Issue 32.10
Cataract surgery is a commonly performed surgery in which the natural human lens is removed because it has become clouded and is interfering with a patient’s vision, and it is replaced with an artificial lens implant. The clouding of the natural lens occurs with aging mainly and is unavoidable. Most patients over 65 years of age will have some degree of cataracts but it can occur at any age.
Fortunately, cataract surgery has evolved over many years with significant advancements in technology that have made it the most successful surgery performed in medicine today.
The Dixie Ophthalmic Specialists at Zion Eye Institute has remained at the forefront of these new technologies being the first to implant the Blue Blocker lens implant for added protection of the retina, the first ReStor Multifocal Lens, the first Crystalens accommodating lens, and the first to introduce the Infinity Vision System, which is a new, advanced method for removing cataracts more safely and efficiently. Adding to this, Jason Ahee, M.D., and William Barlow, Jr., M.D., leading experts in cataract surgery, are now the first surgeons in southern Utah, and among the first in the country to perform Micro-Incision Cataract Surgery (MICS).
MICS involves performing cataract surgery through very tiny, microscopic incisions at the edge of the cornea. This makes the surgery safer and minimizes trauma to the eye. It helps maintain a more natural state of the eye during cataract removal and allows for faster recovery. “With our new Micro-Incision cataract surgery, we are able to reduce our incision size by over 20% compared with the current standard cataract incisions,” said Dr. Ahee. “By minimizing the incision size we keep better control of the intraocular environment during surgery while preventing surgically induced astigmatism and, ultimately achieving better outcomes for our patients.”
Drs. Ahee and Barlow are in private practice with Dixie Ophthalmic Specialists at Zion Eye Institute. Dr. Ahee is also an Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at University of Utah, Moran Eye Center, and Chairman of Continuing Medical Education at Dixie Regional Medical Center.
Contact can be made at Dixie Ophthalmic Specialists at Zion Eye, 1791 East 280 North, St. George, or by calling 435-656-2020.