Bangor -
The odds are pretty good you'll eventually develop cataracts.
The only way to repair them is surgery.
Now, a business in Bangor is offering laser cataract surgery.
As Joy Hollowell tells us, they're believed to be the only ones in New England using the technology.
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"I tend not to go to conventional doctors, I go to naturopathy. I don't take any pills, I don't have any medications or anything. And it's gotten me into my 70's without any problems."
Which is why Jim Tyvoll was so concerned when he found out he'd need cataract surgery. It's a common diagnosis- 80-percent of those over 60 either have it or are going to develop cataracts.
"A cataract is an anatomical change of the natural lens inside your eye," explains Dr. Craig Young, founder of Vision Care of Maine.
"it's like looking out a window on a rainy day," explained Tyvoll. "You can actually see images behind a film."
Up until now, cataracts were removed by hand. Dr. Young says it's a common misconception that lasers are used for cataract surgery because of the bright lights patients see. But he says, the Catalys Precision Laser System at Vision Care of Maine is the only one in New england and one of only 9 in the entire country that actually uses laser to prepare the foggy lens for removal.
WIth the laser, surgeons have an accuracy of within tens of microns. Just to give you some perspective, a human hair is 85 microns. The procedure also reduces the need for repeat surgery. Jim Tyvoll says he came out of his surgery smiling.
"I was going into it with something like 22-hundred vision in that eye, just light I could see, blurred light. And I came out of it with better than 20-20 vision. I mean actually, just moments later, and it was miraculous," Tyvoll says.
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If you'd like more information on Laser Refractive Surgery or other procedures at Vision Care of Maine, you can call them at 945-6200 or log onto their website, www.visioncareofmaine.com
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