Correction for Cataracts with ReSTOR® and Other Techniques in Toronto, Ontario
Vision may deteriorate with age, disease, or injury. At Yonge Eglinton Laser Eye & Cosmetic Centre, we can help restore failing vision. The latest procedures to correct vision affected by cataracts are offered to Toronto, Ontario, patients by Dr. David Rootman and our entire ophthalmology team.
Yonge Eglinton Laser Eye & Cosmetic Centre provides patients suffering from cataracts and other vision impairments several options for treatment. We are proud to use blue blocker and ReSTOR® lenses at our Toronto, Ontario, practice. We also offer our patients corneal transplants with deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty (DLEK).
- Cataracts
- Multifocal Lenses Including ReSTOR® and ReZoom™
- Aberration Correcting Lenses like Blue Blocker IQ and Technis
- IntraLase Enabled Keratoplasty with an animation
- Corneal Transplants with DSEK
- Intacs® Corneal Implants
Cataracts
Patients with cataracts in Toronto, Ontario, may experience a loss in their quality of life, since the vision problem may hinder their ability to perform routine activities. Similar to a smudged camera lens, cataracts obstruct the clarity of a patient’s vision. This obstruction results from cloudiness that forms on the eye’s natural lens and creates haziness in the patient's vision.
Our ophthalmologists can help restore vision by treating a patient’s cataracts at our Toronto, Ontario, eye centre. Through a small incision, the patient’s clouded lens is removed and replaced with an intraocular lens (IOL). The incision is so small that stitches are usually not required. Usually an outpatient procedure, surgery for cataracts tends to last less than half an hour. Most patients can return to their normal routines within a day of cataract surgery, although they must be careful not to rub their eyes during the healing process. The cataracts patients at our practice are amazed by the clarity of their vision after surgery.
Studies show that cataracts patients are increasingly seeking surgery to correct their vision. Cost for cataracts surgeries in Toronto are covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Program (OHIP). However, there may be changes for uninsured services and premium intraocular lenses.
To take advantage of this coverage, schedule a consultation regarding your cataracts with our Toronto, Ontario, ophthalmologists.
Multifocal Lenses Including ReSTOR® and ReZoom™
The AcrySof® ReSTOR® lens is offered at our Toronto, Ontario, location as one of the IOL options for cataracts patients. The ReSTOR® lens is a multifocal intraocular lens. This means that, unlike fixed focus monofocal IOLs, which usually correct only for distance vision, the ReSTOR® lenses offered to our Toronto, Ontario, patients can correct both near and distance vision.
A clinical trial found that 80 percent of patients who had their natural lenses replaced with ReSTOR® lenses during cataracts surgery no longer needed to wear glasses. Although the remaining 20 percent of the trial patients still needed to use corrective eyewear after undergoing ReSTOR® lens surgery, many of them had less dependency on their glasses than before the surgery.
The ReZoom™ lens, a multifocal IOL similar to ReSTOR®, is also offered at our Toronto, Ontario, practice. The ReZoom™ lens allows patients the ability to focus on multiple distances, reducing their dependency on eyewear. The lens is divided into five zones. Each section is designed for varying focal distances and lighting.
Although patients may continue to need glasses for some circumstances (focusing on small print, night driving, or extended reading sessions), about 92 percent of ReZoom™ patients have reported either minimal or no need for glasses.
Patients considering cataracts surgery with ReSTOR® or ReZoom™ in the Toronto, Ontario, area should contact Dr. David Rootman for more information.
Aberration Correcting Lenses – Blue Blocker IQ
Blue light is found in your daily environment. Sources of blue light range from natural sunlight to the lighting used in homes and offices. It is now believed that some wavelengths of blue light may potentially damage your eye. To combat this, intraocular lenses that filter blue light are being created.
Yonge Eglinton Laser Eye & Cosmetic Centre offers the option of these blue blocker lenses to cataracts patients in Toronto, Ontario. The blue-blocking technology allows the transparent yellow tinted lens to block the harmful blue light wavelengths from damaging the retina. Cataracts patients who choose to use a blue blocker lens receive the benefits of both restored vision and protection from the blue light waves. These lenses also correct for the minor aberrations of the eye, and can provide sharper vision compared with the usual intraocular lens.
The needs of each patient are different. To learn more about which of our lens options would be best suited to your particular case, please contact one of our knowledgeable ophthalmologists today.
IntraLase Enabled Keratoplasty
Yonge Eglinton Laser Centre is excited to announce that we now have the capabiltity to perform corneal transplants in the most advanced fashion. Thanks to the latest innovation from IntraLase Corp. we can perform LASIK in the most precise and accurate way possible. It does not stop there. We can now do corneal transplants, helping people with serious eye disorders recover their vision faster and with better outcomes. (IntraLase Enabled Keratoplasty) This is done by using a laser to make the cuts needed for corneal transplants. This development puts Yonge Eglinton Laser Centre on the forefront of science and medicine and allows us to help patients recover their sight more quickly. We are the first and only Canadian site with this exciting new development and are very proud of it! Science fiction becomes a reality.
Corneal Transplants with DSEK
Corneal transplants are performed to replace a damaged or diseased cornea with healthy, donated corneal tissue. Dr. Rootman was the first ophthalmologist in Toronto, Ontario, to perform deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty (DLEK) and now a variation called DSEK (Decemet’s stripping endothelial keratoplasty). Unlike penetrating keratoplasty (PK), the previous standard in corneal transplants, DSEK is a specialized form of corneal transplant that replaces a smaller piece of the cornea and requires a shorter recovery period.
Using a special device called a microkeratome, a thin donor wafer of tissue is created. An incision is made to remove the damaged section of the patient’s cornea and the healthy tissue is placed into the patient. Due to the small size of the incision during the DLEK and DSEK procedures, the incision heals without the need for many sutures, lessening the recovery time.
Intacs® Corneal Implants
For patients who suffer from keratoconus, a progressive eye disease, Yonge Eglinton Laser Eye & Cosmetic Centre offers Toronto patients a new alternative treatment. Previously, patients with keratoconus relied on corneal transplants when their eyes deteriorated beyond the assistance of eye glasses or contacts. Now, Intacs® corneal implants offer a less invasive solution.
What is Keratoconus?
Keratoconus is a rare condition involving the bulging of the cornea. In time, keratoconus causes the cornea to thin, and vision begins to deteriorate to the point that glasses or contacts are no longer viable solutions. The Intacs® procedure is performed to correct this bulge and flatten the steep portion of the cornea to correct vision irregularities.
Benefits of Intacs® Corneal Implants
Intacs® implants are prescription inserts that offer an option between contacts and corneal transplants. Unlike the IOLs used during cataract surgery (ReSTOR® and ReZoom™), Intacs® corneal implants do not replace the cornea, rather they are implanted within the existing cornea. Intacs® are made from the same material used to produce contact lens implants (or intraocular lenses) and do not pose much risk for negative reactions.
The Intacs® Implantation Procedure
The procedure requires making only a small incision before the Intacs® implant can be placed to reshape the weakened cornea and restore vision. Dr. Rootman is extensively trained in this type of corneal procedure.
During the surgery, Dr. Rootman will form a cavity amid the layers of the stroma and insert a crescent- shaped Intacs® ring to flatten the cornea and correct vision. The entire procedure takes only about 15 minutes. The surgery is intended to be permanent, but can be reversed at any time.
To learn more about corneal transplants using DLEK or DSEK, treating cataracts with ReSTOR® or ReZoom™, or other vision procedures in the Toronto, Ontario, area, contact Yonge Eglinton Laser Eye & Cosmetic Centre today.