Procedures
Gold
Ophthalmologic Associates is a full service eye
care center designed to meet all of your eye care needs. Dr.
Gold and staff are dedicated to maintaining and enhancing the
quality of life for our patients through the most up to date care.
Some of the procedures and services
we provide are:
Cataracts
A cloudy area in the lens of the eye
 Dr. Gold performs a type of cataract
surgery called phaco surgery which is minimally invasive - no need for
sutures - and requires only topical (local) anesthesia with IV sedation.
In phaco surgery, a tiny incision (3.2 mm or less) is made in the eye and
a small ultrasonic probe is inserted. This probe breaks up, or emulsifies,
the cloudy lens into tiny pieces and gently sucks, or aspirates, those
pieces out of the eye..
After the cloudy lens has been removed, a
new artificial lens is implanted in the eye. Flexible intraocular lenses (IOLs)
can be inserted through the original surgical incision. Once moved in
place inside the eye, the IOL unfolds to its proper shape.
Many people with cataracts may
experience symptoms such as:
-
Cloudy,
fuzzy, foggy vision
-
Difficulty
in seeing to drive, especially at night
-
Trouble
seeing to do close work
-
Problems
seeing television
-
Colors
that seem dull, faded, not as bright
-
Frequent
changes and a stronger glasses prescription
-
Haloes
around lights
-
Bothersome
glare
-
A
milky white spot or cloudy spot visually apparent in the center of
the eye
Diagnosing
a cataract
Most cataracts
develop as part of the aging process, but may be present at birth
(congenital) or result from an injury, systemic disease (diabetes), or
steroid use. Using
specialized equipment, cataracts as well as other eye diseases are
diagnosed during a complete eye examination by Dr. Gold.
The mere presence of a cataract does not indicate the need for
surgery. Some cataracts
may be slow growing, and vision may be corrected by stronger glasses
for a period of time. Some
cataracts develop more rapidly than others, and your eye doctor can
monitor changes in vision and cataracts with periodic eye
examinations.
The Zeiss
IOL Master ®
Because every person's eyes are unique,
like fingerprints, it can be difficult to determine the appropriate
specifications of the IOL to be implanted during cataract surgery. The
Zeiss IOL Master ® now provides physicians with information on key
ocular measurements such as axial length, corneal curvature and
anterior chamber depth, making it possible to choose the right IOL for
each patient. Approved by the FDA in 2000, the non-contact IOL Master
is the only product in the world that makes these "optical
biometry" examinations possible and has proven to be five times
more accurate than traditional technologies such as ultrasound.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma,
the leading cause of blindness and visual impairment in the United States,
is an eye disease that can lead to a permanent loss of vision. This
disease has been labeled the “Sneak Thief of Sight” because in its
most typical form, there are no symptoms. No pain, no swelling, no
redness. Patients with glaucoma may not notice symptoms until vision
has been permanently lost.
Simply, glaucoma is
elevated intraocular pressure of the eye. Every eye has fluid,
called aqueous humor, that is constantly being produce as well as
constantly being drained. In a glaucomatous eye, this fluid does not
drain properly resulting in an increase in the pressure inside the eye.
This increased pressure destroys vision gradually, usually starting with
the peripheral (side) vision, and if left untreated, will lead to eventual
blindness by destroying the optic nerve. With early diagnosis and
treatment, useful vision may be preserved.
There are four types of
glaucoma:
-
Chronic.
This is the
most common type of glaucoma, and occurs slowly over time. There
is no pain, redness or swelling or other symptoms.
-
Acute.
This happens
suddenly and is very painful. Victims of an acute glaucoma
attack may complain of serious headache and vomiting. Medical
intervention is needed immediately to bring the pressure under control
to prevent further vision loss.
-
Congenital.
Present at birth, congenital glaucoma is a
rather rare condition.
-
Secondary.
Occurring as a
result of systemic disease such as diabetes, from medications such as
steroid, or from an eye injury.
HRT
for Early Glaucoma Detection
The high eye pressure associated with
glaucoma can damage your optic nerve before you begin to experience any
vision loss. The Heidelberg Retinal Tomograph (HRT) can digitally
perceive damage that may indicate the onset of glaucoma, allowing
treatment to begin before vision is lost. Similar to MRI (Magnetic
Resonance Imaging) and CT (Computed Tomography), HRT is a non-invasive
procedure that scans the eye - all you see is a series of flashing red
lights.
Corneal
Transplantation for Corneal and External Eye Diseases
The
cornea is the clear covering on the front of the eye which bends, or
refracts,  light rays that focus on the retina in the back of the eye. A
certain shape or curvature is required in order for light to focus
exactly on the retina, rather than partly in front of it
(nearsightedness) or behind it (farsightedness). An improperly curved
cornea may be corrected surgically or non-invasively to reduce or
eliminate the need for eyeglasses or contact lenses. A thorough eye
examination and consultation with Dr. Gold are necessary before a
treatment decision can be made.
Corneal transplantation (keratoplasty) is
recommended when curvature is too severe to be treated with other
methods, or when extensive damage has occurred due to disease, infection
or injury. Common problems that require transplantation are:
Transplantation involves replacing the
damaged cornea with a healthy one from a donor (usually through an eye
bank). Keratoplasty is a low-risk procedure - it is the most common type
of transplant surgery and has the highest success rate.
During the procedure, a circular incision
is made in the cornea. A disc of tissue is removed and replaced with
healthy tissue; these discs may be thin (lamellar keratoplasty) or the
depth of the entire cornea (penetrating keratoplasty, the technique used
in almost all corneal transplants). Local or general anesthesia may be
used. The entire procedure lasts only 30-90 minutes.
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