Cataract Surgery at
Brass Eye Center in Albany New York

Cataract Surgery today is safe, effective and quite common. If you suspect that you have a Cataract or have been told that you have a Cataract, there is no need to be overly concerned as you are not alone. Each year in the United States, more than 2.5 million people have cataract surgery. Thanks to advanced Cataract Surgery procedures and lens implant technology, cataract surgery is not only one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the United States, but it is also one of the safest and most successful surgical procedures that you can have. Cataract Surgery is performed on an outpatient basis and usually only requires a few hours of your time from beginning to end.

Dr. Brass performs Cataract Surgery on an outpatient basis at the Albany Regional Surgery Center as well other facilities required by your insurance plans. The entire process usually only requires a few hours of your time from beginning to end.

Cataract Surgery today is quite comfortable. When you arrive at the surgery center there will be a number of staff members present to assist you and make your experience pleasant.

The procedure will begin with your eye first being treated with an anesthetic so that you will feel little if anything during your surgery and minimal if any discomfort. For most this entails having a few sets of eye drops placed in your eyes.

Dr. Brass will then place a very tiny incision at the outermost edge of your cornea. This incision will be just big enough to allow a microscopic instrument the size of a pen tip to pass through it. This microscopic instrument is a sophisticated tool to help Dr. Brass remove your cataract.

Next, Dr. Brass will gently pass the microscopic instrument through the tiny incision and ultrasound produced at the tip of the instrument will be used to gently break the cataract into pieces small enough to be washed away, drawn through the instrument and removed from the eye. This cataract removal method is called “phacoemulsification” and is the preferred technique of cataract surgery for most patients.

After the cataract has been removed, Dr. Brass will be able to insert a new permanent Intraocular Lens implant (IOL) into your eye. The replacement lens will actually be inserted and placed in the correct position through the same tiny incision at the outer edge of the cornea through which Dr. Brass removed the cataract.

Upon completion of your cataract and lens implant surgery, Dr. Brass will instruct a surgery center staff member to take you to rest and relax in a comfortable area inside the Albany Regional Surgery Center facility. After a short rest, you will be allowed to be driven home by a family member or friend, or someone from the surgery center.  Dr. Brass will arrange to see you at Brass Eye Center within 24 hours of your cataract and lens implant surgery so he can examine your eye and confirm that you are healing and seeing as planned. Dr. Brass will prescribe some eye drops for you to use and ask you to wear a protective shield, mainly at night to help you remember not to rub your eye. Although each patient heals a little bit differently, most of Dr. Brass’s patients see well enough to return to their routine activities within a day or so after their cataract surgery.

An Important Note About Cataract Surgery

A significant number of men in their 50’s and 60’s and beyond experience an enlarged prostate as part of the aging process. Today, many of men are taking the prescription medication Flomax or other similar medications that are members of the class of drugs called “alpha-agonists”.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU NOTIFY OUR STAFF BEFORE YOU HAVE CATARACT SURGERY IF YOU ARE TAKING ANY MEDICATION FOR AN ENLARGED PROSTATE

In August 2006, a joint advisory letter was issued by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, and the American Urological Association that identified that drugs such as Flomax, commonly used to treat an enlarged prostate, and other alpha-blockers can cause abnormal movement of muscles controlling the opening and closing of the iris. During cataract surgery, the pupil must stay enlarged or dilated to allow the Cataract Surgeon to easily view the Crystalline Lens. Flomax and certain other alpha-blockers including Hytrin, Cardura, and Uroxatral can interfere with pupil dilation, creating a condition known as Intraoperative Floppy Iris Syndrome (IFIS).

If you are taking one of these medications and notify Dr. Brass or the staff, they will be able to take extra care to make sure the pupil stays dilated to prevent unexpected complications during your Cataract Surgery. 

Brass Eye Center provides treatment of Cataracts with Cataract Surgery in New York and is conveniently located for New York patients from Albany, Troy, Schenectady, Saratoga Springs, Clifton Park, Cohoes, East Glenville, Loudonville, Mechanicsville, Niskyuna, Rexford, Westmere, Colonie, Half Moon and Delmar New York. Please phone 518.782.7827 to schedule an appointment for a Cataract Surgery Consultation.