Staff Writer
Eye surgeons Curt Tyler Young, MD, and his father, Vision Care of Maine founder Craig W. Young, MD, are among the first ophthalmologists in the United States to adopt the newest proven technology in the care of patients with cataracts.
CATARACT SURGERY is now state-of-the-art at Vision Care of Maine in Bangor. Drs. Craig and Curt Young, a father and son surgical team, now offer the Catalys Precision Laser System for treatment of cataracts and astigmatism. Here, Dr. Curt Young uses the new machine to operate on a patient. The system is one of only nine currently in use nationwide. The Youngs operate offices from Madawaska to Bangor.
The Youngs, working at Vision Care of Maine, located at 1 Ridgewood Dr. in Bangor, are the first surgeons in Maine and New England to offer laser cataract refractive surgery, using what is called the Catalys Precision Laser System. This revolutionary new laser technique is used to provide cataract patients with precision outcomes, making them less dependent on the need for glasses as is normal after standard cataract surgery
The Catalys system combines a state-of-the-art femtosecond laser with advanced 3D Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) imaging, sophisticated software and a host of other unique features that deliver a precise, customized laser cataract procedure, resulting in an exceptional after-surgery experience for patients in the privately-owned surgical center in Bangor.
“As our baby boomer cataract patients maintain a healthier active lifestyle, the femtosecond laser procedure combined with new advanced intra-ocular lenses and the ability for LASIK enhancement after the procedure opens vast choices for our patients for precise visual oculty after cataract surgery,” said Dr. Curt Young.
This new procedure allows patients more options when it comes to vision care.
“No longer must cataract patients rely on just a ‘one size fits all’ standard lens, when now they have the choice of seeing without glasses for both driving and reading, just as our thousands of younger LASIK patients enjoy,” he said.
Dr. Curt Young said, “In today’s world of modern eye care, the most important fact a cataract patient has to realize is that they have choices and should not rely on a one-size-fits-all approach in cataract surgery. Consequently, it is and it has become incredibly important where they choose to have their surgery performed, as the technology is simply not available at most centers.”
He said he’s pleased to offer the latest in vision care to patients from all parts of the state.
“In these days where outside pressures are forcing doctors to either throw up their hands or retire, I am committed to bring the absolute best technology for my patients and all Mainers,” said Dr. Curt Young.
The Youngs acquired the technology in July, with surgery offered shortly after its arrival.
“It’s only the ninth unit in the country. The next closest is in Cleveland,” said Dr. Craig Young. “This machine is revolutionary in the treatment of cataracts; everyone will be jumping on it.”
He explained that currently there are only four manufacturers of the laser. Dr. Craig Young anticipated Boston would likely have a machine by the end of the year.
Dr. Craig Young has been doing cataract procedures since his residency in 1972.
“The way surgery has evolved has been such that the last big advance was phacoemulsification. That occurred in the early 1980s. In Presque Isle, I was one of the first ones doing that in Maine. It’s taken over as the standard care for removal of cataracts. There’ve been no further refinements in the procedure until now,” said Dr. Craig Young.
He said the beauty of this particular system is the “ease with which incisions are made.”
“Surgeons used to use various blades, including razor, steel or diamond, for making incisions. Now the laser offers precision that was unheard of prior. This machine makes a more secure incision and lessens the chance of infection,” said Dr. Craig Young.
The doctor explained how the incision is made in the front of the eye.
“The lens is like a grape in the eye. Doctors used to throw out the cataract, then it evolved to take out the pulp. Now we do interocular implants. With the laser, we can now make a perfect circle — something we couldn’t do before. This instrument makes a circle within 10 microns. There are 1,000 microns in a millimeter. It’s incredible,” he said.
In addition, the instrument also softens the cataract.
“The laser softens and takes the hard cataract, dividing it up into tiny cubes. When we use phacoe, untrasound breaks up (the cataract). With this, there’s less pounding inside the eye from ultrasound,” said Dr. Craig Young.
This procedure can also address other sight problems.
“This can address astigmatism. Up to this time, the condition was addressed with glasses, contacts or LASIK surgery. With this surgery, we can reduce astigmatism at the same time,” Dr. Craig Young said.
A cataract is an age-related condition in which the lens of the eye becomes clouded or opaque, making vision fuzzy and normal daily living and night driving more difficult.
“Cataract surgery is the only treatment for cataracts and is one of the most common procedures performed worldwide, estimated at 19 million cases per year. In the conventional (non-laser) procedure, the surgeon must perform several critical steps by hand. This manual approach limits predictability and precision, potentially affecting visual outcomes and complication rates,” said Dr. Craig Young.
In recent years, he said, laser technology — which is used in procedures such as LASIK — has been incorporated into cataract surgery to enhance the precision, accuracy and safety of the procedure.
“The Catalys Precision Laser System — a $600,000 machine that requires $60,000 in annual maintenance — represents the next generation of this technology and has been shown in clinical study to deliver precision that is unequated in the industry,” noted Dr. Craig Young.
Using Catalys, surgeons can access and remove the cataract-affected lens with accuracy that is within tens of microns. (For visual perspective, the width of a human hair is 85 microns.)
“This new level of accuracy may allow surgeons to position the artificial replacement lens exactly where it is intended to ultimately ensure effective performance and excellent visual outcomes. This is especially true for premium intraocular lenses (IOLs), which include presbyopia-correcting multifocal and accommodating IOLs and astigmatism-correcting toric IOLs,” said Dr. Curt Young.
In addition to its accuracy benefits, Catalys’ sophisticated laser technology makes break-up and removal of the cataract easier and gentler on the patient.
“A clinical study has show that Catalys reduces the amount of ultrasound energy needed during this step by approximately 40 percent, an improvement that enhances procedure safety and better patient outcomes,” said Dr. Craig Young.
Dr. Craig Young said patients are awake during the procedure.
“They’re given a general anesthetic and see kind of a light show while we do the surgery,” noted Dr. Craig Young. “The laser portion of the surgery takes about five seconds to make the cut on the front of the lens. It takes about one minute to soften the lens into little ice cube-shape particles. Then we remove the cataract. In under 20 minutes, the procedure’s done.”
“Recovery typically involves putting a patch over the eye, for safety reasons, that is kept on overnight. The patch comes off the next day. Patients then use drops for varying lengths of time — an antibiotic for about a week, steroids for a couple weeks, with topical drops used for about a month,” he said. “After that, we then can do the second eye. In about six weeks, we’re all done both eyes.”
Dr. Craig Young explained that most of his patients are on Medicare and because of that the procedure, which costs around $3,100 for both eyes, is not covered.
“Most of our patients are Medicare patients, aged over 65. Medicare doesn’t pay for any advanced surgery, which is really a crime. They also won’t allow patients to pay for it. The way around it is for us to do a procedure Medicare doesn’t pay for, such as astigmatism. You’re allowed to bill a patient for that. If we do the cataract surgery when we’re operating for astigmatism, then we can bill the patient,” said Dr. Craig Young.
Having father and son working together provides patients with long-term stability with regard to ongoing eye care.
“It is important that our patients receive their medical eye care in convenient and comfortable settings. Many of our patients are older, and travel in northern Maine can be a safety as well as a cost issue to our patients. With my son in the practice, we have created a generational continuity of care. As a surgical retina and cataract specialist, he brings expertise locally in The County as well as our other locations, for retinal diseases such as wet and dry macular degeneration, as well as advance cataract laser surgery,” said Dr. Craig Young.
THE SURGICAL TEAM of Drs. Craig and Curt Young, father and son, are two of only a handful of eye surgeons nationwide offering the Catalys Precision Laser System for treatment of cataracts. The procedure is available at their Bangor facility, Vision Care of Maine. Patients from as far away as Florida travel to the center to be treated by the specialists.
The senior Dr. Young began caring for patients in Aroostook County in 1977. This private practice cares for over 30,000 patients. Patients seek the medical expertise of Dr. Young from as far away as Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Virginia and Florida. The organization prides itself as a full-service, comprehensive eye care facility. The practice and the private surgical facilities are a unique fixture in central and northern Maine. Vision Care of Maine has clinical and surgical locations in Bangor, Dover-Foxcroft, Medway, Houlton, Caribou, Presque Isle, Calais and Madawaska.
In relation to the scope of the Youngs’ practice, an 80-year-old plus patient of Island Falls stated, “Dr. Young operated on my father, he operated on me and now his son is taking care of my wife.”
Dr. Craig Young said this is the type of procedure that “fixes the problem for life.”
“I’m excited but my patients are especially excited. As you age, you lose contrast, colors and sharpness. Removing a cataract is like looking at a plasma screen TV. You don’t notice the loss until your vision is restored,” said Dr. Craig Young.
For more information, visit www.visioncareofmaine.com or call 945-6200.
