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Services of the Ponca City Eye Clinic

Dr. Poland and the Ponca City Eye Clinic provide total family eye care. As an Ophthalmologist, Dr. Poland treats diseases of the eye and performs surgery (including laser) of the eye. Also, Dr. Poland performs eye exams for infants to the aged. Differing types of contact lenses are fitted and prescribed. Following is a small listing of the many services provided by the Ponca City Eye Clinic.

Surgeries

  1. Cataract Surgery
  2. Plastic Surgery of the Face
  3. Plastic Surgery of the Eyelids
  4. Laser Surgeries for Glaucoma: ALT and LPI Laser Surgeries
  5. Laser Surgery after Cataract Surgery: YAG Laser Surgery
  6. Laser Surgeries for Diabetic Retinopathy

CATARACT SURGERY: Modern Techniques to Restore Vision

Cataracts, or the clouding of the eye's natural lens, have troubled man for centuries. In fact, cataract surgery has been described since before the time of Christ. As recently as the 1930's, cataract surgery meant that patients had to lie for days in darkened hospital rooms with their heads surrounded by sandbags to keep them from moving.

Today, surgery to remove cataracts is a highly sophisticated procedure with a far shorter recuperation time. Patients usually return home from surgery the same day. Cataract surgery is the most frequently performed operation in the USA.

How Cataract Surgery is Done

First of all, to dispel a common myth, cataracts are not removed with a laser!  

PHACOEMULSIFICATION: The most popular surgical technique uses ultrasound to break the cataract into small pieces within the eye. How this is done is as follows:

1. A small incision is made on the eyeball that allows Dr. Poland access to the cataract.  The cataract is a natural lens inside the eye that has become cloudy.

2. This natural lens "rests" inside a bag.  Dr. Poland opens the front of the bag and then using a tube that vibrates ultrasonically, she divides and breaks up the natural lens.

3. Dr. Poland then sucks out the remnants of the cataract, leaving the bag intact.

4. She then inserts a man-made lens, call an Intra-Ocular Lens Implant (IOL).  The IOL allows the eye to focus. 

5. Dr. Poland uses a "small incision" and therefore often does not need to use any stitches, however if she believes it is in patient's best interest, she will use one or two "safety" stitches to close the wound.

Unless there is some unusual physiology of the eye, Dr. Poland will use phacoemulsification technique to remove the cataract.  In extremely rare cases, she will use a technique called Extra-Capsular Cataract Removal, but this method rarely needs to be performed.  In either case, the end result is the same.

While vision loss due to a cataract is distressing, modern surgical treatment offers the possibility of restored vision. Most people who have had cataract surgery return to the same lifestyle and activities they enjoyed before their surgery.

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Treatment of Diseases

  1. Diabetes
  2. Dry Eyes
  3. Glaucoma
  4. Macular Degeneration
  5. Infections and Inflammation
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Contact Lenses

Soft

  1. Disposable (insert in the morning, remove at night, and replace with a new set of contact lenses every two weeks).

  2. Daily Wear (one pair worn for six months to a year, daily insertion and removal).
  3. Tinted Lenses (Disposable and Daily Wear) These contact lenses "enhance" the color of a person's eyes, usually comes in blue, green or aqua.  These contacts are colored, but transparent.
  4. Opaque Lenses (Eye Color Changing)  These are the contact lenses that can make brown eyes blue.  The color is actually on or in the contact lens.  A hole in the middle of the contact allow you to see.

Rigid Lenses

  1. Rigid Gas Permeable.  These are usually the healthiest for the eyes in that they allow the most oxygen to get to the eyes and do not absorb protein and other substances found in the eye.  They often provide the best vision possible.  However, if a patient plays contact sports, has very sensitive eyes or for other medical reasons, soft contacts may be preferable. 
  2. Hard (PMMA)  These are the "old" hard contacts that were fit many years ago.  No longer fit on new patients, though some patients still wear them if physiologically they are doing O.K.
  3. Keratoconus A special type of lens for a corneal disease where the cornea become very steep.
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Laser Surgery

  1. Argon Laser Trabeculoplasty (ALT). Laser surgery performed on glaucoma patients to reduce the Intra Ocular Pressure (IOP). Often performed when glaucoma eye drops no longer are effective enough to reduce IOP to desired level. Takes about 5 minutes to perform in-office and there are no restrictions following the surgery.
  2. Laser Peripheral Iridotomy (LPI). Laser surgery performed on patients with Narrow Angle Glaucoma as a preventative measure from an Acute Closed Angle Glaucoma Attack. Takes about 15 minutes to perform in-office and there are no restriction following the surgery.
  3. YAG Laser. Laser surgery performed on patients that have had cataract surgery and the back membrane of the capsule holding the IOL implant has become opaque (Posterior Capsular Opacity). The YAG laser opens the back of the capsule. Take about 10 minutes with no restrictions. Patient is dilated.
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