Crystalens

An Evansville man who once had perfect vision did what everyone eventually does. He got older. And his eyesight started to fail him, so he got stronger glasses. Then, one day, while traveling overseas, he set his glasses down and went for a shower. And he when he came back, he couldnt find them! Thats when he knew, it was time to get surgical help. Like a slow-loading web page on dial up, it takes a while for a rigid lens to focus. For millions of older Americans, this is the way it goes. Its a condition called presbiopia. And Dr. Roy Arnold, Chief Medical Officer at Welborn Health Plans has it. He said, "It was getting to the point where I couldnt read the credits on a tv screen. Ultimately now- if I take my glasses off, I see blurs and thats about it." Dr. Arnolds lenses were so rigid, the only way to restore his vision would be to implant artificial new ones with hinges that work in concert with his eye muscles. The morning of surgery, Welborn Ophthalmologist Doctor Andrew Tharp used drops to numb Doctor Arnolds eye. He made a small incision and used a probe to loosen the natural lens. The incision in the eye is only three millimeters wide so doctors have to use a tool that acts much like a jackhammer to break the old lens into small pieces before they could remove it and implant the new one. Like a letter in an envelope, the new lens will slip right into the membrane that used to surround the natural lens. Dr. Tharp said, "Its still not as good as being a kid, but its better than youll get with other implants." The Crystalens surgery takes less than a half hour and Dr. Arnold was awake throughout his surgery. He had near perfect vision without glasses the day after surgery. Hell go back in January to have the same procedure done on his other eye.