Clinic doctors use laser to remove cataracts

A Stillwater eye clinic has ditched its blades in favor of new laser technology that could revolutionize the way cataracts are removed.

Associated Eye Care became one of the first practices in the state and the nation to adopt the refractive procedure in which doctors use a laser to break down and remove cataracts. The clinic has had its Femtosecond Laser for about 2 1/2 months, and has used it to take out cloudy lenses from about 100 patients, said Associated's medical director, Dr. Stephen Lane.

"There is no question in my mind this will become the standard of care," said Lane. "The technology is in its infancy, but I am convinced this is the way it will be done in the future."

Before the arrival of the laser, which cost Associated $500,000, doctors used a blade to make an incision in the eye to gain access to the cataract and break it down into tiny pieces so the cloudy mass could be removed. Now with the laser, surgeons at Associated don't have to make any incisions and can consolidate four to five intensive steps that had been done manually into an automated procedure with a more predictable outcome, Lane said.

"This should lead to more consistent and refined results," he said. "We are still collecting information, but so far there is nothing to suggest that this is not at least as safe as what we have been doing."

Patients can go home the same day as the procedure.

The procedure approved by the Food and Drug Administration is not all that different from what people experience when they come in for Lasik eye surgery. With cataract removal, the laser will allow doctors to get more precise measurements and increase accuracy and safety, Lane said.