In a free educational seminar, Dr. Paul Schacknow explained cataracts as something everyone deals with as they age. The Southport summer resident practices ophthalmology in West Palm Beach, Florida. In his practice, the doctor deals with cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration as the most common cases. On Sept. 17, he spoke during the first of a series of lectures, “The Aging Eye,” sponsored by Boothbay Region Health Center and Boothbay Community Center. 

The three-part series has Schacknow speaking about cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration. With cataracts, the eye lens begins to blur over time. Schacknow likened the loss to “wearing sunglasses.” As time goes by, the lens gets cloudier until the condition is so bad it begins adversely impacting everyday activities such as working, reading and driving a car. He compared the process to adding the human eye to a glass of water. “As you age, , it’s like a few drops of ice tea are added. Over time, it becomes darker until eventually it becomes coffee,” he said. 

As one ages, cataracts progress to a point where surgery is necessary. There is no other treatment or medications ophthalmologists use for cataracts. Schacknow reported 1.4 million cataract surgeries are performed each year. “It’s basically a simple procedure, but it’s still surgery. About 95% are successful with no complications,” he said.

Modern cataract surgery is a simpler and less expensive proposition for today’s patients. Two decades ago, the procedure took an hour and occurred in a hospital’s operating room. The cost was around $3,000. Today, the procedure is done in an ophthalmologist’s office, takes about 15 minutes, and costs $600. 

Since most cataract surgeries occur for patients around 80 years old, the cost is usually paid by Medicare. In most cases, cataracts develop equally in both eyes. A surgeon will operate on one eye, and wait four weeks for swelling to subside and then operate on the other. Schacknow described surgery as removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with a plastic one. Ultrasound technology is used in removing the cloudy lens. 

“Recovery time is pretty short. The patch is removed the next day. A patient will use eye drops to control the swelling,” he said.

Schacknow is a specialist in medical, laser and surgical  treatment of glaucoma patients. Since 2008, he and wife Sharma have been seasonal residents in Southport. The couple also have contributed to several local organizations such as Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay Region Ambulance Service and Boothbay Harbor Police Department. He became the featured speaker for “The Aging Eye” after discussing possible seminar topics with Patty Seybold, president of the BRHC board. “As people age, they have more problems with their vision. So we thought this series would be appropriate for the community center’s audience. This is a friendly place and I thought this would be a way to contribute to the community, ” he said. 

Glaucoma is the second part of the series which Schacknow will present next year.