There was recently a discussion amongst some eye surgeons about new lens implants. (The necessary background here is that, following removal of a cataract, we almost always place a lens implant in the eye.) The prevailing opinion was that one of the really newest–“latest and greatest”–lens implant technologies is not giving the best outcomes after…

For a roundish object, thinking about length doesn’t seem to make much sense. However, when we do cataract surgery, we have to think a lot about the distance between the front of the eye (the cornea) and the back of the eye (the retina). This is because, during cataract surgery, we place a lens implant…

I recently heard about a question about how to handle patients with blurred vision who might have cataracts. Cataracts are one of the most common causes of blurred vision, so it is a common occurrence for patients to come in with blurred vision and for us to find cataracts as the cause. When I plan…

I think that I have discussed this before, but it bears discussion again since a young patient of mine really noticed it this week. The patient in question is younger than 10 years old, which may give insight into his reaction. As I was examining him, he noticed that I was putting on an indirect…

I recently heard about a patient who felt that she was so sensitive to eye drops that she refused to take any, even after she had cataract surgery. Not only did she have a surgery that required post-operative drops, but she had a post-operative issue that necessitated more eye drops. Still, she felt she was…

Sometimes, I tell my patients who are feeling totally fine that they may end up with a big problem. “You will be in the emergency room, likely with blurred vision, a red eye, and throwing up.” This may sound pretty scary, but these are often the symptoms of an attack of angle closure glaucoma. When…

There is a medicine called dupilumab (sold under the brand name Dupixent). It is used to treat allergic diseases, and it is a relatively new medication. One of the side effects of this medicine can be inflammation of the conjunctiva, which can be thought of as the “skin” over the white part of the eye.…

Recently, I heard the story of a patient. He has been happy with the outcome of his cataract surgery for years, but he has now seen someone else who got a special lens implant with their cataract surgery. He is envious of that outcome, and he is wondering if he can get his implant “swapped…

When asked about their history of eye problems, many people tell me they have “a stigmatism in [their] eye.” What is that? Actually, astigmatism is a single word that indicates that the corneal curvature is not perfectly symmetric and smooth. The cornea is the very front part of the eye. Sometimes, people describe an cornea…

When we perform cataract surgery, we take natural crystalline lens out of the eye and replace it with an artificial lens implant. I sometimes describe the natural lens of the eye as an M&M: there is an outer “candy shell” with “chocolate” inside. The chocolate represents the cataract itself, and the candy shell represents the…