The patient is awake but sedated as Dr. Lee and
her team go to work.
Thankfully, that was far from the most important thing taking
place that day. Dr. Lee welcomed me to the process, made sure my
facemask was in place and we went directly into the OR. I walked
in filled with anticipation, boldly going where few non-health care
professionals had gone before.
In the room, I had a seat near the patient’s feet. She was mildly
sedated, but still conscious. The lights were dimmed and Dr. Lee went
to work. The sound of soft piano played from a speaker behind me.
Once the patient’s eye has been prepared, the incision is made
and the surgery begins. The cataract protein is broken either by a
laser beforehand or in person by the surgeon. The instrument used
to break up the protein uses high frequency ultrasound waves to
break the cataractous lens. The large pieces of cataract are removed,
followed shortly by the tiny fragments that remain.
As the surgery is taking place, Dr. Lee is guiding both hands to
repeatedly insert instruments and move about the eye. She is also
working pedals with both feet to operate the microscope and control
the strength of her instrument’s ultrasound. A three-person team
consisting of a scrub technician, circulator and anesthesiologist
is on hand to assist with medical tools, patient information and
sedation respectively.
“A successful surgery requires dexterity from the physician, but
it also takes a good team,” Dr. Lee explained. “You have to have a
good crew of experienced technicians nearby.”
Once the patient’s eye is cleared of the cataractous lens, a cor-
rective artificial lens is placed in its stead. Small legs on either end
of the new lens keep it from moving once inserted. And as simple
as that, the procedure is over.
With the surgery complete, the lights come back on and the
patient is fitted with a protective cover for the eye, which they’ll
wear for a few days as healing begins.
“It’s a good time to be an ophthalmologist,” Dr. Lee said, as we
moved directly to the next patient. “There have been so many im-
provements to the artificial lens, and we have machines that make
small incisions which heal better. Those improvements help the
patients have an overall better experience and make the doctors
and staff look good.”
Movement throughout the surgery center was efficient and per-
petual. Two surgeries were followed by a visit to the femtosecond
surgical laser. This machine can make precise incisions in the cat-
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