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Cataracts

Kung Eye Center is proud to offer state-of-the-art laser cataract removal in both of its offices located in New Jersey and Staten Island.

What is a Cataract?

As we age, the proteins in the crystalline lens of the eye will clump together eventually causing the lens to become hard and cloudy. This is a cataract and it will make vision hazy and blurry. A cataract can affect your entire field of vision and make day-to-day functions such as reading and driving difficult or even impossible. Removal of the cataract is the only way to restore vision. Cataract surgery is now recommended when the cataract begins to interfere with your vision and before it begins making daily tasks difficult or affecting your quality of life. Kung Eye Center located in New Jersey and Staten Island, NY, offers premium intraocular lenses (IOLs) that can replace your cloudy natural lens to give you clearer, more dependable vision and offer more freedom from glasses following cataract surgery.

There are three distinct types of cataracts:

  • Nuclear cataracts are the most common form of cataract and are usually associated with aging, and form deep in the central zone of the lens.
  • Subcapsular cataracts develop at the back of the lens and are usually found in patients with diabetes, pronounced farsightedness, retinitis pigmentosa, or those who take high doses of steroid medications.
  • Cortical cataracts are characterized by white, wedge-like opacities that develop from the outer edges of the lens and move inward toward the center in a spoke-like pattern. This type of cataract is most common among diabetics.

Symptoms of cataracts include:

  • A loss of color, detail, or sharpness to your vision.
  • Blurred, cloudy, or dim vision.
  • Difficulty with night vision, especially while driving.
  • Sensitivity to bright lights.
  • Glare or halos around lights.
  • Colors that aren’t as bright.
  • Double vision.

Risk Factors

Aside from aging, researchers have identified factors that are associated with the development of cataracts. These include:

  • Ultraviolet radiation from exposure to sunlight and other sources.
  • Diabetes.
  • Obesity.
  • Smoking.
  • Hypertension.
  • Previous eye injury or inflammation.
  • Previous eye surgery.
  • Prolonged use of corticosteroid medications.
  • Use of statin medicines to reduce cholesterol.
  • Hormone replacement therapy.
  • Significant alcohol consumption.
  • High level of myopia.
  • Family history.

Though there is significant controversy about whether cataracts can be prevented, nutrition studies have shown that diets high in antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables may help prevent certain types of cataracts. While most cataract patients are over the age of 50, some people may develop them earlier due to diabetes or injury. Some patients are also born with cataracts, also known as congenital cataracts.

Expand Your Knowledge

Gain a deeper understanding about the topics, conditions, and procedures discussed on this page by watching our informational videos.

Cataract Surgery

When surgery becomes necessary for a cataract patient, they can rest assured that they will be well cared for at Kung Eye Center. Cataract surgery is one of the safest and most commonly performed surgeries in the U.S. It has evolved over the years into a state-of-the-art procedure that is usually completed in only a few minutes and has a quick recovery.

Cataract surgery begins by dilating the pupil and administering eye numbing drops to ensure patient comfort. A small incision is created and an ultrasonic probe is inserted that breaks up the clouded lens into smaller pieces and suctions them out. This process is called phacoemulsification. Next, a new intraocular lens (IOL) is placed in the space where the clouded lens used to be. Patients can have the Medicare approved monofocal lens, which allows for clear, cataract-free vision, but may require the use of glasses for distance vision after surgery. Patients that have a monofocal lens will require reading glasses or bifocals following surgery. Many patients, however, choose to upgrade to Premium multifocal or accommodative lens implants that offer clear vision at a range of distances, including up-close, and can reduce or eliminate dependence on reading glasses or bifocals following cataract surgery.

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For years I’ve had problems with my eyes not receiving the correct prescription for the contacts I needed…Upon meeting Dr.Avi he set my mind at ease and said “let’s get you fixed up” and proceeded to prescribe the perfect lenses for me! Now I see better than ever thanks to his professional care to detail…I highly recommend him to anyone that is in need of a great eye doctor! Thank you so much!

I recently had corrective lens surgery performed by Dr. Kung with amazing results. I no longer require glasses for reading or distance (driving, tv viewing etc.). Dr. Kung and his staff are consistently friendly, helpful and provided excellent care pre-, during and post-surgery…best care anywhere. I would definitely recommend the Kung Eye Center for the treatment of any ophthalmological disorder.

Kung Eye Center is great! Dr. Kung, his doctors, technicians, and office staff run the eye center with precision, efficiency, intelligence and most of all, with caring and empathy.

All medical facilities and offices should be run as well as Kung Eye Center.

I am now on the road to the best vision I can have. I highly recommend Dr Kung and the Eye Center. You will be very pleased!

Laser Cataract Surgery

Kung Eye Center offers Laser Cataract Surgery, the latest innovation in cataract surgery to their Staten Island and East Brunswick, NJ patients. Laser Cataract Surgery is the newest approach to cataract surgery and provides unmatched precision and the ability to customize the surgery to each patient. This can result in better visual outcomes and shorter recover for patients.

Traditional cataract surgery relies on manual techniques to access, remove and replace the cataract. Laser Cataract Surgery uses a computer-guided laser, delivering better precision and accuracy, and thus providing patients with better visual outcomes and shorter recovery times.

Another benefit to Laser Cataract Surgery is that the laser can be used to treat astigmatism during surgery. Special relaxing incisions can be created in the cornea to achieve a rounder, more natural shape, improving vision and lessening the need for glasses following cataract surgery.

Traditional Manual vs Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery

During cataract surgery, the surgeon must perform incisions, the capsulorhexis (opening made into the bag that holds the lens of the eye) and if applicable, limbal relaxing incisions for reducing astigmatism. In the past, eye surgeons performed most of these steps of cataract surgery using manual hand-held blades and instruments. With the introduction of laser-assisted cataract surgery, many of these steps can be performed using the precision of a computer-guided femtosecond laser. In addition to the steps mentioned above, the femtosecond laser can dissect a cataract into tiny little pieces. This makes removal of a cataract much easier for the surgeon and decreases the phacoemulsification time (removal of the cataract using ultrasound), which can result in a more comfortable procedure for the patient and a faster recovery time. This is extremely beneficial when our surgeons are performing cataract removal on patients with dense or mature cataracts.

Simply put, laser cataract surgery takes an already safe procedure and makes it more precise, more predictable, and better than ever before.

What are the benefits of Laser-Cataract Surgery?

  • A highly customized procedure using advanced 3D imaging.
  • A treatment with little or no discomfort.
  • A more precise treatment.
  • A gentler and easier cataract removal.
  • Generally, a more rapid visual recovery due to reduced inflammation.
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Lens Implant Options

After a cataract is removed, a new lens called an intraocular lens or IOL must be implanted within the eye. The standard Medicare approved lens implant is monofocal and allows for clear vision at only one distance (usually distance vision), requiring patients to wear glasses after their surgery for near distance activities.

At Kung Eye Center we offer our Staten Island and East Brunswick patients premium lens implant options. These IOLs are often only partially covered by Medicare and will involve some out-of-pocket expense, but they allow patients to enjoy a greater range of vision and an active lifestyle with more freedom from reading glasses or bifocals.

Multifocal IOLs: have different levels of power and each power diffracts light differently, offering patients good vision at near and far distances, and can potentially reduce reading glasses or bifocals.  These lenses include ReStor by Alcon Tecnis Multifocal, Symfony and Synergy by Johnson & Johnson.

Toric IOLs: are used to correct astigmatism, which is an asymmetric steepening of the cornea that causes light to focus unevenly on the retina. Uncorrected astigmatism can cause blurry or shadowed images. For cataract patients who also have astigmatism, a toric lens may be your best option at freedom from glasses after cataract surgery.

Accommodating IOLs: are designed to mimic the eye’s natural lens. The hinge design of the lens allows it to move using the ciliary muscles inside the eye. This allows the lens to flex and move or accommodate like the natural lens would to focus on single point through a wide range of distances. These lenses include Crystalens by Bausch and Lomb.

Light Adjustable IOL’s: provide the clearest vision after cataract surgery because an ultraviolet light can be used to adjust the power of the IOL after surgery while it’s in the patient’s eye. It can adjust to nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Patients can see 20/20 after surgery at a rate that is double that of conventional IOL’s.

Trifocal IOLs: are designed to allow patients to see at all distances, including near, intermediate, and distance vision with the greatest depth of spectacle free vision. This technology was FDA approved in 2019 and was developed by Alcon Pharmaceuticals. The Alcon AcrySof IQ PanOptix IntraOcular Lens was the first FDA approved Multifocal IOL and Kung Eye Center with offices in New Jersey and Staten Island was one of the first offices in the country to offer this revolutionary technology.

Dr. Kung on Premium IOLs:

“When patients have cataract surgery, they have options beyond the standard lens implant that Medicare covers. Multifocal, Trifocal, Accommodating and Toric IOLs can be absolutely amazing by reducing or possibly even eliminating the need for glasses, reading glasses and/or bifocals. Patients might still need readers for very small print, such as a medicine bottle, or in a dark restaurant. Besides that, most patients can do most things, most of the time without glasses. Although there is an out-of-pocket expense beyond Medicare coverage, if a patient is a candidate for a premium lens implant, and if it’s something they can afford to do, it’s something they should do, as it will benefit them every waking moment for their rest of their life.”

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Please call our New York office at (929) 429-2928 or our New Jersey office at (732) 724-2535 with any questions you may have.

STATEN ISLAND, NY EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ
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