Nearly 25 million Americans have cataracts. Left untreated, cataracts progress to a stage of serious vision loss and even to blindness. In fact, cataracts are the leading cause of blindness globally. Cataracts are definitely treatable, and surgery is the only permanent fix. For over two decades, patients have been coming to Elmquist Eye Group, the best cataract specialists in Lee County, FL, for all their cataract eye care needs.

Precision Surgery

Elmquist surgeons prefer a technique called laser-assisted surgery over traditional methods. The laser technology allows our surgeons to much more precisely correct the cataracts using a laser specially designed to make a lens incision. We use the Alcon system because its laser technology allows the surgeon to create an incision with a precise length and depth. The surgeon then uses the Alcon laser to break up the protein deposits that form the cataract.

We are very experienced using the Alcon system, which offers us the precision and surgical accuracy so important to cataract surgery, making it safe and effective. Using this technique, complications like infection are much less likely to occur after surgery. At Elmquist, our patients rarely have complications. Some do experience mild itching and redness for a couple of days after the surgery, but these symptoms quickly dissipate.

Surgeon Experience Matters

Naturally, you want the very best cataract specialist. Surgeon experience matters. Our Elmquist surgeons have extensive experience performing this laser-assisted cataract surgery. Our surgeons are extremely well-trained, board-certified professionals. Additionally, Elmquist surgeons are fellowship trained at the prestigious American Board of Ophthalmology and the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

You can trust all your eye care needs to us because at Elmquist Eye Group, our surgeons have been providing expert cataract care in Lee County for decades. We perform the cataract surgery in our state-of-the-art surgical suites as an outpatient procedure. From start to finish, you will have excellent care.

Prior to surgery, we prepare for the procedure with extensive eye tests, including a visual acuity test and a glare test. Both of these tests provide the surgeons with important information and insight regarding the severity and progression of your cataract. For example, during the glare test, we apply varying degrees of glare that simulate a normal day’s light, then determine how the glare affects your vision. Similarly, the visual acuity test is a dilated eye exam to evaluate near and far vision and to examine the internal structures of the eye prior to surgery.

Our cataract patients often have cataracts in both eyes. We will only perform the surgical procedure on one eye at a time. All cataracts eventually do require surgery as a permanent fix. Without surgery, cataracts continue to progress to cover the entire lens. Since cataracts are a normal part of aging, there is no way to prevent them. The cataract will continue to grow and left untreated, lead to severe vision loss and even blindness.

Trust your precious eyesight to the best cataract specialists in Lee County, FL. Give us a call today at Elmquist Eye Group. There’s no better team in southwest Florida to provide you with laser-assisted cataract surgery.