Procedures

Chalazion removal is a minimally invasive surgical procedure performed in-office at Saland Vision. This procedure involves the removal of a chalazion, or lump on the eyelid caused by blocked gland ducts, and takes less than 30 minutes to perform. During the procedure, a small incision is made on the inside of the eyelid where the chalazion has formed, after which it is removed. 

Patients who suffer with chronically dry eyes can have a procedure that places punctal plugs (small, biocompatible devices that are inserted into tear ducts) as a temporary solution. The insertion of these plugs is an in-office procedure that generally doesn’t require anesthetic. Punctal plugs work by blocking tear duct drainage, increasing the level of tears and relieving dry eyes. 

Avastin is an FDA-approved drug used to block the growth of the abnormal blood vessels in the eye that cause wet macular degeneration. The treatment is also used to reduce swelling of the macula, one of the complications of diabetic retinopathy, and one that causes vision problems and vision loss in the long-term.

Avastin injections are administered in-office at Saland Vision, where the drug is injected into the numbed eye with a very fine needle. This treatment, which typically involves multiple injections over the course of months, has been shown to slow and prevent the vision loss caused by these eye diseases. 

In a small number of cataract surgery patients, the posterior capsule (a thin membrane behind the eye’s lens) also becomes hazy, along with the eye lens. This is typically referred to as a “secondary cataract,” and can be corrected with a quick and painless surgical procedure called a YAG laser capsulotomy. Our doctors perform this quick and effective outpatient procedure at a surgical center. The procedure, which typically lasts only a few minutes, uses a laser to create a tiny hole in the posterior capsule to remove its haziness. 

For patients with angle-closure glaucoma, peripheral iridotomy using a YAG laser (a focused beam of laser light that doesn’t affect the surrounding tissue) may be the best option. During laser peripheral iridotomy, which is performed as an outpatient procedure, the surgeon creates a small hole in the iris to drain the excess fluid from the eye. This improves the eye’s internal drainage system, which is typically blocked, causing the high intraocular pressure that characterizes glaucoma. The procedure lasts only a few minutes, during which time the patient’s eye is numbed with anesthetic eye drops. 

This outpatient, minimally invasive surgery uses low-energy laser pulses to open the trabecular passages in the eye, which are responsible for drainage. YAG selective laser trabeculoplasty helps increase the drainage of excess fluid in the eye in order to prevent buildup and further optic nerve damage, which results in vision loss. SLT surgery has been found an effective treatment for preventing vision loss in patients with open-angle glaucoma.