FAQ

1. What is a Cataract?

A cataract is a "clouding" of the lens in your eye. As we age our natural lens, composed of cells, can become clouded enough to prevent images from reaching the retina clearly. This causes blurred vision, glare, washed-out colors and a variety of other debilitating visual problems. A cataract can progress until there’s a complete loss of vision. Most Americans age 50 and older have a cataract – the leading cause of treatable decreased vision.

2. What is Refractive surgery?

Surgery to allow clear vision without glasses or contact lenses.

3. What is Corneal Refractive surgery?

Surgery on the cornea (a clear dome structure on the surface of the eye) to improve visual clarity without glasses or contact lenses in distance only.

4. What is Lenticular Refractive surgery with the ReSTOR® lens?

Removal of the clear lens of the eye (lens replacement surgery) or cloudy lens of the eye (cataract extraction) with replacement using the ReSTOR® lens to restore visual clarity without glasses or contact lenses for both distance and reading vision.

5. What is Safe Incision^sm ReSTOR® Surgery?

Lenticular Refractive surgery using the ReSTOR® intraocular lens and Dr. Beim’s unique incision.

6. What makes the ReSTOR® lens so special?

The ReSTOR® lens is the FIRST and ONLY intraocular lens that can provide excellent distance and reading vision with minimal glare and halos.

7. What is LASIK (Laser in Situ Keratomileusis)?

LASIK is a corneal refractive surgery that permanently thins and alters the cornea by cutting a flap in the cornea and using a laser to destroy part of the inner corneal tissue. The reshaping and flattening of the central section allows for improved distance vision by altering the way light is refracted (or bent" as light travels from the cornea to the retina.

8. What is PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy)?

The same as LASIK except a flap is not created.

9. What is RK (Radial Keratotomy)?

A corneal refractive surgery, like LASIK and PRK, except the central cornea is flattened by creating very deep radial incisions in the cornea. The peripheral cornea is warped forward causing steepening, while the central cornea is warped backwards causing flattening.

10. Why is Lenticular Refractive surgery so much better than Corneal Refractive surgery?

Lenticular Refractive surgery (Safe Incision^sm ReSTOR Surgery) does not affect the cornea in any way. The cornea is not distorted, warped, thinned, or flattened as it is with corneal refractive surgery (LASIK). The lens inside the eye is simply replaced by another lens of a different power, like changing the power of a contact lens. The corneal structure remains in the same condition as it was prior to the surgery. Corneal refractive surgery will not provide distance and reading vision in the same eye. Only Lenticular Refractive surgery provides this.

11. Are there other lenses that can provide distance and reading vision besides the ReSTOR®? And if so, how good are they?

Two lenses that preceded development of the ReSTOR® are the Array® lens and the Crystalens®. They both have extreme limitations for different reasons including inadequate reading zones, severe glare and halo problems, and scarring, which led to difficulty while reading. This opinion is shared by many.

12. What happened to patients who received the Array® and Crystalens®?

Several of these patients had these lenses removed and replaced by conventional mono-focal lenses.

13. What are the advantages of the ReSTOR® lens?

Advantages include reading and distance vision without glasses or contact lenses with minimal glare and halos, with excellent day and night vision.

14. What are the disadvantages of the ReSTOR® lens?

Reading material is clearest at 13 inches rather than the typical
16 - 18 inches for the average reader. Reading material can be viewed at 16 - 18 inches, but the image won’t be as clear.

15. How clear is the reading image with the ReSTOR® lens at 13 inches?

In my ReSTOR® patients, including an 85-year-old, the image clarity is that at or beyond what I am capable of seeing without glasses.

16. What can I expect after one month, one year, 10 years, 30 years after Safe Incision^sm ReSTOR® Surgery?

Most people will have the same vision as two weeks after surgery! Lenticular refractive surgery provides the most stable result of all types of refractive surgery.

17. Will a lens better than the ReSTOR® be developed and if so when?

Undoubtedly a better lens will be developed someday. Technology has grown exponentially during the last hundred years. When this lens will be developed, no one knows.

18. Can the ReSTOR® lens correct serious astigmatism?

The ReSTOR® lens itself cannot correct serious astigmatism at this time, however an astigmatism correcting ReSTOR® lens will most likely be FDA approved in 2006 or 2007. Astigmatism may however occur at the level of the lens and not the cornea. If this is the case, ReSTOR® surgery will correct the astigmatism. I will treat significant astigmatism in the office after ReSTOR® surgery in the office at no charge.

19. How many people have the ReSTOR® lens now?

As of December 31, 2005, 40,000 Restor implants were placed in the US alone.

20. Are there complications to Safe Incision^sm ReSTOR® Surgery?

Like all surgery, complications can occur. However, the likelihood of these complications varies greatly depending on the surgeon’s abilities.

21. How do I choose a good Surgeon for ReSTOR® Surgery?

a.) Find out if the surgeon is Board Certified by The American Board of Ophthalmology and recertifies every 10 years. Surgeons that received board certification prior to 1993 do not have to recertify again, thus you can’t insure that they are keeping up with the latest knowledge and trends. If they voluntarily recertify, then they are staying current.

b.) Find out if the surgeon is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The AAO is the largest and most prestigious of all of the ophthalmic organizations. Surgeons cannot merely join; they must be accepted to become a member.

c.) Choose only a surgeon that has extensive experience performing lens replacement surgery. Lens replacement surgery and Cataract surgery utilizing the Safe Incision^sm ReSTOR® Surgery method is the most demanding and challenging form of refractive surgery. One who has built a practice around LASIK may not have maintained the skills necessary to perform ReSTOR® surgery safely.

22. What is topical clear corneal surgery?

Topical clear corneal surgery involves incision placement in the clear cornea. The topical anesthesia used does not counteract eye movement, visualization by the patient thru the surgery eye, and all pain during the procedure.

23. What is Safe Incision^sm ReSTOR® Surgery?

Safe Incision^sm surgery involves incision placement in the strong and fast healing wall of the eye, the sclera. The architecture of the incision is very special and utilizes three separate instruments for its construction. This special incision, combined with the ReSTOR® lens, provides the ultimate in visual restoration and is Dr. Beim’s signature surgical procedure.

24. Which is better: clear corneal surgery or Safe Incision^sm surgery?

A clear corneal incision takes up to two years to heal to the same strength that my Safe Incision^sm Surgery will heal in three weeks! In fact, one of my patients rolled his truck within 24 hours of Safe Incision^sm Surgery without any problems to the eye or his vision.

The infection rate of clear corneal surgery is 300 percent to 1600 percent higher, compared with scleral incision surgery. My infection rate for Safe Incision(sm) technique is zero. Infection after surgery is the most feared complication, which usually leads to blindness.

See how the two compare.

25. Dr. Beim, have you ever had a patient develop an infection after cataract surgery?

No.

26. Dr. Beim, Have you ever had a patient with a surgical complication?

Yes, however, I never had a patient end up with less vision than they had before surgery. My complication rate is well below 1 percent, much lower than the national average.

27. Dr. Beim, why is your complication rate lower than that of most other surgeons?

As an aerospace engineer, I thought long and hard for years about every aspect of this surgery, especially the location of the incision. Everything I do in surgery is done in a specific way for a specific reason. Most surgeons do what everyone else does, because everyone else is doing it that way.

28. Dr. Beim, where did you train and what are your qualifications?

I trained at UCLA and The University of California at Irvine. I passed my National Board Exams from the American Board of Ophthalmology, both written and oral, on my first attempt in 1996. I have been recertified having passed my ten-year recertification board exam by the American Board of Ophthalmology on my first attempt in 2005.

I have been in private practice for 10 years in Bellville and Brenham.

29. Dr. Beim, what else do you do besides cataract surgery and lenticular refractive surgery?

I am a comprehensive ophthalmologist and specialize in all aspects of eye care including diabetes, glaucoma, corneal disease, retinal disease, plastic surgery, pediatric eye care, inflammatory eye problems, glasses, contact lenses, etc. My favorite area of expertise, however, is lenticular refractive surgery and cataract surgery.

My ophthalmic facility in Brenham, Texas houses the latest and most technologically advanced equipment to aid in providing the highest quality of care. I have the latest lasers, computers, and ultrasounds on site. Many procedures are performed in my surgery suite within my office; however, lens replacement surgery and cataract surgery utilizing my Safe Incision^sm ReSTOR® Surgery method is performed in the operating room as an outpatient.

30. Dr. Beim, have you performed RK (Radial Keratotomy)?

Never

--PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy)?

Never

--LASIK (Laser In Situ Keratomileusis)?

Never

--CK (Conductive Keratoplasty)?

Never

--Intacs (Intrastromal Rings)?

Never

31. Dr. Beim, have you performed any refractive surgery other than the ReSTOR® lens and clear lens extraction with conventional intraocular lenses?

No.

Why not?

As an engineer, I knew all of the corneal refractive procedures including LASIK had major flaws. I would never dream of having any of these corneal refractive procedures performed on my family or myself, so I could not justify doing these procedures on my patients.

32. How long has the ReSTOR® lens surgery been available?

The lens was FDA approved on March 21, 2005. Over 76,000 patients worldwide have received the ReSTOR® lens.

33. What is the recovery rate for Safe Incision^sm ReSTOR® Surgery?

Most people are back performing most of their normal activities, including driving, by the next day.

34. Are both eyes operated on at the same time for Safe Incision^sm ReSTOR® Surgery?

No. The surgeries take place two to four weeks apart.

35. Is Safe Incision^sm ReSTOR® Surgery painful?

Not the way I perform the surgery. While the patient is not unconscious during the surgery, I utilize the services of a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) to allow for a comfortable experience. Clear corneal surgery with topical anesthesia, a technique I choose not to perform, does not alleviate all pain.

36. Should I expect pain after Safe Incision^sm ReSTOR® Surgery?

Not the way I perform surgery.

37. Is the eye patched after Safe Incision^sm ReSTOR® Surgery?

I choose to patch the eye until the next morning. Many surgeons don’t, but then my infection rate over the past 14 years is zero. Patching is a good thing!

38. Do I have to miss work after Safe Incision^sm ReSTOR® Surgery?

If you work in a reasonably clean environment you will be off the day of surgery and miss a few hours the next day during your post-operative visit. A mechanic, for instance, will miss work the remainder of the week of surgery (Tuesday thru Friday).

39. How long do I have to take medication after Safe Incision^sm ReSTOR® Surgery?

Two drops, four times a day for two weeks and one drop one to two times per day for one week.

40. I have many medical problems including a pacemaker, diabetes, high blood pressure and I’m on blood thinners. Am I too sick to have this surgery?

No. It’s rare that we can’t perform safe surgery on a patient with a complicated medical history.

41. Dr. Beim, why do you think your way of doing surgery is better than other surgeons’ surgeries?

Prior to becoming a physician and an ophthalmic surgeon, I trained and worked as an Aerospace Engineer. I was groomed to be a thinker and a problem solver, rather than a follower of other people’s ideas. I have spent countless hours determining the best techniques for each and every step of lenticular refractive surgery and cataract surgery, and for a wide variety of possible situations I may encounter. I believe every step of my procedure, especially my Safe Incision^sm ReSTOR® Surgery technique, provides the safest, most stable, and quickest-healing surgery possible. See how it compares to LASIK.