Dr. Maverick explains cataract surgery and also breaks down what it is and how they treat it.
Transcription
Dr. Kenneth Maverick: I’m Dr. Maverick. Today is one of the most exciting times in ophthalmology because we have so many innovations and options when we do cataract surgery. A cataract is basically where the lens in the eye gets cloudy, usually with age or over time. And we replace it with a clear one in the same place. We perform surgery in an outpatient setting, that’s been shown to be much more efficient and also more comfortable to the patient. In large studies, it’s also been shown to be safer than some other settings. Unlike going to the hospital, it’s free parking. It’s easy in and out. And typically, you’re only here a couple of hours.
Dr. Kenneth Maverick: Let me walk you through a typical day at our surgery center. You’ll be given an arrival time and you check in and you’re taken back and meet the nurses who will verify which eye we’re working on that day. We will sign a consent, they start an IV and we start some light sedation. We take you back. If we are doing the laser version of the surgery, you’ll have the laser first. The laser version of the surgery can correct astigmatism and it also does many of the steps that I would otherwise do. The laser takes about 30 seconds. There’s about a minute of a time where the laser is doing some calculations and measurements, and you’re basically seeing a bright light. After the laser, we then proceed for the cataract removal and take you into the operating room. We keep you comfortable and again, give you additional sedation if you need it. And I’m there and I talked to you the whole time. Mostly, what you see is a bright light, and you may feel the drops of the lubricating drops that we put on to the cornea.
Dr. Kenneth Maverick: That procedure again, can take five or 10 minutes, and then we take you to the recovery area and let you wake up. We don’t put you all the way out, but we keep you pleasantly sedated. In the recovery area, we let you eat and drink a little something and make sure you’re feeling okay and are typically there just a few minutes and then you can go home. Typically, the entire trip is about two hours in the center or sometimes less.
