There are only a few areas of medicine which have seen more new developments in recent years than the problem of cataracts and their treatment. This is good news for more than 1,000,000 Americans each year who undergo cataract surgery to improve their vision.

New surgical techniques include: the use of a powerful surgical microscope, improved and more delicate instruments, a tiny 3 millimeter scleral pocket or clear corneal incision, finer sutures or usually no sutures at all, surgical keratometers, astigmatism correction, corneal topography, phacoemulsifiers, and especially important, a new permanent lens, termed a “foldable lens implant.” The lens is inserted into the eye itself during surgery. These innovations have contributed to tremendous improvements in cataract surgery.

Gone into the pages of medical history is the need for patients to remain immobile with heads between sandbags for two weeks following cataract surgery. Gone too, is the need for patients to wear thick, unsightly “coke bottle” glasses or contacts after surgery. No longer is there a need to cut and/or remove sutures to correct the astigmatism produced by the sutures, or to wait two or three months after surgery for good vision.

Today most cataract surgery patients can anticipate a one-day surgical experience, a rapid return to most normal activity, and a nearly natural type of vision. It is expected that one-half of the cataract patients get very good vision the day after surgery and the other half reach good vision in six to ten days. Ninety percent of our patients achieve good distance vision without glasses as a result of using this new technology called REFRACTIVE CATARACT SURGERY.

Cataracts are a common problem and the treatment of cataracts is our specialty. Therefore, we have written this booklet to provide our patients with as complete and up-to-date information as possible.

On this website, we will explain what a cataract is and how it is treated. We will describe how we determine if surgery is needed, the risk involved in refractive cataract surgery, and its related technology.

We have tried to anticipate those things we feel you should know and would want to know about cataracts and cataract surgery. In many cases there will be additional questions or comments you wish to ask or talk about with any of our physicians or our staff. We will be happy to answer any questions you have. Each and everyone of our patients are very important to us and we try our very best for each one of you to restore your vision. Enjoy your gift of sight.

Marvin Grendahl, M.D.

Robin Grendahl, M.D.