The Eye Professionals
Cloudy vision can make it seem like you’re looking through a dirty window or misty fog. The most likely cause of this vision issue is cataracts, which are spots that appear on the eye’s lens due to a protein that breaks down and clumps together.
Fortunately, surgery to remove cataracts is typically quick, painless and – in the process of removing the cloudy lens – eye specialists can replace them with implants that could improve your vision.
“An implant lens will last our patients for the rest of their lives,” says Ophthalmologist Gregory Scimeca, MD, medical director of The Eye Professionals. “For that reason, many people, particularly younger patients, will opt for upgraded lenses that enable them to see better without corrective glasses or contacts.”
The Eye Professionals is a patient-centered practice with 7 offices, 2 on-site ambulatory surgical centers, a medical spa and 7 optical shops throughout Central and South Jersey and Bucks County, Pa. The newest office is located in the Medical Office Building at Deborah Heart and Lung Center.
With a staff of physicians who are leaders in their fields and specialties, The Eye Professionals can take care of virtually all aspects of a patient’s eye care needs under one practice, from routine eye exams and contact lens fittings to LASIK and cosmetic surgery to treatment of eye conditions including macular degeneration and glaucoma.
Dr. Scimeca, who took over the practice that his father, the late Dr. Henry Scimeca, started more than 25 years ago, has performed thousands of cataract surgeries since he started practicing. Given that the build up of protein naturally occurs as people age, 9 out of 10 people will develop cataracts by their late 60s and early 70s, he says. But he also sees more and more younger patients who develop cataracts due to sports injuries, diabetes, some medications and sun exposure.
At the Surgical Center of Burlington County, designed exclusively for outpatient surgery, Dr. Scimeca performs the majority of surgeries using the center’s new femtosecond laser, which he considers a game changer.
Prior to surgery, Dr. Scimeca uses the laser to produce a high-definition, 3D map of the eye. Once imaged, the laser creates precise incisions in the cornea along with a circular opening in the lens capsule to remove the cataract. The laser also softens the cataract to insure a more efficient, gentle extraction.
Before removal and insertion of the replacement intraocular lens (IOL), the laser can also be used to further reshape the cornea to improve the patient’s visual outcome.
“The laser allows me to put more advanced types of lenses in the eye, including bifocal implants or lens implants that correct for astigmatism so patients will be able to see without glasses,” says Dr. Scimeca, a third-generation eye doctor.
Dr. Scimeca, who started his career when patients had to stay in the hospital following cataract surgery, says the laser does not make his job necessarily easier than removing cataracts by hand. Using it requires a high-degree of technical skill.
“I’m still physically removing the cataract,” he says. “I would say it’s more precise and it makes the operation go smoother. Recovery is faster too.”
Barrington | Browns Mills | Cherry Hill | Millville
Moorestown | Willingboro | Langhorne, Pa
