If you’re experiencing blurry vision, glare, or difficulty seeing clearly at night, cataracts may be affecting your quality of life. At St. Luke’s Cataract & Laser Institute, we provide advanced cataract surgery for patients throughout Tampa Bay, including Tarpon Springs and Clearwater. Our experienced surgeons use modern technology and a range of lens options to help you achieve clearer vision based on your individual needs and goals.
Cataracts are a common age-related condition that causes the eye’s natural lens to become cloudy, leading to symptoms such as glare around lights, difficulty reading fine print, dulling of colors, and trouble driving at night.
Cataracts are treated with a surgical procedure that removes the clouded natural lens and replaces it with a clear artificial lens called an intraocular lens, or IOL. The surgery is performed through a small incision at the edge of the cornea and is designed to restore clear, focused vision.
In some cases, advanced laser technology may be used to assist with portions of the procedure, allowing for increased precision and customization. After the cataract is removed, the new lens is carefully positioned to help light focus properly again.
Our surgeons will guide you through your lens options and recommend the approach that best fits your vision needs and lifestyle.
When planning your cataract surgery, your doctor will discuss the different intraocular lenses available to achieve your visual goals. Our surgeons use the most advanced lens technology available, and will work with you to ensure that you receive the lens best suited to your specific needs.
(Light Adjustable Lens, Panoptix, Panoptix Toric, Vivity, Vivity Toric)
Our Auto Focus option is our most advanced lens package. It provides the greatest flexibility in your vision and is designed to help you see clearly at both near and far distances, with the highest level of freedom from glasses available. Your eyeglass prescription will be built directly into your new, permanent lens implant, helping you enjoy life with maximum visual independence.
Our Fixed Focus option includes either astigmatism correction (if applicable) or our basic lens option.
If you have astigmatism, we can correct it, allowing you to see clearly at one focal point (usually distance) without glasses.
If you do not have astigmatism or choose not to correct it, this becomes our basic lens option. Your vision will be improved with surgery, and your remaining prescription will be corrected in your glasses afterward.
– The Refractive Surgery Council
Our Recommendation for Your Surgical Plan
The most independence from glasses with the fullest range of focus.
Overall clarity will be improved, but may still require glasses for best results.
Cataract surgery offers numerous benefits, significantly enhancing the quality of life for those who undergo the procedure. Here are some of the key advantages:
Improved Visual Clarity: The most immediate benefit is a significant improvement in visual clarity. Many patients report bright and clear vision shortly after the surgery.
Enhanced Color Vision: Cataracts can dull and yellow your vision. After surgery, colors may appear brighter and more vivid than they have in years.
Increased Independence: With the restoration of clear vision, many patients find a renewed sense of independence, being able to drive, read, and perform other daily activities without the limitations caused by cataracts.
Better Quality of Life: Improved vision contributes to a better overall quality of life. It can reduce the risk of falls and accidents associated with poor vision and improved mental health by possibly allowing for more social and physical activities.
In addition to life changing vision, St. Luke’s highest priority is safety in the care of our patients. In fact, our surgical center has a significantly lower incidence of eye infection and other surgical complications than the national average. Our innovations include:
Filtered solutions – To further reduce the risk of infection, the infusion solutions used during surgery first pass through special filters before reaching the eye.
Antibiotics and anti-inflammatory solutions – Specially formulated antibiotics are added to anti-inflammatory solutions and placed directly in the eye after surgery, greatly reducing the risk of postoperative infection.
Balancing medications – We neutralize the PH level in medications used during surgery to reduce irritation, dryness and discomfort. This makes the surgery and recovery more comfortable.
Ultraviolet lighting – When operating rooms are not in use, special ultraviolet lighting is activated to reduce bacteria. This is the same type of lighting used in cardiovascular units.
Eye pressure checks – Your eye pressure is checked in the first two hours following surgery to ensure that the incision is tightly sealed. Special instruments are used during your surgery to help alleviate the risk of postoperative pressure rise.
At St. Luke’s, cataract surgeries are performed in our Ambulatory Surgery Centers in Tarpon Springs and Wesley Chapel. Pre-op and follow-up appointments are available in Tarpon Springs, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Spring Hill, Clearwater and Wesley Chapel.
A better quality of vision means a better quality of life for our patients. Our history of innovation, thoughtful adoption of new technologies, and unsurpassed commitment to care truly gives our patients the best opportunity to achieve their vision goals. St. Luke’s has some of the most experienced cataract surgeons in the world. You’re in great hands here.
