Surgery Consultation

1. Refractive Surgery
Drs. Tucker and Wieand have received extensive training and have years of experience in the co-management of your vision related surgical needs. If you are considering refractive surgery such as LASIK, Implantable Contact Lens (ICL), PRK or epi-LASIK, we are available to advise and counsel you as to what options are best suited to meet your individual needs and expectations! We offer co-management services with The Laser Center (TLC) and Duke University Eye Center, which we believe offer the finest surgeons and facilities in North Carolina. Pre- and post-operative care is provided in our office and is included in the overall fee that is paid to the surgery center.

2. Cataract Surgery
Drs. Tucker and Wieand include an evaluation for the presence of cataracts and the degree of vision impairment caused by their presence during each complete vision examination that we perform. When a cataract reaches the point at which the patient's lifestyle is affected, it is usually time to consider cataract surgery. It is no longer necessary to wait for the cataract to "mature" prior to its removal.

Cataract surgery today is usually quite routine. The procedure itself, which includes the implantation of an intraocular lens, is normally performed on an outpatient basis and rarely exceeds 15 minutes. The one-day post-operative visit is usually performed by the surgeon, and the balance of the care over the next three months is performed at our office.
After cataract surgery, little or no correction is generally required for distance vision, although a pair of glasses for reading and other near vision tasks is almost always necessary. Bifocal intraocular implants have been developed, but it is our opinion at this time that the visual results achieved with this option are often less than desirable.

3. Miscellaneous
Eyelid surgery for drooping lids (ptosis) is often covered by major medical insurance when it can be demonstrated that the ptosis is causing compromised vision. Our doctors are available to determine and counsel whether this procedure is to your advantage.

Glaucoma surgery is becoming a more common approach to relieving elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Although we still believe medical therapy should be the initial step taken to reduce IOP, a few studies have recently suggested that surgery should be considered as an initial method to reduce IOP as opposed to medical therapy (eye drops).

Drs. Tucker and Wieand regularly attend continuing education to stay current on these topics. Certainly if visual field, optic nerve changes or IOP is not adequately controlled with medical therapy, there is no question that surgical intervention is warranted. We currently co-manage with the Duke Eye Center for our glaucoma patients.