Adjust RxSight IOLs with UV light for best vision following implantation.
Donna Moyer
Donna Moyer met the man who became her husband in her native Pennsylvania, but shortly after the wedding, he was transferred to Florida for his job.
After their move, Donna began her own Mary Kay® business. The career move came after a somewhat serendipitous introduction to the cosmetics brand.
“My husband was attending a conference in Orlando,” Donna recounts. “We noticed lots of women going in and out of the conference center. I got curious so I did some research and found out there was a Mary Kay convention going on, too. I researched a little more and discovered that Mary Kay is all about having your own business.
“They have a mentoring program and an adoption program so that women have access to other women within Mary Kay that help them build their businesses. And they believe in ‘God first, family second and career third.’ That’s what I believe as well.
“I also looked into the Mary Kay Foundation. It gives money to cancer research and domestic violence prevention, which are causes I support. I decided that’s where I wanted to be. I started my Mary Kay business in 2008 and recently retired.”
Having been in the beauty business, Donna, 62, is keenly aware of how she looks. She’s also concerned about how she sees. A routine visit to her doctor this year brought to light an issue with her eyes.
“I had gone to my general doctor for a checkup, and she pointed out that I was developing cataracts,” Donna discloses. “I was taken aback by that because I didn’t expect to have cataracts for another 20 years. But within a few weeks, my eyesight started changing quite a bit.
“I noticed that my vision was getting cloudy. Glare bothered me as well. The bright lights at night affected me the most. It was so bad that I considered not driving at night anymore, but I wasn’t ready to give up night driving at 62. There were also times when my vision was blurry, and I had difficulty focusing while reading, even with reading glasses.”
Cataracts are the result of protein buildup that clouds the lens. This accumulation prevents light from passing through the lens, which obscures eyesight. It can also cause double vision.
“My condition was progressing quickly, so I wanted to do something quickly,” Donna shares. “I wanted to find an eye doctor in the area that had expertise in cataract surgery. I did some research and found Dr. Berger.”
Craig E. Berger, MD, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained ophthalmic surgeon at Bay Area Eye Institute in Tampa. In addition to his practice, Dr. Berger spent 15 years as an adjunct assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of South Florida Eye Institute.
Adjusted With Light
Donna chose Dr. Berger because he has extensive skill and experience in performing cataract surgery, which is the only treatment for cataracts.
Cataracts are a common problem typically related to aging. Studies show that more than half of all Americans will develop a cataract by age 80. Other factors such as diabetes, sun exposure, smoking and family history can cause the condition to develop at a younger age.
“Typically, cataracts become a problem later in life, but they actually start around the age of 40 and progress at different rates in different people,” Dr. Berger enlightens.
Treatment involves the surgical removal of the clouded lens, which is replaced with a synthetic intraocular lens, or IOL. Cataract surgery is generally performed on an outpatient basis on one eye at a time, typically a few weeks apart.
“I’m over-the-top excited because I can see better today than I’ve ever seen in my life.” – Donna
Like contact lenses, IOLs are available in various focusing powers. Standard IOLs correct vision primarily for distance, but patients can have one eye fixed for distance and the other for reading, an option called monovision.
Another option, multifocal IOLs, generally are bifocal lenses that correct distance and either reading or intermediate vision, but there are some advanced versions that correct distance, reading and intermediate vision.
Before recommending a replacement IOL for Donna, Dr. Berger described for her the advantages and disadvantages of the various options. The doctor also reviewed Donna’s lifestyle to find the best lens match for her.
“I always consider the patient’s activities, hobbies, type of work they do and visual requirements,” Dr. Berger observes. “Then I perform a complete eye exam looking at the patient’s tear film, retina and optic nerve. I also look for astigmatism, an imperfection in the cornea.
“I recommend IOLs based on all of that information, and I encourage patients to take time to gain a clear understanding of the benefits of each of the intraocular lenses before making a choice. No one lens is ideal for everyone. Lenses come in many sizes, with a variety of features and benefits.”
The Light Adjustable Lens is made of a special photosensitive material that changes shape and power in response to UV light.
For Donna, Dr. Berger recommended the RxSight® Light Adjustable Lens™.
“The unique feature of the RxSight lens is that its shape and focusing characteristics can be adjusted after implantation using an office-based UV light source,” Dr. Berger describes. “The resulting changes create a highly predictable alteration in the curvature of the lens. The new shape matches the patient’s vision prescription determined before surgery.
“The RxSight lens can be adjusted up to three times to fine-tune the patient’s distance, intermediate and reading vision. In most cases, patients who receive the RxSight lens become glasses-free after cataract surgery and the adjustments that follow.”
“Over-the-Top Excited”
“Because I’m only 62, I’m going to need my eyes for many years to come, so it was an easy decision for me to choose the RxSight Light Adjustable Lens because I know I’ll have those lenses for the rest of my life,” Donna states.
Dr. Berger performed cataract surgery on Donna’s right eye during the last week in June, and the left eye a week later. He then completed a series of light treatments to adjust the RxSight lenses for optimum visual clarity.
With her new lenses, Donna can see clearly without glasses.
“The lens adjustments were done over the course of a couple weeks,” Donna relates. “It was amazing to see the progression to where I was actually seeing 20/20.
“I said, Wow, this is incredible, because I’ve worn glasses since kindergarten. Now I don’t wear glasses at all, not even reading glasses. I’m over-the-top excited because I can see better today than I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Donna is also ecstatic about her positive experience at Bay Area Eye Institute.
“The surgeries were a piece of cake. The light treatments were done in the office and were very easy to go through,” she reports. “Dr. Berger and his staff were wonderful. I highly recommend them to anyone with cataracts.”
