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JORDAN PYSZ / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Gayle Koch
In the years immediately after the end of World War II, more than 2 million people left Great Britain, many to escape the United Kingdom’s harsh rationing policies, which made it difficult to buy basic foodstuffs such as bread, sugar, meat and cheese.
Gayle Koch’s parents were among those who sought a new life elsewhere.
“My parents were Scottish, and the rationing made it very hard to live in Scotland at that time, so they decided to give Africa a try,” Gayle details. “That’s how I came to be born in Zimbabwe, which is where I lived until I was 12, when we moved to South Africa.”
Many years later, in 1989, Gayle moved from South Africa to Cleveland, where she and her husband opened a furniture store. That store remained open until the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s when the couple packed up and moved again, this time to Florida.
Prior to heading south, Gale, 72, was diagnosed with cataracts, which are a clouding of the eyes’ lenses due to an age-related breakdown of proteins that make up the lenses. They typically result in blurred vision, an increase in light sensitivity and a reduction in color vibrancy.
For several years, Gayle did not experience any of those symptoms. Then, a couple of years ago, her vision began to fade. This fading occurred gradually, but by late last year, Gayle’s vision had diminished to where she knew the problem had to be corrected.
For that correction, Gayle turned to Sarah S. Khodadadeh, MD. The founder of Panacea Eye Center, Dr. Khodadadeh is one of her field’s most accomplished surgeons and the only Ivy League fellowship-trained ophthalmologist on the Treasure Coast.
In addition to performing comprehensive general eye exams, Dr. Khodadadeh also treats eye disorders such as diabetic retinopathy, meibomian gland dysfunction and dry eye disease, and she specializes in the treatment of glaucoma and cataracts.
About the PanOptix
As Gayle soon learned, the only treatment for cataracts is the surgical removal and replacement of the lenses with synthetic intraocular lenses, or IOLs. The brief outpatient procedures are usually scheduled for one eye at a time, a week or two apart.
IOLs are typically made of a flexible plastic such as acrylic or silicone and are coated with a special material to help protect the eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Like contact lenses, IOLs come in different focusing powers, which correct a variety of refractive issues.
Standard IOLs correct only distance vision, which means the patient may have to wear reading glasses for near vision. But patients can also choose to be fit with multifocal lenses that correct distance and near vision.
There is also a trifocal lens called the PanOptix® that corrects distance, intermediate and near vision. The ability of the PanOptix to correct vision in all fields is why Dr. Khodadadeh refers to it as the “gold standard” for cataract patients who have otherwise healthy eyes.
“This lens is an example of how far the technology in replacement lenses has come,” the doctor states. “But it’s important to point out that there are still limitations with all replacement lenses, including the PanOptix.
“When the multifocal lenses first came out, one in five of patients fit with it continued to experience glare and halos around lights. PanOptix is a newer Trifocal lens with advanced technology that has decreased the incidence of halos to only one in 20 patients experience those side effects, and they are very minimal.”
Another drawback is that anyone who has undergone LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis), LASEK (laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy) or RK (radial keratotomy) is not a candidate for the PanOptix. Anyone who has macular degeneration or a retina problem would need to be fit with another IOL as well.
Gayle was deemed a good candidate for the PanOptix, which is what Dr. Khodadadeh recommended for her. That came during a consultation in which Dr. Khodadadeh and Gayle discussed the patient’s lifestyle, vision goals and eye health as well as the results of an FDA-approved study that shows how pleased recipients of the PanOptix are with the lens.
“According to the results of the study, 99.2 percent of the people who were fit with the PanOptix lens said they would have the lens placed again,” Dr. Khodadadeh informs. “And I can tell you this as well: If I needed to have cataract surgery right now, this is the lens that I would have placed for myself.”
JORDAN PYSZ / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Before cataract surgery, Gayle says she could not see well enough to thread a needle, even with readers. Now, she can perform that task and many others without glasses.
Needles and Pins
Confident that the PanOptix lens would allow her to achieve her ultimate goal of being glasses-free following her cataract surgery, Gayle accepted Dr. Khodadadeh’s strong recommendation.
“And I am very happy with my decision because I now see clearly in the distance without glasses, and I can even read without glasses, which is wonderful,” Gayle enthuses. “All the reading glasses I had; I’ve given them all away to the thrift store.
“My biggest thrill, though, is that I can now thread a needle again because before, even with reading glasses on, I could not see well enough to thread needles. And it seems there is always a button to be sewn on or some stupid little task to do, and it’s so nice to be able to do those tasks again.”
-Gayle
Gayle says a friend first recommended Dr. Khodadadeh to her a couple of years ago when she was looking for a new eye doctor to perform a standard exam. Like her friend, Gayle says she would gladly recommend the doctor to others.
“My husband and I both think very highly of her,” Gayle enthuses. “She’s amazing. In fact, when I was having my cataract surgery, all the staff working with Dr. Khodadadeh at the surgery center was very complimentary of her, and I understand why.
“They all said that she is a perfectionist and that she works extremely hard for her patients, and that is true. I even talked to one lady who works for another doctor, but she told her husband to go to Dr. Khodadadeh when he had a problem. That pretty much says it all.”
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