A Newsletter For Friends
and Patients of the Eye Care Center 1-800-870-5473
Tullahoma:
931-393-2020Shelbyville:
931-684-0191Winchester:
931-967-7939Fayetteville:
931-438-1100McMinnville:
931-123-4567
| NO-STITCH CATARACT SURGERY | LIFE WITHOUT GLASSES OR CONTACTS! | LASER SKIN RESURFACING |
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Normal Sight |
Sight with cataract |
No-Stitch Cataract Surgery
How does no-stitch, no patch, no bleeding, and often no needle sound for cataract surgery? You might ask does it hurt or how does the ophthalmologist anesthesize the eye? We just use numbing drops or a local injection to make the surgery pain free. There will be some IV sedation as needed also. The surgery can be done through your local hospital or surgery center in Tullahoma, Shelbyville, McMinnville, Fayetteville, or Winchester. At the Eye Care Center we still accept insurance or Medicare with supplement payment, but you might need a referral from your eye doctor or physician. We are quite proud of our working relationship with optometrists and would manage your case in concert with them.
Before we put the cart before the horse, a cataract is a clouding of
the naturally-occurring lens that typically can interfere with night driving
early on in the process of progression. Cataracts don't necessarily affect
only older folks, but in cases of trauma, use of predisone medication, multiple
medical problems, and family history, there can be cataracts at an early
age.
We typically try conservative treatment such as a change in glasses to improve the vision first. If glasses haven't improved the vision, then surgery may be necessary. At the time of surgery, the cataract is replaced by a man-made plastic lens that typically is foldable to keep the wound small. Any astigmatism is usually also reduced with the placement of the wound. This usually allows for vision after surgery that is more independent of glasses. Also the ophthalmologists at the Eye Care Center are sometimes using a multifocal or bifocal implant that allows even more independence from glasses.
Dreamed About Life Without Glasses or Contact Lenses?
If you wear glasses
or contact lenses, you've probably dreamed about life without them. How
sweet it would be if you could read the clock on your office wall, or figure
out the words on a highway exit sign before passing it.
Already more than two million patients internationally have tried to make this dream come true. Most have had a surgery called radial keratotomy, or RK.
In RK, an Eye Care Center Ophthalmologist makes spokelike cuts in the outer portion of the cornea - the clear, rounded tissue at the front of the eye. These wounds flatten the cornea, significantly improving distance vision in most instances.
But others anxious to be rid of glasses or contacts are turning to photorefractive keratectomy, (PRK) or laser assisted in-situ keratameilusis (LASIK).
In those surgeries, a surgeon uses a laser beam, not a diamond knife. Bursts of light from the laser remove a thin layer of tissue from the center of the cornea, improving its focusing power.
A special type of laser, the excimer laser, is so precise that it can shave off corneal tissue thinner than a human hair.
Of the three procedures, RK, with its long track record, has the more clearly established pros and cons. According to one landmark study, about 70 percent of individuals treated with RK did not need glasses for distance vision, even 10 years after the surgery. Refractive surgery produces quick, dramatic results. Often the patient can get right off the table and read the clock on the wall.
These procedures are done as out-patient in the complete laser surgery
room at the Eye Care Center office in Tullahoma. Since the excimer ultraviolet
laser was approved in 1995, Dr. Galloway and Dr. Norris have done several
of these procedures to provide patients with a more independent, active
lifestyle without glasses or contact lenses. Almost any level of nearsightedness,
farsightedness and astigmatism can be corrected this way without having
to go to Nashville or Chattanooga for the treatment.
Laser Skin Resurfacing: Turning Back the Hands of Time
Are you tired of looking tired?
Sun exposure, squinting, and smiling they all contribute to wrinkles on your face. You may have noticed them around your eyes or mouth. And you may have realized how they alter your appearance, making you look tired, sad, or older.
If the cumulative effects of aging, sun exposure, or other factors have made you feel older than you are, then Laser Skin Resurfacing may be for you. Laser Skin Resurfacing is a new technique using an invisible beam of light to literally vaporize away superficial skin imperfections causing an aged appearance. The entire procedure is performed in the Eye Care Center office with local anesthesia and is relatively painless. Generally, patients resume normal activities within a week. The healing process results in a firmer, smoother appearance.
The precision of the laser has a great advantage over other techniques such as chemical peels and dermabrasion, according to Dr. Galloway.
If you would like to learn more about Cosmetic Laser Skin Resurfacing,
please attend the seminar offered at the Tullahoma Eye Care Center office
on the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. or call to schedule a private
consultation.
PH: (931) 393-2020;
PH: (931) 393-2255
(800) 870-5473
1100 North Jackson St. - Tullahoma,
TN 37388
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1999