Cataract Procedures

Cataract Surgery

Cataract surgery replaces the cloudy natural lens of the eye with a clear artificial lens, known as an intraocular lens (IOL). Cataracts affect more than half of all Americans over the age of 60 causing a progressive, painless loss of vision, as well as:

Dr. Kootman performs a minimally invasive, small-incision, no-stitch cataract surgery called phacoemulsification, also known as "phaco", surgery. During this procedure, a tiny incision is made in the eye making room for a small ultrasonic probe. This probe breaks up, or emulsifies, the cloudy lens into tiny pieces. The lens pieces are then suctioned out through the probe. Because of its small size, the incision will be able to heal on its own with only a topical eye drop, so there are no injections or stitching in the eye at all.

After the cloudy lens has been removed, the artificial IOL is implanted in the eye. The advanced foldable IOL is inserted through the same small incision that was made to remove the original lens. This process significantly reduces recovery time while improving safety and reducing the risk of bleeding, scarring, irritation and distortion.

Premium Lens Implants

A wide range of replacement lenses are available to cataract patients, each offering different advantages for post-surgery vision. The most effective lens to use depends on the patient's individual preferences and goals for their vision. The lenses eliminate the need for glasses or contacts after cataract surgery, providing most patients with convenient, effective results for their specific vision conditions.

Crystalens® IOL

Crystalens is the only FDA-approved presbyopia correcting intraocular lens (IOL) that corrects vision through accommodation. The Crystalens IOL is made with flexible silicone that has hinges on each side allowing it to move with the eye muscle, flexing and accommodating seamlessly so you can focus on the objects around you at any distance. In other words, it dynamically adjusts to your visual needs.

Accommodation is the ability to shift focus between nearby and distant objects, providing sharper vision at multiple distances in order to minimize the use of glasses. Other IOLs are unable to accommodate and those patients may require additional vision correction with glasses or contact lenses.

More than 200,000 Crystalens IOLs have been implanted worldwide.

ReSTOR® IOL

The AcrySof® IQ ReSTOR® IOL is an intraocular lens that provides good near, intermediate and distance vision for patients who want to significantly decrease their dependence on glasses or contacts after undergoing cataract surgery.

Benefits of the ReSTOR IOL

The biconvex optic of the ReSTOR IOL is shaped during a process known as apodized diffraction. Apodized diffraction provides the patient with an increased depth of focus.

• Unlike other IOLs that are made of silicone or hard plastic, the AcrySof® IQ ReSTOR® IOL is a soft, foldable acrylic lens.
• There is no need for stitches because a smaller incision is made in the eye.
• The ReSTOR IOL corrects for both cataracts and presbyopia.
• The implant filters blue light without affecting the quality of vision.

Toric IOL

Intraocular lenses are used during cataract surgery to replace the damaged lens of the eye with an implant that clears up and corrects vision, oftentimes leaving patients with little to no dependence on glasses.

Up until now, patients with astigmatism did not have the same opportunities that other cataract patients have had in correcting their condition with the types of IOL lenses that were available. Typically, the astigmatic patient would need an additional surgical procedure, such as refractive surgery or LASIK, to correct their vision after the procedure. If the patient did not want to undergo another surgical procedure, the only option for correction would be the use of either contact lenses or glasses to address their astigmatism.

Toric IOLs are able to accommodate for the condition of astigmatism. Toric IOLs are specially designed to correct astigmatism along with overall vision during cataract surgery, offering complete vision correction.

For more information about our Cataract Procedures or to schedule an appointment, contact our Peoria, Scottsdale, or Wickenburg office.