If you live long enough, the chances are high that you will end up with at least one cataract in your eyes. The American Academy of Ophthalmology says by age 75, 50% of Americans will have cataracts. Today, more than 24.4 million Americans over age 40 have cataracts.
Cataracts are a filmy blur that covers the lens of your eye as you age. A cataract is caused by the natural breakdown of proteins in the eye that gradually build up to produce a film. If you have cataracts, you will gradually lose your vision.
Surgery for cataracts is both highly effective and safe. Fortunately, treatments are available to remove the cataract and restore your vision. If you’ve been diagnosed with cataracts, your next step is to look for an eye specialist for cataract surgery. This article will help you find the best cataract surgeons in Buffalo to help you get your eyesight—and your life—back.
Who Performs Cataract Surgery in Buffalo?
The doctor who performs surgery for cataracts is called an ophthalmologist. Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who receive additional surgical training and are qualified as eye specialists for cataract surgery. An ophthalmologist is different from an optometrist, who is the doctor you might visit when you need an eye exam. Optometrists often refer cataract patients to ophthalmologists to receive vision-saving cataract treatment.
What Should You Look for in a Buffalo Cataract Surgeon?
We know a diagnosis of cataracts can be disconcerting or even frightening. But the disorder can easily be corrected with a common outpatient surgery known as cataract removal. During cataract removal, your surgeon will remove the lens of your eye and replace it with an artificial (intraocular) lens to clear up your vision. The type of intraocular lens (OL) the doctor uses depends upon your overall vision. Some OLs can improve your long distance vision or help correct astigmatism.
There are many cataract surgeons in Buffalo that can perform this procedure. What should you look for if you’re seeking the best possible treatment?
Education/Board Certification
Start with the educational background of the cataract surgery provider. Credentialing serves as the baseline for a cataract surgeon. The doctor you choose should be board certified in ophthalmology. An ophthalmologist goes through four years of undergraduate study, four years of medical school, and an additional four or five years of specialty training. Then the new doctor must pass their medical exam and board certification. Board certification means the ophthalmologist has received a certificate from the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO), the oldest medical specialty board in the U.S. today. Certification requires both an oral and written exam. Certification is re-upped every ten years or so to ensure the ophthalmologist stays on top of the latest advances in the field.
Next, look at Healthgrades.com to ensure the surgeon has no history of complaints, disciplinary actions, or malpractice. Healthgrades is an excellent resource for patient ratings as well as details on a doctor’s practice history.
Experience Performing Cataract Surgery
Experience matters when performing any task, but certainly when you’re choosing an eye specialist for cataract surgery. Beyond credentials, you’ll want to look at the surgeon’s experience performing cataract surgery. The more experienced the surgeon, the better they’ll be at meeting the standard success rate for cataract removal—which is high. The overall complication for cataract surgeries is less than 5%.
Even new ophthalmologists have performed 200 to 300 surgeries before they enter practices. Cataract surgery is a fairly routine procedure. With that said, there is a difference in the skill levels of surgeons who have done 300 surgeries versus 600 or even 3,000. When you ask cataract surgeons in Buffalo how many cataract surgeries they’ve performed successfully, you’re looking for that higher number.
Cataract Surgery Success Rate
The next criterion for choosing your eye specialist for cataract surgery is to look at patient outcomes. Only one out of every 2,000 patients experience any sort of complication during these surgeries, making them one of the safest procedures in all of medicine. You can use a site like Healthgrades to check for surgery complications, but you should also as the doctor about the last complication they experienced and what was the outcome?
3 Tips for Choosing a Cataract Surgeon in Buffalo
Basic research can move you closer to selecting the top doctor for cataract surgery in Buffalo. Some of the best questions to ask your cataract surgeon include the following:
- What are the benefits and risks of cataract surgery?
- What will my recovery process be like?
- Is this surgery covered by my insurance? If not, what will I owe?
- How will my vision be after the surgery?
- What will my aftercare be like?
- Will I need any follow-up surgeries?
Surgery for cataracts is routine, but you should feel comfortable asking questions anytime a doctor operates on your body. Pay attention to how the doctor or their clinical and administrative staff treat you as you’re asking questions. They should be patient and have clear communication to answer any queries you have. If you don’t feel comfortable with how they handle your questions, it’s a red flag.
We have three additional tips for selecting from all of the cataract surgeons in Buffalo. Follow these steps to help ensure you find the perfect surgeon for your cataract removal procedure.
#1 Read Online Reviews
Online reviews are the top tip for choosing a cataract surgeon in Buffalo because healthcare patients today increasingly use this forum to select doctors in every specialty. Inc. says 84% of people trust online reviews more than they trust a referral from a friend. In healthcare, patients trust online reviews as much as a doctor’s referral. With 91% of the population reading online reviews before they select any service provider, you better believe these consumer portals are important to your doctor.
Where can you look for online referrals for cataract surgeons in Buffalo?
- Doctor.com
- Healthgrades
- RateMDs
- Vitals
- Wellness.com
- Yelp
What should you look for when choosing an eye specialist for cataract surgery?
- Lots of stars and happy patients. Would you trust your eyes to a provider with only three stars?
- A lot of reviews. The more reviews the better, in fact. Most healthcare patients (74.7%) want at least seven positive ratings before they say they’ll consider the doctor.
- How does the practice handle the reviews? Pay particular attention to whether the practice responds to any negative patient reviews.
#2 Referrals
Since surgery for cataracts is so common, you may have friends, neighbors, or family members who have undergone the procedure. Ask around. Also, your optometrist refers patients to ophthalmologists regularly, so ask their office what specialist for cataract surgery they recommend. You can also seek out referrals from:
- The American Academy of Ophthalmology.
- The department of ophthalmology at your closest hospital.
- Your insurance company.
#3 Schedule a Consultation
It’s a great idea to visit the practice and meet the staff and doctor before you select the doctor that will do your cataract surgery. Cataract surgeons in Buffalo frequently offer a no cost consultation with the surgeon before scheduling the appointment. After the visit, ask yourself these questions to see if you feel comfortable with the practice:
- What does the office feel like?
- Is the office conveniently located?
- Do the practice office hours fit within your schedule?
- Were you welcomed warmly?
- Was the staff inattentive?
- How was the doctor’s bedside manner?
- Did the doctor explain the procedure clearly?
- Was the doctor patient when answering your questions?
- Did the office seem modern?
- What kind of technology will the practice use to perform your cataract surgery?
- How rigorous were the hygiene standards at the practice—were the restrooms clean?
- What did your instincts tell you about the practice?
Another consideration is whether your insurance will cover the cost of the cataract surgery with the physician you choose. What is the cost of the treatment? Talk to the practice manager or other administrative staff member about what out-of-pocket costs you’ll incur.
You have a lot riding on the success of your cataract surgery. Since cataracts come on gradually, you can be as thorough as you need to be when selecting your eye specialist for cataract surgery. Your thorough efforts to find the right fit will help you achieve a more successful and comfortable surgery.
Choose WNY’s Top Ophthalmologists for Cataract Surgery
Eye Care & Vision Associates is leading the Buffalo region in innovative, high-quality eye care for you and your family. In addition to surgery for cataracts, our practices offer lasik eye surgery, medical retinal exams, management of glaucoma condition, diabetic eye care, and of course, comprehensive vison exams.
We care for patients at all stages of their lives. With four offices in the Buffalo area, there’s sure to be a practice that’s conveniently located near your home. Contact us if your eyes are troubling you—we can help.
Schedule a consultation with one of the top cataract surgeons in Buffalo, NY today!
