Dr. Lee finishing a cataract surgery.
Members of Dr. Lee ' s surgical team, Donna Berry and Janet Knox with Aaron
Burch, center.
ultrasound waves to break the cataractous lens. The large pieces of cataract are removed, followed shortly by the tiny fragments that remain.
As the surgery is taking place, Dr. Lee is guiding both hands to repeatedly insert instruments and move about the eye. She is also working pedals with both feet to operate the microscope and control the strength of her instrument’ s ultrasound. A three-person team consisting of a scrub technician, circulator and anesthesiologist is on hand to assist with medical tools, patient information and sedation respectively.
“ A successful surgery requires dexterity from the physician, but it also takes a good team,” Dr. Lee explained.“ You have to have a good crew of experienced technicians nearby.”
Once the patient’ s eye is cleared of the cataractous lens, a corrective artificial lens is placed in its stead. Small legs on either end of the new lens keep it from moving once inserted. And as simple as that, the procedure is over.
With the surgery complete, the lights come back on and the patient is fitted with a protective cover for the eye, which they’ ll wear for a few days as healing begins.
“ It’ s a good time to be an ophthalmologist,” Dr. Lee said, as we moved directly to the next patient.“ There have been so many improvements to the artificial lens, and we have machines that make small incisions which heal better. Those improvements help the patients have an overall better experience and make the doctors and staff look good.”
Movement throughout the surgery center was efficient and perpetual. Two surgeries were followed by a visit to the femtosecond surgical laser. This machine can make precise incisions in the cat aractous lens and corrects astigmatism, which depends on perfect centration and alignment of the intraocular lens. Prior to surgery, each patient’ s eye has been measured using optical biometry, accurate to within a 100 th of a millimeter, allowing for selection of the appropriate lens implant power by using complex mathematical formulas.
The patient lies perfectly still beneath the laser, which performs its function in less than a minute’ s time. Then the patient is sedated for surgery, and it’ s just a few moments until Dr. Lee will see them again.
In a room adjacent to the femtosecond laser are the patients who’ ve just come from surgery. Dr. Lee makes sure to visit each patient before they leave for that day, quickly going over the essentials: A recap of the procedure, tips for recovery to both the patient and a loved one if present, directions on medication and a reminder of tomorrow’ s check-up.
Dr. Lee was pleasant and attentive, making sure each patient was mentally prepared for the recovery process and touching on individual issues before saying goodbye for the morning.
4 VITAL SIGNS Volume 12 • Issue 1