Cataract

A state-of-the-art advancement in small incision cataract surgery now allows us to create a 2.8 mm self-sealing clear corneal incisions. This allows us to reduce astigmatism that can occur from suturing an eye.

No-Stitch Cataract removal is made possible by creating a self-sealing microscopic tunnel incision into the eye which allows the cataract to be broken down, removed, and replaced by an implant. This restores clear vision. The patient's visual recovery begins a few moments after surgery.

Now with topical anaesthesia, eye drops are all that's needed to anaesthetize the eye. Pain from needles, bruising and swelling of the eye lids are eliminated. As a result, patients have less discomfort, no stitches to be removed in the future and near instant visual recovery. Ask your doctor; Do You Use Needles to numb the eye? If the anwser is YES, you owe is to yourself to learn more about modern catarat surgery at Susskind & Almallah Eye Associates.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an eye disease which is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. Glaucoma is fairly common in adults over age 35. Two out of every 100 persons in this age group have vision threatened by this disease. When diagnosed early, blindness from glaucoma is almost always preventable.

There are two major types of glaucoma. Angle closure glaucoma can result in sudden rise in eye pressure with pain, foggy vision and optic nerve damage if not quickly treated. Open angle glaucoma is more common and produces slow progressive nerve damage and loss of peripheral vision over many months when not controlled.

The key to preventing optic nerve damage or blindness from glaucoma is early diagnosis and treatment. An ophthalmologist is the medical doctor who is specifically trained to diagnose and treat this condition. Glaucoma is usually controlled with eye drops given once to 4 times daily. Sometimes laser treatments and/or surgery are needed to control the pressure in the eye and prevent further damage from occurring, and to preserve existing vision. All our physicians are trained in the management of glaucoma.

For more information about glaucoma, visit the The Glaucoma Foundation Website.

Dry Eyes

Everyone knows that tears run from our eyes when we cry or when our eyes are irritated. But tears have a much more important everyday function. A film of tears, spread over the eye by a blink, makes the surface of the eye smooth and optically clear. Without our tear film, good vision would not be possible.

Some people do not produce enough tears to keep the eye wet and comfortable. Stinging, burning, scratchiness, stringy mucus, and excess irritation from smoke are usual symptoms. Problems with contact lenses can be caused by dry eyes and may make it impossible to wear contact lenses at all.

Surprisingly, increased tearing may be a symptom of dry eyes. If the basic tear secretion is below normal, excess tears are produced by the lacrimal gland in response to irritation. Even though the eye is basically dry, overflow tearing can occur, masking the dryness which caused them in the first place. We can diagnose dry eyes by simply examining the eyes. Sometimes tests which measure tear production may be necessary.

Floaters

The small specks or "bugs" that many people see moving in their field of vision are called floaters. They are frequently visible when looking at a plain background such as a blank wall or blue sky. Floaters were described long ago, in Roman times as flying flies ("muscae volitantes").

Floaters are small clumps of gel that form in the vitreous, the clear jelly-like fluid that fills the inside cavity of the eye. Although they appear to be in front of the eye, they are actually floating in the fluid inside the eye and are seen as shadows by the retina (the light sensing inner layer of the eye).

The appearance of floaters, whether in the form of little dots, circles, lines, or cobwebs, may cause much concern, especially if they develop suddenly; however, they are usually of little importance, representing an aging process. The vitreous gel shrinks with time, pulls away from the retina and causes floaters. This is especially common in near sighted people or after a cataract operation.

As the vitreous gel pulls away, the retina may be torn, sometimes causing a small amount of bleeding in the eye which may appear as a group of new floaters. If this tear becomes a retinal detachment it can be serious and vision loss may ensue.

Without examination by an ophthalmologist, there is no way for a person to determine whether floaters are serious. Any sudden onset of many new floaters or flashes of light should be evaluated by your eye doctor.

The vitreous gel which fills the inside of the eye sometimes pulls or tugs on the retina. This pulling causes the appearance of flashing lights or lightning streaks, though there is no flashing light actually present.

Myopia

View testimonials from some of our patients

Dr. Almallah is the first credentialed and most experienced surgeon performing the Crystalens® procedure in Ocean and Monomouth Counties. It is a revolutionary new accommodating inraocular lens that works bring vision enhancement to a remarkable new level. It corrects your eye to allow you to focus near and far distances seamlessly. It may also improve night driving.

Susskind and Almallah Eye Associates, PA. also offers Verisyse®.

Macular Degeneration

As the eye looks straight ahead, the macula is the point of the retina upon which the light rays meet as they are focused by the cornea and the lens of the eye. Similar to the film in a camera, the retina receives the images that come through the 'camera-like' lens. If the macula is damaged, the central part of the images are blocked as if a blurred area had been placed in the center of the picture. The images around the blurred area may be clearly visible.

Macular degeneration is damage or breakdown of the macula. The eye still sees objects to the side, since side, or 'peripheral', vision is usually not affected. For this reason, macular degeneration alone does not result in total blindness. However, it can make reading or close work difficult or impossible without the use of special low vision optical aids.

Although macular degeneration most often occurs in older people, aging alone does not always result in central visual loss. Nevertheless, macular degeneration is the leading cause of impairment of reading and fine 'close-up' vision in the United States.

A Web site sponsored by Iridex Corporation provides simple, basic information on the types of treatmetns currently available to those individulales afflicted with the "wet" form of age related macular degenertion.

The sites addres www.treatmyamd.com