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The Princeton Eye Group: Felton, Wong, Wong and Reynolds, PA

We strive to bring our patients state-of-the-art, advanced treatment options. Please read about the technological advancements in the treatment of cataracts, presbyopia, wet AMD, corneal transplant procedures and laser vision correction-- all of which are offered here at The Princeton Eye Group.

The “Wong Way” Leads to Innovators Award for Dr. Michael Wong

Dr. Michael Wong, pioneer in minimally-invasive cataract surgery, has been selected by the NJ Inventors Hall of Fame to receive the 2008 Innovator’s Award. The ceremony, held in October, honors lifetime achievement, invention and innovation among outstanding, New Jersey based scientists, engineers and researchers.

Dr. Wong is the first clinical physician to be honored as an innovator by the NJ Inventor Hall of Fame. His surgical procedures to correct cataracts, the most common and treatable form of blindness, reduce the rate of postoperative infection and promote faster healing.

The technique he developed, known as the “Wong Way,” is now used worldwide. For three decades Dr. Wong has been in the vanguard in refractive surgery in central New Jersey, introducing radial keratotomy in the 80’s and LASIK surgery in the 90’s. He has also been recognized with the Distinguished Physicians Humanitarian Award by the University Medical Center at Princeton for charitable work performed locally, as well as overseas in Africa and South America.

The New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame was established in 1989 to honor individuals and corporations who have made New Jersey “The Invention State.” Previous Innovator Award recipients include Lyman Spitzer, Jr. for distinguished achievements in stellar dynamics, plasma physics, thermonuclear fusion and space astronomy; Frank B. Gilbreth, who pioneered the field of scientific workforce management, positively affecting engineering, education and personnel procedures; and John von Neumann, who established the mathematical architecture of computer logic and concept of internally stored programs.

Upon being informed of the award, Dr. Wong said, “I am honored to keep company with these distinguished past recipients and the other 2008 awardees.”

According to an article in The Archives of Ophthalmology, researchers have estimated that 20.5 million Americans over the age of 40 have a cataract in at least one eye, and women are nearly 40 percent more likely to develop them than men. In the elderly, cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss. Cataracts are the clouding over of the clear, crystalline lens inside the eye. This cloudiness scatters light, reducing contrast and causing glare, especially in bright light or while driving at night.

The common treatment for cataracts involves removing the cloudy lens with ultrasound that liquifies the cataract, and then restoring vision with an intraocular lens transplant.

Dr. Michael Wong has developed a technique to improve the sealing effect for suture less clear corneal cataract incisions. He creates a supraincisional stromal pocket just before making the clear corneal incision. This pocket is hydrated at the end of the procedure to increase a downward pressure to oppose the upward force of the intraocular pressure. This compresses the clear corneal incision, improving its seal to speed healing and reduces the chance of infection. This “no-stitch, minimally invasive technique” is used worldwide, and has been featured in the most prominent medical journals. Dr. Wong has contributed his method to a major ophthalmology textbook titled Mastering Refractive IOLs: The Art and Science, edited by David Chang.

Congratulations Dr. Wong!

NEW STITCHLESS ADVANCES IN CORNEAL TRANSPLANTATION SURGERY SPEED RECOVERY

Dr. Anita I. Miedziak, Director of Cornea Services at the Princeton Eye Group, performs the most advanced techniques in corneal transplantation with reduced risk of astigmatism and shorter recovery times.

DSEK (Descemet Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty) is a new option in corneal surgery. DSEK is a partial thickness corneal transplant. It is offered to patients with persistent corneal swelling due to Fuchs dystrophy, failed corneal transplants, swelling induced by prior eye surgery or the aging process of the eye. In those cases DSEK can substitute traditional corneal transplantation and is performed without sutures. The advantages of the DSEK procedure include:

Significantly faster visual recovery since no additional astigmatism is induced (2-3 months vs. over a year with standard corneal transplantation)

Chances of corneal rejection are markedly reduced • Only the diseased layer of tissue is removed instead of the entire cornea –leaving the eye stronger –maintaining its normal resistance to injury

DSEK can be combined with cataract surgery

DSEK is performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia and takes approximately 30 minutes. The DSEK procedure removes the unhealthy endothelial cell layer and replaces it with healthy cells from a donor cornea. In order to make the new tissue adhere to the back of the old cornea, an air bubble is used to fill the front part of the eye for an hour after surgery. A follow-up visit is required the day after surgery.

Patients can return to their normal activities within two weeks with the exception of swimming. An antibiotic eye drop is used for two weeks and a steroid drop is used for at least a year to prevent graft rejection. Rejections are rare and treatable.

IEK (IntraLase Enabled Keratoplasty) is a new revolutionary way of performing full thickness corneal transplantation procedure utilizing a laser. The IntraLase laser is used to replace the diseased cornea in a precise fashion thus reducing postoperative astigmatism and corneal surface irregularity speeding up the visual rehabilitation. The IntraLase laser procedure also reduces the need for stitches making recovery both easier and faster.

SEEING THE WORLD THROUGH ROSE COLORED...CONTACTS?!

Although not rose colored at all, the new Rose K™ contact lens is a welcomed advance in the treatment of Keratoconus.

Picture viewing the world as if you’re looking through a car windshield in a driving rainstorm – that’s how uncorrected vision looks to people with advanced Keratoconus. Keratoconus is characterized by a gradual thinning of the cornea, which alters its normal round shape to that of a cone. This bulging can severely affect a person’s ability to read, watch TV and see clearly enough to drive.

Keratoconus is generally diagnosed in young people around the age of puberty but can also be first diagnosed in people in their 40s and 50s. It initially presents as slightly blurred, distorted vision with a sensitivity to light and glare. It is a condition that progresses slowly and can, in the beginning stages, be easily corrected with glasses. As the condition advances, gas permeable (GP) contact lenses are often the best method to correct vision.

The complex geometry of the Rose K™ lens allows it to act in concert with the conical shape of the cornea throughout most stages of Keratoconus. As a result, the Rose K™ lens offers better comfort and optimum visual acuity. Its “breathable” material allows oxygen to flow directly through to the cornea proving excellent health to the eye. Rose K™ lenses can be custom fit by our Director of Contact Lens Services, Phyllis Rakow, to suit the varying levels of myopia and astigmatism in each eye.

IntraLase 100% blade-free LASIK is considered to be the new standard of quality and safety in LASIK and the only technology to provide patients with a 100% blade-free experience. It has been clinically proven to be the safest and most accurate LASIK procedure available.

ALL LASER — NO CUTTING
For patients who have had reservations about conventional LASIK because it involves the use of a blade, the IntraLase FS laser is truly an option worth considering. IntraLase FS is an all-laser, 100% blade-free LASIK procedure delivering unprecedented safety and better overall vision.

The IntraLase method replaces the hand-held microkeratome blade used in creating LASIK corneal flaps with a computer-guided, ultra-fast femtosecond (fem-to-second) laser. The IntraLase FS laser has been clinically proven to take many patients to 20/20 vision and beyond. The advantages of the 100% blade-free IntraLase method are significant and include:

• BETTER VISION: Patients achieve statistically better vision with LASIK using the IntraLase method in many cases better than 20/20.

• IMPROVED SAFETY: Virtually eliminates potential flap complications.

• THINNER FLAPS: Patients previously not considered to be candidates for LASIK due to thin corneas may now be treatable with the IntraLase method.

Combining 100% Blade-Free LASIK with the Allegretto Perfect Pulse Laser
Unlike other lasers that focus solely on the front center surface of the cornea, the Allegretto Perfect Pulse laser addresses the unique 3-dimensional shape of your cornea. This advanced eye tracking and treatment enables us to minimize distortions that affect glare and night vision.

Your eye movements are tracked and mapped every few milliseconds to allow the internal mirrors of the Allegretto Perfect Pulse laser to align precisely with your cornea’s imperfections. The beams of light sent from the laser are strategically released to your cornea as the position of your eye movements change from millisecond to millisecond delivering 40 times greater frequency of the pulses of light for superior accuracy and unmatched precision.

The advanced technology of the Allegretto Perfect Pulse laser provides us with the capability to produce larger optical zones, which means better results for patients with night vision issues and for patients with large pupils. Your pupil adapts to darkness by growing larger to allow in more light. The expanded optical zone enabled by the Allegretto Perfect Pulse laser compensates for these changes and provides better night vision than ever before.

As trusted physicians, we have embraced this new technology to offer you the very best of care. In addition to the benefits of IntraLase 100% blade-free LASIK, the Allegretto Perfect Pulse laser also provides:

• ACCURACY: We are able to use the Allegretto’s advanced eye tracking system to measure light as it passes into the eye and then is reflected back. This creates an optical image of the eye, showcasing its flaws, allowing the laser’s 40 times greater frequency of the pulses of light to correct imperfections with superior accuracy and unmatched precision.

• CUSTOMIZATION: As a result of these exacting measurements, we can now customize the LASIK procedure according to your unique vision correction needs like never before.

• SATISFACTION: Clinical results report both near- and far-sighted patients noted
improvement to light sensitivity and night driving glare. The vast majority of patients report vision at least as well as, if not better than the vision they had with glasses and contacts before treatment.

IntraLase 100% blade-free technology is clinically proven to be safer and most accurate. With the addition of an ultra-sensitive tracking system and the Allegretto laser you get superior accuracy and unmatched precision. Wills Laser Vision at Princeton is the only center in this area with these advanced capabilities for LASIK.

The time is now. You don’t have to delay your dream of ridding yourself of glasses and contacts. Special payment plans and financing options are readily available through our office.

TREATMENT FOR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION CONTINUES TO IMPROVE

There was a time when there was little to be done to improve or halt the progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Today, there are several options available to treat the rapidly progressive form of AMD. Although approximately 90% of AMD cases are the dry form, which causes a gradual vision loss due to aging of the macula, 10% of AMD cases are the wet form which progresses quickly resulting in blurring and potential loss of central vision. Nearly 200,000 people are diagnosed with wet AMD each year.

Dr. Samuel M. Liu, Director of Retina Services at The Princeton Eye Group, is continually on the forefront of new advances for treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in Americans over the age of 60. It affects more than two million people. Dr. Liu has been providing AMD patients with intravitreal Lucentis® injections for the treatment of the abnormal blood vessels that grow underneath the retina in this condition.

Lucentis® is a breakthrough treatment for wet AMD that can do more than just help maintain a person’s vision. With Lucentis®, people with wet AMD may actually see their vision improve. It is an FDA approved treatment specifically developed for the treatment of wet AMD.

Wet AMD occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow in the back of the eye. As the blood vessels grow, they can leak blood and fluid, which damage the macula. The macula–which is the center of your retina–plays a key role in your central vision. Lucentis® is designed to block abnormal blood vessel growth and leakage. In addition to the abnormal growth of blood vessels, certain proteins are thought to play a major role in causing wet AMD. Lucentis® is a treatment that targets these proteins–preventing them from causing more damage and possibly even reversing their effects.

Many people saw impressive results with Lucentis®. In key clinical studies, about 95% of patients treated with Lucentis® found that their vision stayed the same (vision loss did not progress) and up to 40% of those patients found that their vision significantly improved. However, wet AMD is a chronic condition and there is no cure. But it can become manageable by treating it monthly with Lucentis®. If you have a loved one who may have wet macular degeneration, schedule a consultation to see if treatment with Lucentis® may be an option.

LENS IMPLANTS PROVIDE A FULL RANGE OF VISION TO CATARACT PATIENTS - EVEN THOSE WITH ASTIGMATISM

Cataract patients have something to celebrate!

Not only has the AcrySof® ReStor® Intraocular Lens (IOL) revolutionized the visual acuity after cataract surgery – AcrySof® Toric IOLs now offer the same outcome for cataract patients with pre-existing astigmatism.

The Princeton Eye Group remains in the forefront of this evolving lens technology. Each of our seven ophthalmologists is trained to implant these advanced lenses. In fact, Dr. John A. Epstein was the first ophthalmologist in New Jersey to implant AcrySof ’s Toric IOL. As mentor and teacher, Dr. Epstein trains doctors in the art of cataract surgery at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.

Alcon, the manufacturer of ReStor and Toric IOLs has enlisted the participation of eight ophthalmologists throughout the United States to serve as clinical mentors. These eye care specialists work with Alcon to produce more effective solutions to today’s eye care issues. Our own Dr. Michael Wong is one of these eight chosen specialists.

Having participated in clinical trials for Alcon, Dr. Wong has been providing data, clinical reports and patient feedback on these IOLs for several years. He was the first in New Jersey to implant the ReStor lens. In his present capacity as clinical mentor he provides recommendations for improvements to enhance focal points and to safeguard the implant procedure. He is also one of the ophthalmologists recommended by Alcon to consult on difficult cataract surgery cases.

The results of cataract surgery with the ReStor and Toric IOLs are astonishing to ophthalmologists who can now provide better overall vision to patients who were dependent on glasses or contacts prior to developing cataracts. This new generation of IOLs provides distinct optical advantages over their predecessors with improved focal points and reduced glare. Patients with myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia can enjoy a full range of vision after cataract surgery without the use of glasses.

The AcrySof® Toric IOL utilizes advanced technology to correct the cataracts clouding
your vision and the corneal astigmatism that distorts your vision. Astigmatism is
characterized as a refractive error caused by an uneven curvature of the cornea. Where a normal cornea would have a curvature much like a soccer ball, the cornea with astigmatism would have a curvature more like a football. The AcrySof® Toric IOL is a foldable, single piece lens that is implanted during cataract surgery that’s designed to reduce or eliminate corneal astigmatism and significantly improve uncorrected vision.

The AcrySof® ReStor® lens is the first and only IOL that uses apodized diffractive technology to provide cataract patients with and without presbyopia a quality range of vision. It is designed to respond to how wide or small the eye’s pupil might be to provide near, intermediate and distance vision. The ReStor lens is somewhat flat near the edges, or aspheric, to improve contrast sensitivity and provide improved night vision.

Cataract surgery/IOL implantation statistically has one of highest success rates of all surgeries. The IOLs mentioned here are specialized lenses and all cataract surgeons may not be trained to implant them. Here, with The Princeton Eye Group, all of our ophthalmologists are trained to implant these advanced lenses and they share the benefit of being one of the practices at the forefront of this technology since its beginning – during the clinical trials. Talk to us about your aspiration after cataract surgery. There’s no need to settle for the monovision provided by the traditional lens implant. With today’s technology, and by working side-by-side with our doctors to choose the IOL that’s right for you, you can experience vision like never before.

GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR HEALTHCARE DOLLARS

We can’t think of one person who’s not re-evaluating what they’re spending and where they’re spending it. Many of us are delaying purchases and expenditures in many areas of our daily lives. These are stressful, trying times in which many of us are facing issues we’ve not yet dealt with in our lifetime.
Although there are ways to cut back on spending to ease our everyday stresses, we should be paying special attention to our health and overall wellbeing in order to combat the stress of these financial times. Keeping ourselves happy and healthy will help us weather the weeks and months ahead.

Choosing the right healthcare provider can also be beneficial to your bottom line. There is great value to be found in a medical group with specialists in all sub-specialties within their field. The Princeton Eye Group is Central Jersey’s only ophthalmology practice with specialists in all areas of eye care.

Each of The Princeton Eye Groups 7 ophthalmologists are award winning doctors recognized by their peers as being outstanding in their field. All were trained at the renowned Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. This group of ophthalmologists has been on the forefront of the most effective treatments for diseases of the eye for over 25 years.

When you choose The Princeton Eye Group you choose to get the best eye care that Central Jersey has to offer, you choose an accurate, thorough diagnosis by a highly trained group of recognized specialists – all under one roof. There is virtually no need for referrals to other doctors. The Princeton Eye Group offers true value for your healthcare dollars.

DR. STEPHEN FELTON LENDS A HAND

On the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana more than half the population relies completely on the grossly under funded Indian Health Service for health care. Serious health problems such as diabetes, TB, alcoholism and drug dependence are much more
prevalent there than in the general population.

Dr. Stephen Felton, founder of The Princeton Eye Group is dedicated to helping where he can. He volunteers his time and experience to treat the numerous eye problems of the Blackfeet people. From eye exams to eyelid surgery, hundreds of people receive the expert care they desperately need, free. “On the Reservation, I don’t have the luxury of the modern equipment and materials I’m used to working with”, said Dr. Felton. “But, in the end, I’m able to make a difference to people in need. It’s a rewarding experience.”

PROTECT YOUR VISION WITH COMPUTER LENSES

Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), characterized by headaches, difficulty focusing, tired, burning aching eyes and blurred vision, affects millions of computer users. This eyestrain, if left uncorrected, can lead to increased myopia. It is estimated that 70-75% of computer users would benefit from computer eyeglasses.

By wearing computer glasses that are prescribed for the working distance from your screen, which contain a computer tint and anti-reflective coating, you can greatly reduce the chance of increasing any existing myopia and increase your comfort level at the computer.

Talk to our opticians in The Optical Shoppe about these special lenses and begin protecting your eyes against the strain associated with computer use.