Eye Surgery Actually Replaces Real Lens
Patients Who Can't Have Lasik Surgery Good Candidates
POSTED: Wednesday, January 28,
Leon Higgins can watch television, read books, even menus, all without his glasses for the first time in years. He's no longer stumbling around the house for reading glasses and that's one pleasure he enjoys.Higgins was having trouble seeing both near and far and he had cataracts and was ready to have a new procedure to help his deteriorating vision.His natural lens had gone from clear to a yellowish color, affecting his night driving and his reading. Higgins has had glasses for 20 years, wearing them when he reads or when he's at work and driving a bus for Farmington schools."Hopefully I'll be able to get rid of the glasses altogether," said Higgins.Higgins is ready for a quick operation called a clear lens extraction. Since his problem is seeing both near and far, he chose the procedure over Lasik surgery."We tend not to do Lasik surgery on people who are very high on their prescription. Those patients we recommend a clear lens extraction," said Dr. Walter Cukrowski of the Michigan Eyecare Institute.Doctors removed his natural lens and replaced it with an artificial one.The multi-focal lens will give Higgins near and far vision.First the patient is given a slight sedation and the eyes are numbed.Then, in less than 10 minutes per eye, doctors peel away his lens replacing it with a newer improved version.Patients are usually most concerned about night driving and potential problems with glare and halos from on-coming traffic. But Cukrowski said patients indicated the problem actually improves after the surgery.As for the price, if you have really bad cataracts, it's likely paid for by insurance. Otherwise it can cost about $2,500 per eye.Additional Information
Michigan Eye Care Institute
Array Lens
Michigan Eye Care InstituteArray LensCopyright 2004 by ClickOnDetroit.com.
All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed.
One of four fishermen rescued after they were found holding on to their 19-foot boat in western Lake Erie says a heavy catch of walleye may have led their craft to capsize.
Investigators used dental records to confirm that the body was that of 62-year-old John Gilboe of Hamburg Township.
McNair was found dead on a sofa in his downtown Nashville condominium, police said.
Detroit's police chief says he feels like he's been kicked in the stomach after learning he was being fired by the
mayor.
Just in time for the Fourth of July, 14 coworkers have won a measure of financial independence by sharing a $12 million Michigan Lottery jackpot.
A Diabetic driver goes the wrong way down a stretch of Interstate 94 and causes a multi-car crash. 
Local 4's Guy Gordon reports on NBC's Today Show's exclusive photos of Michael Jackson's children. 
Surveillance video from a shooting in Detroit was released to Local 4 News. 
Warm this week?
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
