Cataract surgery is essential to correct and prevent loss of vision. But many people do not realize that one of the most important appointments that they have is actually the appointment where measurements are taken for surgery. Intraocular Lens (IOL) measurements are an integral part to having surgery, because with out them the surgeon would not be able to create such beautiful vision for their patients. Dry eye is one of those topics that is very generally forgotten when the looming idea of having surgery is present in a patients mind. But from the perspective of the surgeon, dry eye can pose a large road block to surgery. Dry eye creates abnormality of the cornea which in turn can significantly throw off IOL measurements. This may lead to incorrect lenses being implanted which results in poor visual outcomes.
In our practice, our technicians perform corneal topography on patients in addition to many other measurements . With this information we are able to confirm the accuracy of the measurements and additionally we are able to screen out patients with dry eyes. In order to insure the best possible outcome for patients with dry eyes, we must repeat measurements for our patients after a dry eye treatment. This may take up to a month with lubricating drops being taken daily. By meticulously screening these patients before surgery this allows for correct measurements which improves vision, but also less patients will complain about post surgery dryness.