MDI Hospital surgical services department has acquired a state-of-the-art instrument in cataract and lens removal technology, which provides eye surgery patients an increased margin of safety. The revolutionary INFINITITM Vision System is more user- friendly than previous systems and will provide Ophthalmologists Timber Gorman, MD and Lawrence Piazza, MD, who routinely perform cataract surgery at MDI Hospital, more surgical options for their patients.
The INFINITI™ Vision System, a machine used to surgically remove cataracts, includes a Fluidics Management System (FMS) offering unsurpassed performance with capabilities unavailable on any other ophthalmic surgery platform. This new technology allows for maximum surgeon flexibility by providing three modes for the surgical removal of cataracts: Ultrasound, Neosonix and Aqualase.
While Ultrasound has remained the standard for cataract extraction for decades, the INFINITI™ vision system with it’s enhanced fluid control allows for a safer deployment of this traditional and most commonly used method of lens extraction. Neosonix is an enhanced version of Ultrasound technology effectively increasing the efficiency of lens removal while maintaining a high level of safety already present with Inifiti’s Ultrasound mode. Finally, the newest technology available for cataract and lens extraction is the Aqualase mode.
As multifocal lens technology continues to evolve, clear lens extraction for refractive purposes will emerge as a viable and sustaining option for correction of refractive errors. Younger patients who may have previously considered lasik laser correction will begin to consider lens exchange surgery as a better option as it not only decreases dependency on spectacles, it eliminates the need for future cataract surgery in addition to treating presbyopia by allowing patients to perform near tasks without spectacles. Younger patients possess softer lenses and will not require the higher energy levels of Ultrasound and Neosonix for removal of their lenses.
The AquaLase® liquefaction device is the key to an innovative new method of removing lens material, particularly soft to moderate cataracts. This method uses warm fluid micropulses to emulsify and delaminate the multiple layers of a cataract without deploying mechanical ultrasound technology. Aqualase has its limitations in more dense cataracts and will never replace Ultrasound and Neosonix modes completely. Because of its increased safety margin and non-mechanical approach, Aqualase, is quickly becoming the preferred method of lens extraction for clear lens extraction in addition to mild to moderate cataracts.
Dr. Gorman, a Board Certified ophthalmologist, established Downeast Eye MD in 2001 and has been providing surgical and medical opthalmic care to patients of in Hancock, Washington and Penobscot counties since 1996. She provides diagnosis and treatment of a variety of diseases and disorders of the eye, including glaucoma and cataracts. Dr. Gorman has been on the staff of Mount Desert Island Hospital since 1996.
Dr. Piazza, also a Board-Certified ophthalmologist, established Coastal Eye Care, PA in 1994 and has been providing comprehensive surgical and medical ophthalmic care to patients in Hancock, Penobscot and Washington counties since 1992. Dr. Piazza has concentrated his practice on small-incision cataract surgery with a particular interest in multi-focal lens implants, refractive lens exchange surgery and Aqualase. He has been on Staff at MDI Hospital since 1992 and recently has enhanced his surgical schedule at the Hospital, providing his patients from the island increased access to eye surgery closer to home.