Dr. Lee mid operation.
“A successful surgery
requires dexterity from
the physician, but it also
takes a good team,” Dr.
Lee explained. “You have
to have a good crew of
experienced technicians
nearby.”
“I like to see everyone the day after surgery, then a week,
then a month. If there’s any problem, I see them more often.
I also call them at home the night of the surgery just to see
how they’re doing,” she said. “Complications are pretty rare for
cataract surgery, about one out of every 5,000. But we always
check for pressure, infection and bleeding just to be safe.” iris under control, but the procedure turned out fine. There
should be no complications, just a little additional redness,”
said Dr. Lee, noting that “the name of that issue is ‘intraopera-
tive floppy iris syndrome.’ We see that a lot with patients who
are taking certain medications which make the iris stickier, but
it’s nothing we can’t handle.”
So the morning surgical routine went: surgery to surgery
to laser to recovery and repeat. Each patient was moved
smoothly through the process and cared for by attentive
nurses from start to finish. With the sticky iris providing some last-minute added drama,
my time shadowing Dr. Lee came to a close. It was a literally
eye-opening experience and truly unlike anything I’ve seen
before. I’d like to thank Dr. Lee and her staff for being so
welcoming and allowing a layperson see the very fascinating
world of cataract surgery. With estimates from the American
Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery saying 3 million
cataract procedures take place each year in the United States,
my mind is at ease that if I or a loved one ever need the
procedure, care will be given both swiftly and professionally.
My last surgery of the day was the most interesting. As an
incision was made in the patient’s eye, the iris began to stick
to the instrument and come out. It was quite strange to see
the blue of the patient’s eye essentially forming a tear drop
as it tried to escape from the incision.
To their credit, Dr. Lee and her team reacted to this new
challenge without hesitation. The procedure was put on hold
as they found the stabilizing ring necessary to hold the iris in
place. It was inserted into the eye and the surgery continued
as planned. Once the cataract had been removed and the
artificial lens placed, the final step was to now remove the
ring used to hold the iris in place.
The extra instrument added a new layer of difficulty to
the standard procedure, but the staff handled it with resolve.
Afterwards, Dr. Lee was relieved that the aberration had not
caused any complications.
“It took a little longer because you have to stop and get the
VITAL SIGNS Volume 12 • Issue 1
Thank you
Dr. Lee
Julie S. Lee, MD, PLLC, is
a practicing Ophthalmology
with surgical privileges at
several Louisville hospitals.
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