Man cleaning eyeglasses while watching cartoons with his boy

Protecting Your Eyesight is Our Priority.

Eye Surgery

When you need eye surgery, you deserve to feel at ease.

Your eyesight is as precious to us as it is to you. The highly skilled eye doctors at Novant Health are trained in many advanced sight restoration surgeries to help you if your vision has been affected by age, injury or medical condition. Our ophthalmologists will discuss all your options with you, both surgical and nonsurgical, so that you understand and feel comfortable with your treatment plan.

Coordinated care to meet your eye surgery needs

Our ophthalmologists have comprehensive expertise to offer you peace of mind should you need the following services:

Intraocular lens replacement surgery, including multifocal and toric implants
Glaucoma surgery, including the latest techniques for reducing pressure inside the eye that can damage the optic nerve
Pediatric eye surgery, including to eye misalignment correction (strabismus surgery); opening of blocked tear ducts; and pediatric cataract, glaucoma and eyelid deformity treatments
Corneal surgery, including partial and full thickness transplants, and removal of the pterygium, a membrane that can obstruct the cornea and irritate the eyelid
Vitreo-retinal surgery, including retinal detachment repair, diabetic retinopathy treatment and macular conditions
Adult strabismus surgery to correct misalignment of the eyes
Eye-related plastic surgery, such as cosmetic and functional blepharoplasty to correct problems with the eyelid, reconstructive eyelid surgery and tear duct surgery

Expert cataract care

Cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 55. A cataract is an eye condition where protein builds up and clouds your lens, causing blurred vision. If you develop a cataract, your doctor may recommend surgery to remove the cataract and replace the clouded lens.

What to expect during cataract surgery

Cataract surgery typically does not take long. You will receive light sedation during the procedure.

Your eye surgeon makes a small incision on the side of your cornea using a blade or laser.
Ultrasound energy removes the cataract by breaking it into small pieces.
Your surgeon inserts an artificial lens into your eye.
Your care team will send you home with a clear eye shield or glasses and post-operative care instructions.

Cataract Removal Surgery

At Novant Health, you have access to surgeons who perform state-of-the-art LenSx® femtosecond laser cataract surgery. This revolutionary bladeless surgery, the first laser surgery of its kind to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for cataract removal in the United States, provides a more precise cataract removal option.

A healthcare provider is positioning a machine over a patient's eye during eye surgery.

To improve distance and near vision, your doctor may recommend either:

Laser cataract surgery to correct astigmatism.
Implant of astigmatism-correcting and/or presbyopia-correcting lenses.

A Novant Health doctor is in surgery wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) including glasses and mask. Behind him are other team members, who are also dressed in PPE.

After your cataract removal, you may benefit from intraoperative aberrometry, which allows your surgeon to take measurements to confirm or revise the lens power choice they determined during your preoperative visits.

Nurse smiling at patient as she wheels them towards the operating room.

Post-Cataract Removal Lens Options

Monofocal Lenses

This standard lens offers high-quality vision. Depending on the lens and your unique needs, possible features of monofocal lenses could include:

Lenses may filter UV light, possibly protecting your eyes against macular degeneration.
You may not need distance glasses.
Lenses might be able to be used to correct one eye for farsightedness and the other eye for nearsightedness (monovision).

You will need glasses for computer work and reading.

Near Vision (Presbyopia)-Correcting Lenses

Multifocal lenses correct presbyopia (the loss of near vision caused by the natural aging of your internal eye muscles). Multifocal lenses distribute light over multiple optical zones, which helps correct distance-, intermediate- and near-vision. You may still need to wear reading glasses occasionally, but most people who receive these lenses can go glasses-free for many activities.

Astigmatism-Correcting (Toric) Lenses

Novant Health's Dr. Douglas is standing at a patient's bedside, talking as they prepare for surgery.

Safer, Faster Recovery With ERAS

Our surgeons adhere to the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) care pathway.

This means your entire care team follows scientific-based methods before, during and after surgery designed to reduce your pain, reduce your recovery time and enable you to go home faster.

Learn More About ERAS