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The Eye Institute of West Florida is the premiere cataract eye care facility of Pinellas County. Using the latest techniques, proven innovations and having some of the finest physicians in the world, our state-of-the-art facility is able to achieve the best results possible for our patients. If you are seeking Tampa cataract surgery experts please feel free to call us anytime.
What is a cataract?
A cataract is a clouding of an eyes natural crystalline lens. As a cataract becomes ripened it yellows in color making it hard to see through and dulls colors colors. Night driving can be come difficult and dangerous. Many people describe the cataract sensation as looking through wax paper.
Have you been told you have a cataract?
Are you seeking a cataract surgeon in Tampa? If you are seeking a tampa area cataract surgeon the doctors at The Eye Institute of West Florida provide some of nations top experienced surgeons. Please feel free to read below to learn about the training, experience and national level projects that our cataract surgeons have worked on. If you are interested in learning more about what happens is cataract and laser cataract procedures the paragraph below discusses the phaecoemulsification process.
The Cataract Surgery Process
What happens during cataract surgery?
After the proper anesthesia and numbing of the eye your cataract surgeon will be ready to make a small incision in your eye about 3mm wide. Modern day cataract surgery is also called micro-surgery because the incision sizes have become so small. Once the incision is made, the cataract surgeon will insert a probe to break up the cloudy cataract and then remove the material. A suction tube will remove all of the loose debris and the capsular bag is prepared for the artificial IOL implant. The foldable IOL is then inserted through a tube and then unfolds once in place. Intraocular lenses will have haptics and “lens arms” to hold it in place. With the cataract removed and the IOL in place, light can once again travel unimpeded to the back of the eye and focus on the retina where the image is interpreted and transmitted to the brain. The end result is clear youthful vision.
Determining Your Cataract Lens Implant
An important part of your pre-operative process will involve choosing a lens implant. Implants are divided into 2 main categories:
A. Monofocal
B. Multifocal/Premium Lens Implants
After Cataract Surgery
In normal cataract surgery cases you can go home on the same day of your surgery, but you won't be able to drive, so make sure to arrange for a ride home. It's also a good idea to make sure you have necessary help because your doctor may limit activities such as bending and lifting for a few days. We suggest that you go home and get plenty of rest after cataract surgery. With phaecoemulsification and foldable lens implants, surgical incisions are very small, and no sutures are required. If all goes well, you'll heal fast and your vision will start to improve within a few days. If your surgery requires a larger incision and sutures, full healing can take up to eight weeks.
Avoid rubbing or pressing on your eye. It's normal to feel itching and mild discomfort for a couple of days after surgery. Clean your eyelids with tissue or cotton balls to remove any crusty discharge. You may wear an eye patch or protective shield the day of surgery. Your doctor may prescribe medications to prevent infection and control eye pressure. After a couple of days, all discomfort should disappear. Often, complete healing occurs within eight weeks.
Contact your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following signs or symptoms after cataract surgery:
- Vision loss
- Pain that persists despite the use of over-the-counter pain medications
- Increased eye redness
- Light flashes or multiple spots (floaters) in front of your eye
- Nausea, vomiting or excessive coughing
Dr. Robert Weinstock ushers in new technology that optimizes OR efficiency through a greater field of surgical view using a stereoscopic high-definition visualization system. Click here to learn more.
Our physicians helped pioneer the modern cataract procedure - the bimanual microincisional technique. Where other ophthalmologists are beginning to learn this new technique, our physicians have been successfully performing thousands of these types of surgeries for years. Using the microincisional technique is safer and patients are able to see more clearly, sooner, with less pain and return to their normal activities much sooner. The incision is so small it does not require a suture, and has less risk for infection and other complications.
Many advances in the field of ophthalmology have occurred over the last five years. Newer intraocular lens implant options, equipment and technology provide safer procedures with astonishingly clearer visual results. At The Eye Institute we embrace these advances and take pride knowing that our patients will receive the best care possible. For example, bladeless laser cataract surgery offers predictable computer level accuracy for clearer vision outcomes. For years the femtosecond technology has been used in the LASIK procedures to sharpen the vision of more youthful eyes. Now our experienced physicians use the same technology to safely remove cataracts and correct astigmatism for vision that is clear and sharp. Also the Optiwave Refractive Analysis (ORA) by WaveTec Vision delivers real-time analysis of lens power, lens position, and astigmatism correction during cataract surgery that optimizes results and minimizes the need for further refinement. We are one of 5 institutions in the country with this technology. Furthermore, the new 3-D HD visualization system is a heads up digital flat panel display in 3-D that provides our surgeons with the most ergonomically, uncompromising operating room efficiencies, and is the only one available in the Tampa Bay area. Because our physicians helped in their development, we were first to use many of these newer innovations before they were made available in the general market. This means that patients have treatment available to them that they cannot get anywhere else.
The skill to perform precious cataract procedures comes from years of training and dedication. Our board-certified and fellowship-trained refractive cataract specialists have attended some of the most prestigious medical training facilities in the world and have brought those skills to Pinellas County. Many of our physicians have patents or pending patents on innovative equipment and procedural techniques of their own design. But most notably, as so many of our patients have stated, it is the care and attention of our physicians that is most remarkable.
Every fall and winter season The Eye Institute hosts many educational seminars on eye diseases and disorders, giving the public an opportunity to participate by asking questions and, at times, receive complimentary screenings. Our refractive cataract specialists host an amazing seminar in 3-D. Using special glasses, viewers get to see a real live demonstration of the cataract procedure. After the presentation, guests can ask the doctor and patient questions they have regarding our laser cataract procedure and the latest lens implant options. Please visit the seminar calendar section of our site for the most up to date schedule.
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“The next day, as they put the eye chart on the wall and asked could I see anything, I broke down and cried as for the first time in longer then I could remember I could see the ”E” and five lines below it. I would like to state if anyone has any apprehensions about the cataract procedures, please feel assured that the Staff of the Eye Institute will make it a good experience for you.
Thank you all very much for all your understanding and care. And, I can never thank you enough for giving me back my sight!!” -A.W.
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Meet Your Cataract Care Specialists
Stephen M Weinstock, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a cataract and LASIK specialist. He founded The Eye Institute of West Florida in 1974, pioneering sub-specialty eye care in Pinellas County. Today, as President and Medical Director, Dr. Weinstock is recognized as a world renowned cataract and LASIK surgeon. He teaches the latest techniques such as “no-stitch, no-patch” cataract extraction and implantation of premium intraocular lenses (IOLs), here and abroad. Dr. Weinstock is also very proud of being the first ophthalmologist to introduce the excimer and YAG lasers to Pinellas County.
In 1999 for his outstanding performance as a refractive surgeon, Dr. Weinstock was honored with the “VISX Star Surgeon” award and placed in the top 5% of refractive surgeons nationwide. He is one of the only surgeons in the country who has been certified by the American Board of Eye Surgery in both Cataract and LASIK surgery. Dr. Weinstock is also an associate clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of South Florida.
Robert J. Weinstock, M.D. is a board-certified ophthalmologist and is fellowship-trained in cataract and refractive surgery. He became interested in ophthalmology at an early age - as he watched and assisted his father. Dr. Weinstock has joined the practice in 2001 after completing his residency at the St. Louis University School of Medicine.
He is the Director of Cataract and Refractive Services at the Eye Institute of West Florida and The Weinstock Laser Eye Center. He also is an associate clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of South Florida, and serves as the Surgical Director of the Largo Ambulatory Surgery Center. He was named one of 250 in Permier Surgeon's List of Leading Innovators of 2010 for his contributions to cataract surgery and premium IOLs. In addition to performing thousands of vision correcting cataract and LASIK procedures each year, Dr. Weinstock speaks and teaches nationally and internationally on customized cataract surgery and surgical innovations. He is continuously engaged in clinical research and studies to evaluate new technology, many of which are sanctioned by the FDA. He is recognized internationally as an expert on new implant technology and microincisional surgical techniques. He has authored many book chapters on cataract surgery and continues to write journal articles on cataract and refractive surgery.
Neel R. Desai, M.D. is a fellowship-trained ophthalmologist strictly specializing in LASIK, cataract and corneal diseases of the eye. Dr. Desai is a top graduate of the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and completed his fellowship in cornea, cataract and refractive surgery at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University. He is recognized throughout the country and internationally as one of only 100 surgeons able to perform advanced corneal transplants and other complex cataract, corneal and refractive procedures. He holds pending patents to new surgical products and advanced cornea surgical procedures of his own design. Additionally, Dr. Desai has authored many book chapters in his field of study and continues to write articles in peer review journals.
