Restore your vision with standard cataract surgery in Harrisburg
Learn how this safe and effective treatment brings color and clarity back to your life
AS SEEN IN
“Patients are amazed at the improvement in their vision”
DR ERIK CHOTINER EXPLAINS HOW PATIENTS FEEL AFTER STANDARD CATARACT SURGERY
See the world in vivid color
Overcome cataracts and get back to doing what you love with standard cataract surgery
Life’s too short to wait
Feel relieved that you tackled the problem head-on and be able to get back to normal life quicker and easier than you ever thought possible.
Embrace everything the world has to offer
Whether you like hiking along the famous Appalachian Trail, supporting your favourite ball team at the FNB Field or watching a Broadway show at the Hershey Theatre, you’ll be able to continue enjoying all of your favourite activities.
Be free from the constraints of cataracts
After cataract surgery, you’ll be free from cataracts and can resume life as usual with your favourite pair of glasses.
Life’s too short to wait
Feel relieved that you tackled the problem head-on and be able to get back to normal life quicker and easier than you ever thought possible.
Embrace everything the world has to offer
Whether you like hiking along the famous Appalachian Trail, supporting your favourite ball team at the FNB Field or watching a Broadway show at the Hershey Theatre, you’ll be able to continue enjoying all of your favourite activities.
Restore your vision in 3 easy steps
TRUST US TO EXPERTLY GUIDE YOU TO A LIFE FREE FROM CATARACTS
Contact us
Give us a call on (717) 657-2020 or book a free appointment online. Our warm and friendly team are here to guide you every step of the way.
We’ll meet
Visit our eye surgery center in Harrisburg for a free assessment that will give you a complete understanding of your cataract surgery options.
Enjoy everyday
In no time at all, you’ll be experiencing the world through brand new eyes – free from cataracts (and possibly even glasses!)
Improve your quality of life
Discover how standard cataract surgery restores your vision
Over 50% of people over the age of 60, and quite a few younger than that, suffer from cataracts.
Currently, there is no medical treatment to reverse or prevent the development of cataracts. Once they form, the only way to see clearly again is to have them removed and replaced with an artificial lens implant.
In your parents’ or grandparents’ day, cataract surgery was considered risky, required a lengthy hospital stay and was usually postponed for as long as possible. Today, cataract surgery is performed on an outpatient basis and takes only minutes. It is now one of the most common and successful medical procedures performed. In fact, following cataract surgery, many patients experience vision that is actually better than what they had before they developed cataracts.
Cataract surgery at Memorial Eye Institute is for those who:
- Have been diagnosed with cataracts
- Have visual symptoms that interfere with their daily activities
- Want better vision to improve their quality of life
What to expect on surgery day
You will need to arrive at Memorial Eye Institute’s surgery center entrance about an hour prior to your procedure. Once the team has checked you in, the nurse will offer you a sedative to help you relax and dilate the pupil in your operative eye. They will then prepare you for surgery.
Once in the operating room, the nurse will clean the area around your eyes and apply a sterile drape. We then use eye drops to numb the eyes. If necessary, an anesthesiologist will administer intravenous sedation and monitor your vital signs during the procedure. An eyelid holder will be placed between your eyelids to keep you from blinking during the surgery.
We then make microscopic incisions in the cornea and use a tiny ultrasonic probe to break up the cataract into microscopic particles using high-energy sound waves. This ultrasound technique is called phacoemulsification. We then gently suction the cataract particles from the eye and insert a folded intraocular lens (IOL) through the micro-incision into the eye where it unfolds into the proper position behind the pupil. The small incisions usually self seal without the need for stitches. This type of incision heals fast and provides a more rapid and comfortable recovery.
You will go to the recovery room where nurses will go over post-operative care, and you will be discharged. Because you may have received some sedation during surgery, you will need transportation home. We encourage you to relax for the rest of the day. Everyone heals somewhat differently, but many patients report improvement in their vision almost immediately after the procedure. Most patients return to their normal activities within a day or two.
Most cataract surgery is elective. When cataracts are visually significant (i.e. interfere with activities of daily life), cataract surgery offers the only way to improve vision.
The risks with modern cataract surgery are very low. Occasionally there may be some transient corneal and or retinal swelling. In highly nearsighted patients, there is a slightly increased risk of retinal detachment and subsequent loss of vision. Infections, while rare, can be serious and also may result in subsequent loss of vision
Step 1: We replace the natural lens of the eye with an intraocular lens (IOL)
Step 2: We place the IOL inside the capsular bag of the eye.
Step 3: We can treat pre-existing astigmatism with limbal relaxing incisions.
The decision to have cataract surgery is an important one that only you can make. The goal of any vision restoration procedure is to improve your vision.
Once removed, cataracts will not grow back. But some patients may experience clouding of a thin tissue, called the capsular bag, that holds the intraocular lens. In most cases, we can use a laser to painlessly open the clouded capsule and restore clear vision with a procedure called a YAG laser capsulotomy.
Serious complications with cataract surgery are extremely rare. It is a safe, effective and permanent procedure, but like any surgical procedure, it does have some risks. Going to an eye specialist experienced with the procedure can significantly minimize the risks involved with cataract surgery.
After a thorough eye exam, you and your doctor will determine if cataract surgery is an option for you. They will give you additional information about the procedure that will allow you to make an informed decision about whether to proceed. Be sure you have all your questions answered to your satisfaction.
You may also choose to make an appointment or request additional information to learn more about this exciting procedure.
Life’s brighter without cataracts. But don’t just take our word for it
Hear from thousands of happy patients in and around Harrisburg who live it up with better vision
Free yourself from glasses, contacts and cataracts
Discover if vision correction treatment can give you more confidence and convenience
“The world seems so much brighter now”
Our eye doctors answer questions about cataract and lens surgery
our Harrisburg CATARACT specialists give you the straight goods on this highly successful treatment
When can you exercise after cataract surgery?
Dr Eric Chotiner explains how long he recommends that individuals wait to resume different types of exercise after cataract surgery.
What is premium cataract surgery? How does it work?
Find out exactly what premium cataract surgery is and how it works, including how it is different from standard cataract surgery.
Who will support me through my aftercare?
In this video, Valerie Cupp explains how the whole Memorial Eye Institute team will support you throughout your eye care journey and beyond.
Insurers
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Academic resources on standard cataract surgery
FOLLOW THE LINKS BELOW TO DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THIS TREATMENT FROM AUTHORITATIVE SOURCES
This document was originally written in response to emerging evidence of wide geographical variation in access to cataract surgery in England. Click here to read on.
Your cataract surgery recovery should be short and uneventful, as long as your health is good and you don’t have other major eye problems. Click here to read on.
Cataract surgery has evolved to become a refractive surgery in this modern era. The demand for a better quality of life with the best possible vision is constantly requested by our patients. How to best satisfy this demand thus becomes the utmost priority for eye surgeons. Click here to read on.
Voted “Simply the Best” by the Harrisburg community
We are honoured to have received the following community awards
Affiliations and memberships
We’re proud to be members of these prestigious professional organisations
Recognized leaders in Harrisburg eye surgery
CHOOSE THE MOST EXPERIENCED CATARACT AND LASIK SPECIALISTS IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA
Dr. Bennett Chotiner
M.D., F.A.C.S.
MEDICAL DIRECTOR, GENERAL OPHTHALMOLOGY, CATARACT & REFRACTIVE SURGERY, LASIK SURGERY
Dr. Bennett Chotiner is the founder and medical director of Memorial Eye Institute. A noted innovator, in 1977 he established his clinical practice, the Pennsylvania Eye Associates. In 1984, he established the Pennsylvania Eye Surgery Center, Pennsylvania’s first …
Dr. Erik A Chotiner
M.D., F.A.C.S.
GENERAL OPHTHALMOLOGY, CATARACT & REFRACTIVE SURGERY, LASIK SURGERY
Erik Chotiner, M.D. diagnoses and treats a wide range of medical eye conditions. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Franklin and Marshall College. Dr. Chotiner attended Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia where he received multiple awards including the Physiology Prize for …
