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Looking at things a whole new way

Looking at things a whole new way
Katrina Good remembers being a young child, around 2 years old, in church on Sunday mornings. Admittedly, she was an energetic kid, which created a bit of a challenge during those morning services.

What did she find week-in and week-out that caught her eye and kept her attention? The colors and designs of all the fine Sunday dresses that surrounded her. As it turns out, she could also memorize those colors and patterns from a young age on.

That skillset came into play later in her life. Good now runs her own alteration business in Rantoul, where she lives. She alters wedding dresses there, after working at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for 20 years.

The only complication came during this past year, and it was her vision. Colors slowly dulled over the years, and her sight became fuzzy.

So this year, at 66 years old, she came to Carle Eye Care. That's when she learned of the first FDA-approved implantable trifocal lens, called the PanOptix lens.

And she became the first Carle patient to receive the lens to help her cataracts and vision.

“The ability to see and recognize colors or patterns so vividly is an ability I was born with,” Good said. “When my vision changed due to cataracts, it was weird knowing that I couldn’t see the way I used to. That’s why I was so surprised it all came back as quickly as it did.

“As soon as the nurses at Carle rolled my bed out of the operating room, I could clearly see how different
everything appeared again. Color and clarity of light were incredible again. It was a night and day difference with this particular lens.”

Nathan Abraham, MD, is a locum or temporary physician at Carle Eye Department.

He, along with a surgical team, implanted the PanOptix lens for Good. Dr. Abraham said she was a good candidate for the surgery because of her cataracts and the otherwise good health of her eyes. His description of cataracts also connects to Good’s previous church mornings of years past.

“Cataracts are like a sign of wisdom, as we get older we all get them,” Dr. Abraham said. “I describe the vision change like this. If we have normal eyesight to begin with, that is like seeing through a clear, glass window. As we get older, it’s more like a stained glass. The cataracts actually prevent light from coming in or scatter the light. That leads to vision changes and difficulty reading.”

Cataract surgery is one of the most common surgeries conducted in the United States. And like most everything else, technology’s impact has come into play. That's clear now there are new devices implanted during surgery.

Currently, the PanOptix lens is a new option, considered a premium lens. It impacts a person’s ability to read close up, far away and at intermediate distances.

The surgery lasts about 15 minutes per eye and it’s done at Carle Outpatient Services at The Fields.

That means the patient is back home that same day, and in a position for the eyes to completely recover in one to two weeks.

“It was an easy procedure,” Good said of her surgery. “I didn’t experience any pain during it, because I was under anesthesia. And I didn’t experience any pain afterward, either. The biggest thing for the patient to remember is that you have to take eye drops three times per day for about the next six weeks.”

People interested in finding out more can contact the Carle Eye Department at (217) 902-3937.

“The PanOptix lens is another example of the many ways we can find the right solution at the right time,” said ophthalmologist Ruidi Wang, MD – who has also implanted the trifocal lens. “Our team of ophthalmologists respond to the patient’s needs. New technologies like implantable premium lens are just one more example of improving our care capabilities with the patient in mind.”

Abou Cham, MD, also offers this procedure at his ophthalmology practice in Carle Danville on Vermillion. For more information about Dr. Cham's services, please call (217) 431-7655.

Categories: Redefining Healthcare

Tags: Carle Eye Care, cataracts, PanOptix trifocal lens