Below is a list of the ophthalmology procedures and methods used by Dr. Schottenstein to treat a wide array of eye conditions.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, more than half of all Americans will develop cataracts by age 80. A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye, which can cause one’s vision to become blurry. They are common with age and can occur in one or both eyes. The clouding usually occurs slowly, but can happen quickly, especially after trauma to the eye. While cataracts are not painful, they do cause many symptoms such as blurry vision, seeing fewer details, glare while driving or reading, dulling of vibrant colors, changes in your glasses prescription, and double vision in one eye.
New advances and techniques have made cataract surgery one of the most successful and life-improving surgical procedures performed. Dr. Schottenstein offers the latest procedures available to help remove cataracts and restore your vision, including the placement of Intraocular Lenses. Most cataract surgeries are performed on an outpatient basis and more than 95 percent of surgeries improve vision.
The lens of the eye is positioned in an elastic-like capsular bag, which holds it in place and serves as a protective barrier. During cataract surgery, the front portion of the capsule in opened so the lens can be removed and replaced with an intraocular lens.
In some instances, a person may experience blurred, hazy vision, a common condition known as posterior capsular opacification (sometimes referred to as “secondary cataract”). An estimated 40% of patients who have cataract surgery will experience posterior capsular opacification. It can occur months or even years after the surgery. The YAG Laser is sometimes used by Dr. Schottenstein to treat this condition. This treatment is called YAG Laser Capsulotomy.
Learn more about the benefits of Yag posterior capsulotomy.
A procedure used to correct corneal astigmatism by strategically placing superficial incisions on the peripheral cornea. This causes it to relax and become more spherically shaped allowing more light to accurately focus on the retina. This procedure only takes minutes and can be performed in conjunction with cataract surgery or alone.
If you are suffering from glaucoma, an Argon Laser Trabeculoplasty (ALT) may be recommended in order to relieve intraocular pressure. This procedure is generally used for patients with open-angle glaucoma that is progressively becoming worse despite previous eye drop treatments.
ALT is an outpatient procedure that is relatively quick. (The process will last about 15 minutes, but the patient will need to be at the office for approximately two hours.) A numbing agent will be used on the eye and a lens will be used to keep you from blinking. Using a specialized laser, Dr. Schottenstein will be able to promote better flow of fluids within your eye and reduce the intraocular pressure.
Patients may experience mild discomfort during the procedure and some blurry vision following. The blurriness should subside within a couple of days. Follow-up appointments will be scheduled to monitor the results of the treatment, and it’s possible that the procedure will need to be repeated depending on the severity of your glaucoma.
Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) is another procedure used to help relieve intraocular pressure. Unlike other laser treatments, the SLT treats specific cells, leaving untreated portions of the drainage canals intact.
The SLT procedure is performed on an outpatient procedure and is relatively quick. Generally, there is no pain associated with the procedure. It is possible your eye may become red or irritated following the procedure, but this will usually subside quickly.
Like the ALT treatment, multiple treatments may be necessary to achieve optimum results. Dr. Schottenstein will help determine what would be most beneficial for you.
An iridotomy is a laser used to create a hole in the iris to promote proper drainage access to a drainage canal blocked by the iris. This will help reduce intraocular pressure in the eye for patients with closed-angled glaucoma.
This procedure is performed on an outpatient basis. While some may experience a slight sensation of heat during the procedure, generally there is no pain associated with the procedure. Follow-up appointments will be necessary to ensure the success of the treatment.
Punctal occlusion is one of the most popular techniques for treating dry eyes. The puncta are the small openings in the corner of your eyes through which tears drain. Too much tear drainage can cause dry eyes. Punctal occlusion simply means plugging the puncta in order to improve the lubrication of the eye as a result of slowing down tear drainage.
During the procedure, the Dr. Schottenstein will pull your eyelid up and ask you to look away from your nose. The plug will be placed in the corner of the eye. You will be asked to blink and when the plugs get wet, they will expand to fill the opening completely.
The procedure only takes a few minutes, and many patients report immediate relief of dry eye pain. You can resume your normal activity immediately following a punctal occlusion.
Eye exams are very important to maintain the overall health of your eyes. They are designed to determine how well light rays are focused on the retina. Dr. Schottenstein is specially trained to check for, recognize and treat eye conditions and diseases. Dr. Schottenstein recommends that you have a yearly eye exam.
If you wear contact lenses, be sure to inform Dr. Schottenstein when scheduling your appointment, as additional time will be needed to measure your eye’s surface and fit your contact lenses.
There are a number of tests that Dr. Schottenstein may conduct during your normal routine eye exam to ensure your vision is at its best.
Conductive Keratoplasty (CK) differs significantly from nearly every other major vision correction procedure mostly in the fact that it is non-invasive. In a CK procedure, focused radio waves are used to heat targeted areas of the cornea, which shrinks the connective collagen around the edges of the cornea. When the edges of the cornea shrink, the cornea itself tightens and becomes slightly narrower and steeper, which compensates for farsightedness.
CK has been approved by the FDA, and enjoys many benefits over other types of vision correction. One of those benefits is that the results of CK can be noticed immediately after the procedure, though the eye will typically take a few weeks to fully adjust. Also, because the procedure is non-invasive, the recovery time for CK is quite minimal, and there are very few side effects or risks associated with CK.
PRELEX is very similar to cataract surgery as far as the techniques used, but the difference is PRELEX is performed on non-cataract patients to reduce a person’s dependency on glasses and contact lenses and eliminate the need for cataract surgery in the future.
By replacing the eye’s natural lens, PRELEX can correct vision using a multifocal intraocular lens.
You might be a good candidate for PRELEX if you fall into any of the following categories:
PRELEX is an outpatient surgical procedure. We will only perform on one eye at a time. Often using topical or anesthesia, we will numb your eye and gently vacuum out the natural lens through a tiny incision. Then, the IOL will be inserted through the same micro-incision. The incision will seal itself and usually will not require stitches. This type of surgery offers a faster recovery with fewer complications.
Patients will be allowed to return home soon after the surgery and asked to rest the remainder of the day. While everyone heals at different rates, most can resume normal daily activities within a day or two. It is important to understand it will take time for your eye(s) to regain full focusing power as it is adjusting to a new lens.
Refractive lensectomy (RLE) is a surgical procedure performed to correct a refractive error by replacing the eye’s natural lens with an artificial IOL. This surgery is considered mostly for farsighted patients, 35 years old and older, whose vision cannot be corrected by other refractive surgical procedures like LASIK.
The surgery performed is similar to cataract surgery, except for the fact that a cataract is not being removed. The primary purpose of the surgery is to adjust the refractive properties of the eye. After the eye is numbed, a microscopic incision is made so the crystalline lens can be removed and replaced with either a monofocal or multifocal IOL. The incision will reseal itself, usually not requiring any stitches.
The RLE procedure is very precise and delivers optimum results. However, it is important to understand every patient’s healing response varies, so it is possible for a small number of patients to still have to partially rely on glasses or contact lenses.
LASIK is a treatment that corrects refractive errors. This eye surgery reshapes the cornea, making clearer vision possible. Refractive errors such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism hinder a person’s focusing ability of the eye, thus making them dependant on eyeglasses and contact lenses. LASIK provides patients with an alternative. This safe and effective procedure removes a predetermined amount of corneal tissue and reshapes the cornea, which improves the focusing power of the eye and visual acuity. LASIK helps to reduce a patient’s reliance on eyeglasses and contact lenses.
The Phakic IOL is an artificial lens that is implanted into the eye over the eye’s natural lens. It is used to help improve vision for patients with high levels of farsightedness and nearsightedness. Verisyse™ Phakic IOLs has proven effective in hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide. It’s designed to correct vision for patients who do not qualify for Custom LASIK.
The surgery is performed similarly to cataract surgery with the difference being the natural lens of the eye is not removed. A small incision is placed in the eye and the Verisyse™ Phakic IOL is then placed over it basically designed to provide high-definition vision.
Only one eye is treated at a time, and it takes about 30 minutes. Usually, no stitches are required and recovery time is minimal. Patients may be asked to wear a temporary shield to protect the eye for a short time after the procedure.
Crystalens IOL is an accommodating lens implant, not a multifocal lens implant. Our eyes naturally age making it more difficult for our eyes to accommodate their focus as we perform different daily activities like reading, cooking and driving, thus requiring most people over 40 to wear glasses. This is referred to as “loss of accommodation” or presbyopia.
The Crystalens is specially designed with a hinge that moves the optic part of the lens back and forth as you focus on different objects. Nearly 90 percent of patients with Crystalens IOL’s are able to see clearly at any distance without the use of glasses or contact lenses.
Learn more about Crystalens on our Life Style Lens page.
Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) is a laser-assisted vision correction procedure that reshapes the cornea. Like other procedures of its type, including LASIK, PRK removes material from the inner layers of the cornea to compensate for myopia, hyperopia and other vision abnormalities. Where these laser procedures differ, typically, is how the outer layers of the cornea are treated. With PRK, the outer layer is completely removed (usually with the assistance of the laser itself) and then the eye is allowed to heal on its own. After the procedure, bandage contact lenses are placed on the eye(s), helping to shield the cornea from infection and foreign material while the outer layers of the cornea heal and reform. Vision is typically obstructed while the outer layer heals, however, and patients occasionally report haziness, spots, and other vision problems anywhere from the first few days to several months after the procedure.
Thanks to the evolution of technology, PRK is considered generally as effective as LASIK when comparing vision correction at the six-month mark. Because the outer layer of the cornea is removed, there is a chance of scarring complications with PRK, but this is rare thanks to improved equipment.
Strabismus surgery is performed to help realign the eyes. There are several types of surgeries available to correct various forms of misalignments in the eyes. This is the third most common eye surgery performed in the United States.
The type of strabismus surgery performed will depend on which way the eye is turning and the severity of the crossed eye.
Following surgery, your eyes will be red and sore, but this should all subside within two to three weeks. Generally, patients can resume normal daily activities within a few days. Patients will begin to notice a difference in a couple of days, but permanent results from the surgery will not be fully known for up to six weeks after the surgery.
A pterygia is a wedge or wing-shaped benign growth of fibrous tissues and blood vessels that develops on the surface of the sclera. In some instances, this could progress and grow into the cornea of the eye and interrupt your vision.
While most patients with pterygia will not require treatment, others may need surgery because of the size and thickness of the growth.
Pterygium surgery is an outpatient procedure that takes about 30 minutes. You will be able to return to your normal daily activities the following day.
Retinal laser surgery is used to treat a number of retinal problems such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Using a high-intensity laser beam, we can precisely focus on the targeted area of the retina to be treated, leaving the surrounding tissues intact.
This in-office procedure is usually painless and only takes about half an hour. Patients can return home immediately after the procedure.
A chalzion is a lump that appears in the eyelid as a result of inflammation in an oil-producing tear gland in the eyelid. Most chalzions do not require treatment and will clear up on their own; however, some may grow larger and remain indefinitely.
In this case, a simple chalzion excision can be performed in our office. Using a local anesthetic, we will numb your eye and clear the contents of the lesion through a small incision. The incision is so small, no scarring will be visible.
Time and gravity can often cause the brow to drop down near the edge of the upper eyelid. It is common for the skin of the forehead to also be affected particularly just above the nose, causing deep creases. If this sounds familiar, we may be able to give you a more youthful, energized, and softer appearance with a brow lift! A brow lift raises the skin and muscle of the forehead which pulls the eyebrows back into place and eliminates the creases in the forehead.
As a cosmetic procedure, there are few as well-known and proven techniques as BOTOX®. Botox is essentially a relaxer: when it is injected near a muscle group, it blocks certain electrical signals that cause the muscles to contract. As a result, the muscle relaxes and wrinkles in the skin smoothen out. This is especially effective for muscle groups around the eyes that cause “crow’s feet”, as well as between the eyes and on the forehead. Botox is simple, safe, fast and effective, especially when administered by a medical professional like Dr. Schottenstein. No sedation or anesthetic is required so you can resume your normal daily activities immediately after treatment, and results for Botox injections usually last for several months.
Ptosis is the drooping of the upper eyelid. Depending on the degree of ptosis one may have, it is possible your vision could be restricted. There is a minor surgery available to restore the eyelid to its proper place, thus restoring your vision to its full potential.
Blepharoplasty is a cosmetic surgical procedure on the eyelids that can significantly improve the appearance of the upper or lower eyelid. Incisions are made either above the upper eyelid, below the lower eyelid or both, to allow for the surgeon to redistribute or remove fat deposits, tighten muscles and remove excess skin layers. These incisions are made in very deliberate areas so as to be concealed by the natural folds of the eyelids, and as a result, the incisions are barely noticeable or not noticeable at all. The results of the procedure are immediately noticeable. Recovery after the procedure rarely involves more than some slight swelling and bruising, dry eyes, and minor discomfort.
We are proud to serve the Upper West Side, Great Neck, Chelsea, Manhattan, and surrounding New York communities. If you would like to make an appointment for cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic eye care or simply for a contact lens fitting, contact us today. We look forward to seeing you.