Arizona Cataract Surgeon Reviews Latest Advancements

April 2010 - Arizona cataract surgeon Tariq Qamar M.D. recently returned from the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery in Boston, Massachusetts, where he reviewed the latest advancements in cataract surgery.

“This year's meeting showcased several advancements that will allow me to provide my cataract patients with even better vision across a broad range of distances from near to far,” states Dr. Qamar.

One of the advancements he reviewed is new a lens called the Technis multifocal one-piece. “This lens was the hottest topic in the cataract sessions. The Technis produces clear vision at near, intermediate and far distances, which will allow most Technis patients to read, work on the computer and drive without glasses. The lens was recently approved by the FDA, and as soon as the manufacturer makes it available, I plan on offering it to my patients.”

Another technique that is now is vogue is called custom matching of lenses. “As good as the newer multifocal lenses are, there isn't any one lens that is perfect for every scenario, so many surgeons are putting a multifocal lens in one eye and a complementary lens in the other eye, be it another brand of multifocal or an accomodating lens such as the Crystalens. This allows patients to experience the advantages of both lenses and results in greater clarity across a broader range of distances.”

One last trend is toward more assertive fine-tuning of the vision of cataract surgery patients with laser vision correction a few months after the cataract procedure. “Increasingly, cataract surgeons are realizing that success with newer lenses like the Crystalens, Restor and Technis requires that the patient's vision be in very precise focus, and sometimes this is only possible through laser vision correction. Fortunately, Q Vision is one of only a handful of practices in Phoenix with a vision correcting laser, so we will be able to stay at the forefront of this trend.”