Cataracts & Cataract Surgery at
The Eye Care & Surgery Center in New Jersey

About Cataracts

Understanding Cataracts requires some basic understanding of how your eye works. Having clear vision and seeing “normally” requires that light be able to efficiently pass through the optical structures of your eyes, and that light “focuses” properly on the Retina. The two primary structures that are responsible for refracting, or bending light so that it can focus properly on the back of the eye, or the Retina, are the Cornea, which is the outermost clear curved “lens” that is visible when looking at your eye from a side view and the Crystalline Lens, which is located behind the colored part of the eye, or the Iris, and is not directly visible. The Crystalline Lens will be examined during your eye examination by using specialized instruments to look through the Pupil, or the dark center of the Iris. Both the Cornea and the Crystalline Lens need to be perfectly clear in order for you to have good vision. If you are in good health and have not had chronic eye infections, inflammation or had any trauma to your eyes, the Cornea is likely to maintain its clarity throughout your life. The Crystalline Lens however undergoes a number of changes that progress as we age. These aging changes can affect your vision.

Usually by about the time we reach the age of 40 years old, most of us begin to experience some of the visual effects that result from changes in the Crystalline Lens. Even if you have had “good eyes” and “normal vision” all your life, your vision is likely to begin to change in a number of ways. As we progress from our 40’s, to our 50’s and then our 60’s and beyond, the most obvious changes to our vision occur as a result of these changes in the Crystalline Lens.

The two most common changes that occur in the Crystalline Lens are:

• A loss of flexibility, called Presbyopia, which makes it harder to read and

When we are younger, the Crystalline Lens is usually soft, flexible and “crystal” clear so that it has excellent transparency and optical clarity. As we progress through our 50’s and 60’s, the normally “crystal” clear lens may gradually become yellow and cloudy. When this occurs, you may initially experience a mild blurring of your vision and feel that you might need a change of eyeglasses. As the Crystalline Lens loses its transparency and its optical clarity, you may notice that it is not as easy to see well and comfortably in dim illumination, such as for night driving. You may notice that colors look faded. The cloudiness may also create glare, haloes, light sensitivity and a continuing decrease in your vision. If the Crystalline Lens becomes too cloudy it may cause a significant decrease in both your day and night vision. These are the visual symptoms that are common for those patients whose Crystalline Lens has clouded and formed a Cataract.

As we get older, Cataracts often become a common eye problem experienced by a great number of people just like you. Cataracts can affect us even if we have had normal vision all of our lives. It is important to note that Cataracts are even more common if we have had certain health problems such as diabetes or taken certain medications such as cortisone for asthma or other types of inflammatory conditions. If you are experiencing vision changes like these, it is important to schedule a comprehensive eye examination and Cataract Evaluation.

About Cataract Surgery

Cataract Surgery is not only one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures performed in the United States, but it is also one of the safest and most successful surgical procedures that you can have. Modern Cataract Surgery today is safe, effective, predictable and quite common. In the United States alone, more than 2.5 million people have Cataract Surgery each year. at The Eye Care & Surgery Center in New Jersey, Drs. Jacobs, Confino & Leventer use a small incision, “no stitch no patch no needle” technique that is performed on an outpatient basis. Almost all of our Cataract Surgery procedures are performed at Springfield Eye Surgery and Laser Center-our New Jersey Surgery Center-which is comfortable, convenient and close to home. The entire process usually requires only two hours of your time from beginning to end. The actual surgical procedure is painless and takes less than 15 minutes. Our nurses and staff  are present to help us with your actual surgery as well as to assist you and make your experience pleasant.

An Important Note About Cataract Surgery

A significant number of men in their 50’s and 60’s and beyond experience an enlarged prostate as part of the aging process. Today, many of men are taking the prescription medication Flomax or other similar medications that are members of the class of drugs called “alpha-agonists”.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU NOTIFY OUR STAFF BEFORE YOU HAVE CATARACT SURGERY IF YOU ARE TAKING ANY MEDICATION FOR AN ENLARGED PROSTATE

In August 2006, a joint advisory letter was issued by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, and the American Urological Association that identified that drugs such as Flomax, commonly used to treat an enlarged prostate, and other alpha-blockers can cause abnormal movement of muscles controlling the opening and closing of the iris. During cataract surgery, the pupil must stay enlarged or dilated to allow the Cataract Surgeon to easily view the Crystalline Lens. Flomax and certain other alpha-blockers including Hytrin, Cardura, and Uroxatral can interfere with pupil dilation, creating a condition known as Intraoperative Floppy Iris Syndrome (IFIS).

If you are taking one of these medications and notify your eye surgeon or the staff, they will be able to take extra care to make sure the pupil stays dilated to prevent unexpected complications during your Cataract Surgery. 

The Cataract Surgery Procedure & Experience

When you arrive at the surgery center, the staff will check you in and review any paperwork that might require clarification or additional information. You will be escorted to a private changing area and asked to cover your street clothes with a gown and your shoes with “booties”. Once you are ready you will be escorted to a comfortable waiting area. 

Your Cataract Surgery procedure will begin with a staff member placing some drops in your eye to dilate your pupil. Your eye will then be treated with an anesthetic so that you will feel little if anything during your surgery and minimal if any discomfort. For most Cataract Surgery patients this involves having a few sets of eye drops placed in your eyes. Typically, it is not necessary for the eye surgeons to use any injections or needles to anesthetize your eye. In order to help you relax, a small dose of anti-anxiety and/or sedative medication will be given as directed by your doctor.

At the beginning of the surgery, Drs. Jacobs, Confino & Leventer will place a very small incision at the outermost edge of your cornea. This incision will be just large enough to allow a microscopic instrument the size of a pen tip to pass through it. This microscopic instrument is a sophisticated and precise instrument that allows them to remove your Cataract using ultrasound.

This cataract removal technique is called “phacoemulsification” and is the preferred technique of Cataract Surgery for most patients. Next, Drs. Jacobs, Confino & Leventer will gently pass the microscopic instrument through the tiny incision. Sound waves or “Ultrasound” produced at the tip of the instrument will be used to gently break the Cataract into pieces small enough to be washed away, drawn through the instrument and removed from your eye. 

 After the Cataract has been removed, they will insert a new, crystal clear permanent Intraocular Lens Implant (IOL) into your eye. The replacement lens will actually be inserted and placed in the correct position through the same tiny incision at the outer edge of the cornea through which Drs. Jacobs, Confino & Leventer removed the Cataract.

Upon completion of your Cataract and Lens Implant Surgery, one of the surgery center staff members will take you to a comfortable place where you will be able to rest and relax prior to going home. After resting for a short while, a surgery staff member will discharge you and have a family member or friend drive you home.

Drs. Jacobs, Confino or Leventer will arrange to see you at The Eye Care & Surgery Center within 24 to 48 hours of your Cataract and Lens Implant Surgery so we can examine your eye and confirm that you are healing and seeing as planned. They will also prescribe some eye drops for you. Although each patient will heal a little bit differently, the majority of patients having Cataract Surgery with Drs. Jacobs, Confino or Leventer are able to see well enough to return to their routine daily activities within a day or so after their Cataract Surgery.

Eye Care & Surgery Center provides treatment of Cataracts and Cataract Surgery in New Jersey and is conveniently located for New Jersey patients from Westfield, Iselin, Warren, Old Bridge, East Brunswick, Sayreville, Milltown, North Brunswick, Kendall Park, Somerset, Manville, Bound Brook, Raritan, Somerville, South Plainfield, North Plainfield, Watchung, Pluckemin, Rahway, Plainfield, Mountainside, New Providence, Bernardsville, Milltown, Union, Elizabeth, Linden, Jersey City, Irvington, Orange, Madison, Bloomfield, Montclair, Clifton, Garfield, Wayne, Parsippany, Troy Hills,  and Paramus New Jersey. To schedule an appointment for a Cataract or Cataract Surgery Consultation please call us at 908.789.8999.

• Cataracts & Lens Implant Surgery
• About Cataracts & Cataract Surgery
• About Presbyopia
• About Lens Implants