery. Gainesville Eye Associates board-certified doctors remove cataracts on an outpatient basis with far greater precision, by microsurgery. After removal of the cataract, we place a new lens in the eye using the same microscopic incision, with faster recuperation and reduced dependence on glasses. As a result of this progress, cataract surgery is significantly simpler, and it means increased comfort for the patient. More than 2 million cataract procedures are performed worldwide annually.

Cataracts Patient Guide

Cataract Surgery Options

Laser Cataract Surgery

One of the safest ophthalmologic procedures, laser cataract surgery, is now even more precise and recovery time is faster with state-of-the-art bladeless laser technology. Gainesville Eye Associates is on the leading edge of this technology as the first practice in Georgia to perform laser cataract surgery.

Like traditional cataract surgery, an incision is made in the eye, the natural clouded lens is removed and a new lens is inserted. The laser replaces the traditional hand-held blade to allow the most precise and smallest possible incision, about 1/18th inch. The computer-controlled laser allows our cataract surgeons to plan and perform the surgery to exact, individual specifications not attainable with other surgical methods, resulting in better overall vision.

Learn More About Laser Cataract Surgery

ORA (Optiwave Refractive Analysis)

Cataracts are a natural part of the aging process. You didn’t choose them, but you did choose your doctor — and you can choose how they’re treated. By now, you may have heard about customized cataract procedures designed to correct conditions such as astigmatism and presbyopia during your cataract procedure. The ORA SYSTEM® with VerifEye®+ technology is one of the technologies your doctor will use to tailor your cataract procedure to your unique eye.

Basic cataract surgery is generally a safe and common procedure that removes your cloudy lens but does not address any other visual disorders. To ensure best-case results after basic cataract surgery, you may need follow-up visits and glasses to correct visual disorders
like astigmatism — potentially delaying improvements to your vision.

Learn More About ORA

Intraocular Lenses

IOLs (intraocular lenses) are soft, foldable lenses that are inserted to replace the natural lens that developed the cataract. These lenses are also an option for some patients who may not have cataracts but who want to reduce or eliminate the need for glasses with a procedure called Refractive Lens Exchange. It is the same procedure as cataract surgery except that the lens removed is still mostly clear.

Learn More About Intraocular Lens Options