Medical Reports: Out Of Sight

WSVN -- Clayton Whitehouse knew something was wrong with his vision when everything started going dim.

Clayton Whitehouse: "Something as close as the keyboard I would even need a flashlight to identify where the keys were. I used a magnifying glass when no one was around, cause I was pretty embarrassed. Even the larger print I could not see."

The 53-year-old just chalked it up to aging, but it turns out, a cataract in his right eye was causing all the problems.

Clayton Whitehouse: "It's like looking through wax paper. It's cloudy."

Clayton wasn't looking forward to surgery. All he could remember is what his grandmother went through many years ago.

Clayton Whitehouse: "The eye patches, the gauze on the eyes, and almost being blind during the recovery process."

But a lot has changed since then. For the first time, cataract surgery is now being done with a laser similar to lasik eye surgery.

Dr. Cory Lessner: "I think when most people think about cataract surgery, they think about their parents, or their grandparents in their 70's and 80's. We're seeing a movement toward younger and younger patients in that the surgery have become much safer, much more accurate."

Doctors at SightTrust Eye Institute in Sunrise, are one of the first in South Florida to use the lens-x laser.

Instead of using a blade, doctors now let the laser do all the work.

Dr. Cory Lessner: "We used to have to do this with our hands, it was never as accurate, this is so much easier."

Doctors also said the laser makes the procedure safer.

Dr. Cory Lessner: "The reason I say safer, is where we used to have use ultrasound to break apart the cataract. Now, we no longer have to do that. We're using laser to divide it's much more gentle it's less energy in the eye so you get less swelling."

The other breakthrough is once the cataract is removed, there are new lenses which help patients see both far and near.

Dr. Cory Lessner: "We can now be much more precise when we tell a patient you're going to see almost perfect from far to near."

Clayton had the quick and painless surgery. By that night, he was seeing like a young person again.

Clayton Whitehouse: "It was like someone turned the light on. The world looked brighter. I can use the computer. I can read books again."

You will need a thorough consultation to make sure you are a candidate for this type of surgery.

FOR MORE INFO:

SightTrust Eye Institute

1601 Sawgrass Corporate Parkway #410 Sunrise, FL 33323

1-877-878-7890