Ophthalmological surgery

Dr. Marc FRANCHINI performs intraocular surgery in Ajaccio. The Ophthalmological surgery is carried out either at Clinisud in Ajaccio for Cataract Surgery, Glaucoma Surgery or Refractive Surgery, or directly at Centre EYETECH in Ajaccio, for EXCIMER Laser Surgery.

• 1. Cataract Surgery

  Cataract is the clouding of the lens, which results in a decrease in vision and eventually to blindness. It has multiple causes, the first of which is ageing. Cataract cannot be reversed and has no effective treatment, which means that surgery is the only solution. Even though cataract surgery is not an emergency procedure, it is best if it is performed before the cataract has progressed too much.

  The operation

  Cataract removal surgery has considerably progressed. The current technique consists in disintegrating the cataract lens using ultrasound, and to replace it with an artificial lens: the implant.

  There are 2 types of implants :

  • The “ Regular ” monofocal lenses, which requires most patients to wear glasses (particularly for near vision)
  • The “ Premium ” (see refractive surgery)

  It's a minimally invasive operation that does not require general anesthetic, and therefore no hospitalization, except in very specific cases. It is performed as outpatient surgery. In order to make the patient as comfortable as possible, Dr. Marc FRANCHINI uses a “ topical ” anesthetic (no injection, applied by drops), which allows him to operate on hemophilic patients or patients under anticoagulant treatment... Therefore, the operation is very quick (10 to 15 minutes), and the patient can leave after one hour, without dressing and protected by sunglasses.

  Post-surgery

  The vision is restored very quickly and the other eye can be operated on a week after the first one.
  If there is a loss of visual acuity after a few years because of a clouding of the lens capsule - aka secondary cataract – (it happens usually in 3 out of 10 patients), a YAG laser session will be enough to treat it.

• 2. Glaucoma Surgery

  Glaucoma is an eye condition often related to an abnormal increase of the intraocular pressure, which results in a progressive, insidious and irreversible damage to the optic nerve.
  Medical treatment or laser might slow down and even stabilize glaucoma. However, in some cases (e.g. therapeutic resistance), surgery becomes necessary.

  The operation

  The operation (Trabeculectomy or deep sclerectomy)) is performed at the private clinic, often under general anesthetic. It creates a new pathway for the aqueous humor in order to increase its filtration and thereby to regulate the intraocular pressure.

  Post-surgery

  The dressing is removed the day after the surgery.
  Monitoring and eye drop treatment during one month.

• 3. Refractive Surgery

  
  

  Lens Surgery

  Lens Surgery is performed at the clinic or as outpatient surgery and under topical anesthetic; it is often associated with cataract surgical and involves the implantation of a “ Premium ” implant (toric, multifocal, toric multifocal) which corrects, depending on the case, various visual deficiencies in addition to cataract (nearsightedness, hyperopia, astigmatism et presbyopia).

  Corneal Surgery

  It is performed at the Centre Laser EYETECH of Casone, as outpatient surgery, using EXCIMER laser and involves correcting (in the absence of cataract) the various visual deficiencies by altering the corneal curvature. (see Excimer laser).

• 4. EXCIMER Laser

  It is performed as outpatient surgery at the Centre Laser EYETECH of Casone.

  The chosen technique (PKR) allows an effective and safe correction of various vision defects. By carving the corneal surface in order to adjust its curvature, the laser changes the refraction angle of the light, the defect of which is responsible of vision deficiencies..

  • Nearsightedness: it flattens the corneal curvature by altering its middle section
  • Hyperopia: it acts in the periphery in order to bulge the middle section
  • Astigmatism: it removes the irregularities of the curvature
  • Presbyopia (Hyperopia): it partially adjusts the curvature and can improve near vision

  Learn more about Refractive Surgery with EXCIMER laser