which clinical services are available?
Dr. Cutney performs comprehensive eye examinations and ophthalmic surgery. Her services include but are not limited to:
Comprehensive eye examinations
Cataract evaluations
Glaucoma evaluation (Visual field, OCT) and treatment
Diabetic eye examinations
Dry eye treatment including punctual plugs
Refraction to determine eyeglass prescriptions
Contact lens fitting, including for astigmatism and bifocal contact lenses
Cataract surgery
Laser eye surgery (YAG, SLT)
Presbyopia-correcting/multifocal intraocular lens implants (Tecnis multifocal, Symfony, Crystalens, or Restor)
Custom cataract surgery with astigmatism correction (toric lens implants or limbal relaxing incisions)
Camera available to photograph inside of eyes
Emergency eye examinations
Minor in-office procedures on eyelids
Optical shop on site for making eye glasses
Comprehensive eye examinations
Cataract evaluations
Glaucoma evaluation (Visual field, OCT) and treatment
Diabetic eye examinations
Dry eye treatment including punctual plugs
Refraction to determine eyeglass prescriptions
Contact lens fitting, including for astigmatism and bifocal contact lenses
Cataract surgery
Laser eye surgery (YAG, SLT)
Presbyopia-correcting/multifocal intraocular lens implants (Tecnis multifocal, Symfony, Crystalens, or Restor)
Custom cataract surgery with astigmatism correction (toric lens implants or limbal relaxing incisions)
Camera available to photograph inside of eyes
Emergency eye examinations
Minor in-office procedures on eyelids
Optical shop on site for making eye glasses
What does an eye exam involve?
A full eye examination includes checking your visual acuity, eye pressure, and dilating your eyes with eye drops. If you would like to be checked for eye glasses, a refraction is done to determine your eyeglass prescription. During the eye exam, Dr. Cutney is checking for many eye conditions including dry eyes, cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration. Dilating drops are usually but not always given at your first visit. Please allow approximately an hour and fifteen minutes for a complete eye examination, and a little bit longer if you are having any other testing done (contact lenses checked, visual field testing, etc.).
what is a cataract?
We are all born with a lens inside of each eye. At birth, the lens is normally crystal clear. During adulthood, the lens begins to fog up. Any opacification of the lens in the eye is called a cataract. Cataract formation is part of normal aging, and can be accelerated by smoking, diabetes, trauma, and some medications. Many cataracts do not cause any symptoms at all. As the cataract grows and changes, it can cause blurry vision, leading to difficulty reading or driving. If the blurriness cannot be fixed with glasses or contacts, then the cataract is removed surgically, and an artificial lens implant is placed inside the eye. The surgery can reduce the need for glasses postoperatively, and this is an exciting aspect of modern cataract surgery.
WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM CATARACT SURGERY?
Dr. Cutney performs cataract surgery at the Wills Eye Surgery Center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Surgery is done on one eye at a time, but the second eye can have surgery as soon as two weeks after the first, as long as the first eye is healing well. A physical examination from a primary care physician or cardiologist, along with an EKG, are required prior to cataract surgery. 'Twilight sleep' anesthesia is administered during the operation, so it is necessary to fast after midnight the night before the operation. Patients need to use eye drops (a steroid, an antibiotic, and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drop) for about a month after the surgery to promote proper healing. There is typically little to no pain after cataract surgery, but a gritty feeling in the eye is common. Postoperative checks are necessary one day after the surgery, as well as one week and one month afterward. Patients can often resume their usual activity within a few days of the surgery, but I ask that they not bend at the waist or lift anything that weighs more than 15 pounds for one week after the surgery. Submerging the head under water when swimming is not permitted for one month after the surgery. The surgery generally changes a patient's eyeglass prescription, and the new prescription is determined about a month after the surgery is done.
It is common for scar tissue to form on the membrane that holds the lens implant after cataract surgery. This can occur days or years after the surgery takes place. This condition is not a sign of any problems with the initial surgery, and it can be easily and painlessly treated with a 'YAG' laser at the Wills Eye Surgery Center. Dr. Cutney generally follows patients every six to twelve months after cataract surgery for the development of this scar tissue.
WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM CATARACT SURGERY?
Dr. Cutney performs cataract surgery at the Wills Eye Surgery Center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Surgery is done on one eye at a time, but the second eye can have surgery as soon as two weeks after the first, as long as the first eye is healing well. A physical examination from a primary care physician or cardiologist, along with an EKG, are required prior to cataract surgery. 'Twilight sleep' anesthesia is administered during the operation, so it is necessary to fast after midnight the night before the operation. Patients need to use eye drops (a steroid, an antibiotic, and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drop) for about a month after the surgery to promote proper healing. There is typically little to no pain after cataract surgery, but a gritty feeling in the eye is common. Postoperative checks are necessary one day after the surgery, as well as one week and one month afterward. Patients can often resume their usual activity within a few days of the surgery, but I ask that they not bend at the waist or lift anything that weighs more than 15 pounds for one week after the surgery. Submerging the head under water when swimming is not permitted for one month after the surgery. The surgery generally changes a patient's eyeglass prescription, and the new prescription is determined about a month after the surgery is done.
It is common for scar tissue to form on the membrane that holds the lens implant after cataract surgery. This can occur days or years after the surgery takes place. This condition is not a sign of any problems with the initial surgery, and it can be easily and painlessly treated with a 'YAG' laser at the Wills Eye Surgery Center. Dr. Cutney generally follows patients every six to twelve months after cataract surgery for the development of this scar tissue.
Why do diabetics need an annual eye examination?
Elevated blood sugar can cause damage to the eye in many ways. Even if blood sugar is under control, all diabetics need an annual eye examination.
Chronic increases in blood sugar can cause microscopic damage to the smallest capillaries that provide circulation to the retina, the nerve tissue that lines the inside of the eyeball like wallpaper. It can be compared to the film inside of an old-fashioned camera, and it captures visual images to send them back to the brain. If the tiny capillaries under the retina become damaged, they are prone to bleed and/or leak fluid. This is called diabetic macular edema and is the number one cause of blindness among working-age Americans. It is often treatable by controlling blood sugar in combination with eye injections and/or lasers.
If diabetic damage to the ocular circulation worsens, abnormal blood vessels can grow on the surface of the retina. This is called proliferative diabetic retinopathy. These blood vessels are prone to bleed, and can sometimes behave like scar tissue that pulls on the retina and can cause a retinal detachment in advanced cases. Having your eyes screened regularly can prevent these complications of diabetes.
Diabetics also accelerates cataract formation.
Dr. Cutney is a board-certified ophthalmologist, and she can check your eyes for manifestations of diabetes. If necessary, she can refer you to the best retina specialists in the area for further treatment.
Chronic increases in blood sugar can cause microscopic damage to the smallest capillaries that provide circulation to the retina, the nerve tissue that lines the inside of the eyeball like wallpaper. It can be compared to the film inside of an old-fashioned camera, and it captures visual images to send them back to the brain. If the tiny capillaries under the retina become damaged, they are prone to bleed and/or leak fluid. This is called diabetic macular edema and is the number one cause of blindness among working-age Americans. It is often treatable by controlling blood sugar in combination with eye injections and/or lasers.
If diabetic damage to the ocular circulation worsens, abnormal blood vessels can grow on the surface of the retina. This is called proliferative diabetic retinopathy. These blood vessels are prone to bleed, and can sometimes behave like scar tissue that pulls on the retina and can cause a retinal detachment in advanced cases. Having your eyes screened regularly can prevent these complications of diabetes.
Diabetics also accelerates cataract formation.
Dr. Cutney is a board-certified ophthalmologist, and she can check your eyes for manifestations of diabetes. If necessary, she can refer you to the best retina specialists in the area for further treatment.
what is glaucoma, and why is it important to get checked for it?
Glaucoma is a condition in which there is damage to the optic nerve, the structure in the back of the eye that gathers visual images from the retina and transmits them back to the brain. In glaucoma, the optic nerve exhibits a certain pattern of damage, which leads to loss of peripheral (off to the side) vision. Glaucoma is asymptomatic in its early stages, and often is caused by an increase in eye pressure. It is treatable with an array of eye drops, laser treatments, and even surgery. If it is detected early, vision loss can be prevented. However, if it goes untreated, it can even cause blindness. Dr. Cutney's office offers all the testing needed to evaluate patients for glaucoma, including visual field testing, intraocular photography, and OCT testing.