LetLifeIn.com’s Exclusive Interview with Dr. Roger Steinert on the recent cataract surgery breakthrough

[Dr. Steinert is an internationally known ophthalmologist. He is director of refractive surgery, corneal transplants and cataract surgery, including LASIK at University of California Irvine Medical Center. Dr. Steinert is immediate past president of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.]

LetLifeIn.com: Dr. Steinert, we appreciate you taking the time to meet with us and answering some questions.

Dr Steinert: My pleasure.

LetLifeIn.com: Let’s start off with an easy one. What exactly is a cataract?

Dr Steinert: It’s a clouding of the eye’s natural lens that’s just behind the colored iris. When the lens becomes hazy, it prevents light from focusing properly on the retina. The result is blurry or distorted vision, an altered perception of colors, and problems with bright lights - particularly at night. Surgery is usually performed when the cataracts begin to interfere with a person’s quality of life.

LetLifeIn.com: What happens during cataract surgery?

Dr Steinert: The cloudy lens is removed and replaced with a man-made custom powered intraocular lens (IOL). Until recently, only single-focus implants were available. Because they were usually powered for distance vision, patients had to wear bifocals or reading glasses after surgery to see close or at arm’s length. But now, a new generation of FDA approved IOLs is restoring clear vision to cataract patients at all distances without the need for glasses or contact lenses.

LetLifeIn.com: Tell us, how do the new IOLs work?

Dr Steinert: There are two types of IOLs - multifocal and accommodating. Both give patients a range of vision that the older, single-focus IOLs can’t duplicate. Multifocal lenses work by focusing light from different distances on the retina. They don’t move when the eye muscles contract or relax. Accommodating lenses move backward and forward to change focus from near to intermediate and far. They are controlled by the eye muscles in the same way that the human lens is.

LetLifeIn.com: Do the new lenses have any drawbacks?

Dr Steinert: Because each type of IOL works differently, not all implants are right for every patient. Accommodating IOLs involve training the eye muscles to focus. Multifocal IOLs sometimes involve a natural learning curve as the brain trains itself to interpret the different focus the lens creates. Glare and nighttime halo effects may also occur with multifocal lenses but usually diminish over time. Patients should work closely with their ophthalmologists to determine the best choice for them.

LetLifeIn.com: What about the results?

Dr Steinert: A trial conducted by the FDA of the Crystalens TM accommodating IOLs showed that 98 percent of patients could see well enough to pass a driver’s test and read the newspaper without glasses. In a clinical study of the ReZoom TM multifocal IOL, 97 percent of patients reported they never or only occasionally had to wear glasses. Another FDA trial involving the ReStor TM multifocal IOL demonstrated that 80% of patients never wore glasses after the procedure. Typically, vision at all distances is 20/25 or better after surgery.

LetLifeIn.com: That’s amazing. Will Medicare cover the cost of the new IOLs?

Dr Steinert: Multifocal and accommodating IOLs cost more than other lenses. When the newer implants are used, Medicare covers the surgical procedure in full, but the patient is responsible for the difference in cost between the traditional IOLs and the newer ones.

LetLifeIn.com: We won’t take up any more of your time. Thank you so much.

Dr Steinert: Anytime.

For an appointment with Dr. Steinert please call 714-456-7183