Ophthalmology Services

Cataract Surgery at South Florida Baptist Hospital can improve your vision.

At the Pete Beaty Surgical Center, we focus on offering each patient a variety of procedure options to best meet a health care need. Our cataract patients now benefit from our state-of-the-art Alcon Infiniti™ Vision System that affords several fast and safe options for cataract removal.

A cataract is a clouding of the eye lens, and can be the result of eye injury, certain diseases like diabetes, exposure to sunlight and some medications. The most common kind of cataract is related to aging, and almost half of all Americans over the age of 65 have cataracts.

Over time, a cataract may grow larger and cloud more of the lens, making it hard to see. Surgical removal of the cataract is a good idea at this stage and can help to improve a patient’s quality of life through clarity of vision.

With more options, surgeons have more control over selecting the appropriate procedure for a patient and thus a reduced risk for complications. Cataract removal is complete in less than 15 minutes in comparison to methods that traditionally took up to an hour. A patient's total visit time, including procedure time, is only 90 minutes.

The Infiniti system offers the following options for lens removal:

  • AquaLase® Liquefaction - a revolutionary device that generates pulses of warm, surgical solution to safely break up and wash away natural lens material. This procedure reduces potential complications associated with previous methods of removal.
  • Advanced Ultrasound Phacoemulsification - this industry standard involves the insertion of a metal probe that vibrates at ultrasound frequency to soften and break up the lens. The Infiniti system’s improved ultrasound hand piece is easier for surgeons to control.
  • The third method uses both ultrasound and mechanical oscillation to help break up the cataract faster, and may allow the surgeon greater control of lens tissue than a traditional ultrasound.

Following cataract and lens removal, surgeons implant an artificial lens.

For more information about cataract surgery at South Florida Baptist Hospital, please call the Pete Beaty Surgical Center at (813) 757-8213.

Learn more about ophthalmology services at BayCare.