"The idea of me having cataracts scared us both! But your staff did an amazing job stepping us through the painless process!"

Your Cataract Journey Begins Here

Welcome to Florida Eye Specialists & Cataract Institute.  We are excited about supporting you to better understand Cataract Surgery and your options for better vision.

We specialize in providing many different options depending on your eyes and the lifestyle you desire post cataract surgery.  The first step in the process is your consultation. The consultation will define the recommendation by our staff and your surgeon. During this visit we will provide you a step by step explanation of the entire process leading up to your surgery day.

A cataract is a common condition that causes a clouding of the eye’s lens, and affects millions of people each year, including more than half of all Americans over the age of 65. While more common in older people, it can also be present at birth or caused by medications, disease, trauma, or radiation. This clouding that forms over the lens of the eye can obscure vision. Colors get dim, the world gets blurry, and night driving gets harder. Cataract surgery can fix this problem, restoring eyesight to people. The surgery involves taking out the lens on the eye that has cataracts and replacing it with a clear lens.

Your Cataract Evaluation

This appointment is to measure for the lens implant, go over your consents, answer any questions you may have about cataract surgery, and meet with our surgical coordinator to schedule your surgery.

Please be here promptly for your scheduled appointment time as there will be several different measurements taken to perfectly select the best intraocular lens (IOL) for you.  There are different lens options available to improve your vision and reduce your dependence on glasses or contacts. Due to the amount of testing and measurements needed to be taken, you should expect to be with us for approximately 3 hours.

Special Instructions: Preparing for Your Cataract Evaluation

Contact lens wearers must be out of their contact lenses prior to these measurements. The contact lens rests on the cornea, distorting its shape. This distortion will have an effect on the accuracy of the doctor’s measurements of the power of surgical correction needed. Discontinuing contact lens use allows the corneas to return to their natural shape.

  • Soft Contacts – must have contacts out for 1 week prior to measurement
  • Hard/Gas Perm Contacts – must have contacts out for at least 2 weeks prior to measurement

Start over-the-counter artificial tears (Blink, Thera Tears, Systane, Refresh) 4 times a day, 4 days prior to the cataract evaluation. We cannot get proper measurement with dry eyes.

LASER CATARACT SURGERY

The laser technology allows your cataract surgeon to offer you a better, more precise cataract removal procedure that is customized to your eye. The laser’s unique imaging system provides your cataract surgeon with a reconstructed 3-D view of your eye, to help plan and treat your cataract, which ensures that your customized cataract procedure is performed with laser precision.

YOUR PATH TO BETTER VISION IS IN SIGHT!

Does Cataract Surgery Hurt?

Cataract surgery does not hurt. Sometimes patients may experience a mild pressure sensation, but it is not painful. You may feel some scratchiness/irritation for a day or two and some mild discomfort, but your vision should improve drastically the following day.

Does Insurance Cover Cataract Surgery?

Yes, your insurance will cover conventional cataract surgery. If you choose to have a custom vision package you will have an out of pocket cost that your insurance will not cover. Depending on the insurance plan you may have a copay and/or deductible for your surgery and post-op appointments. Your surgery scheduler can further discuss these financial questions, but you may want to contact your insurance company to see what they will cover.

What is the Recovery Time?

Patients can usually expect to have better vision within 24-48 hours, continuing to improve over the following days/weeks. Slight blurriness and scratchiness is normal and will heal with your drops regimen. You may have some restrictions that include wearing eye makeup, lifting heavy objects and swimming. Ask your surgeon if you are concerned about any of your daily tasks or hobbies.

What are my Lens Options?

We offer multiple types of lenses with our advance, custom, and basic vision packages to fit your vision goals and budget. Lens Options include Monofocal, Toric, Multifocal and Trifocal IOL implants. Click here to learn more about our Cataract Lens Options.

Can Both Eyes Be Done at the Same Time?

Although many surgeries (e.g. LASIK) are performed at the same time for both eyes, intraocular procedures like cataract surgery are typically performed on one eye at a time. This allows for greater safety with antibiotic treatment.The surgeon and patient can evaluate the visual outcome of the first surgery before moving on to the next.

Cataract surgery reduces cloudiness that obscures vision and could even eliminate the need for glasses.