By Anna McFall
This week has proven to be a success for a local ophthalmologist group, which is now performing the first cataract laser surgery in the state.
Trussville VisionFirst ophthalmologists Dr. Mark Bearman and Dr. Sarah Hays are currently the only professionals in their field offering this blade-free laser cataract surgery technique in Alabama.
VisionFirst Eye Center is introducing the LenSx femtosecond laser to the world of eye care, and is opening new doors for high tech medical technology.
“There is a new procedure available for people with cataracts, instead of the traditional cataract extraction,” Bearman said. “We are using a laser to help remove the cataracts and we invested in this technology because we think it’s going to give us the ability to not only make cataract surgery safer, but to make it more precise.”
The LenSx laser device is the first of its kind approved by the FDA for cataract surgery and is proving to be a good investment.
“Eye surgery and medicine evolve on a very regular cycle and I think if the past tells us anything, most of these kinds of technologies become mainstream five years down the road and I think we will be that much further along and ahead of the curve,” Bearman said.
In the first day of using this new device, the doctor duo performed nine cataract surgeries, with additional surgeries throughout the week.
“All nine cases went beautifully on the first day,” Bearman said. “I think everybody is going to be very happy.”
To help prepare them for the procedures, Bearman and Hays underwent special training and educational classes.
“We trained specifically with this machine for a very intensive period and we also traveled to see how other doctors were using it,” Bearman said. “A lot of it is the logistics of the laser, how to position it and use it in the operating room.”
According to Bearman, the new procedure combines new technology with traditional surgery methods.
“It’s about a five minute process to do the laser, and then we finish with some standard cataract procedures under the microscope,” he said.
According to medical associates, cataract surgery is the most commonly performed surgery in the United States, with over three million procedures performed annually. Until now, traditional cataract surgery procedures were performed manually by the surgeon using a blade for all the incisions.
“The laser does some of the preliminary steps that are involved in the surgery,” Bearman said. “It can help correct astigmatism from your cornea and it is controlled in a fashion that eliminates some of the potential for errors.”
The newly adopted laser technique uses 3-D image guided technology that maps the patient’s eye. The laser then uses this computer-guided image to perform precise incisions.
“I think that, locally, a lot of people are looking for ways and methods that are the latest,” Bearman said. “We had a philosophy that we want to continue to grow as a practice and we are somewhat progressive in that respect, so as we’ve grown, it has often involved investing in technology.”
VisionFirst offices are already seeing patients quickly booking appointments. The surgeries are performed at the Ambulatory Surgery Center at Shelby Baptist Medical Center. The VisionFirst practice offers a range of medical, surgical and optical services with locations in Trussville, Alabaster and Homewood.
“Hopefully, we have got something here that can be the first of a greater revolution in eye surgery,” Bearman said
.
Photo by Anna McFall