Nashville, TN | First Laser Cataract Surgery | Wang Vision Institute

Speaker 1: Medical history was made in Nashville today when Dr. Ming Wang performed the state's first laser cataract surgery. It was all the first time in the world that this new technique was used in conjunction with imagery to guide the surgeon. News2's Davis Nolan explains.

Davis Nolan: Shirley Breeze has cataracts that interfere with her vision, especially at night. So she's really hopeful about today's surgery.

Shirley Breeze: I hope for a better vision, the capabilities of not having those discouragements or fearfulness of being on the road after dark.

Davis Nolan: Dr. Ming Wang performed Shirley's historic surgery.

Dr. Ming Wang: The laser technology is able to take a cross-section image, unfold, get a cross-section of the lens so we can see how thick the lens is, where we want to do surgery with laser precision.

Davis Nolan: And Dr. Wang explains the huge advantage of the laser over the traditional surgical blade.

Dr. Ming Wang: The laser is going to draw a perfect circle that predicts where the lens position is after surgery. See the incision for astigmatism? And that's where laser mechanization instead of the blade. The primary incision and secondary incision and we are done.

Davis Nolan: Then Shirley actually walks to another room where they remove the cataract using special imaging.

Dr. Ming Wang: Using my glasses give you extra depth of focus.

Davis Nolan: The whole procedure was done in about an hour. And what does Shirley think about the results?

Shirley Breeze: Before, even though I could see, there was like a cloud or a fog that you could see, and now that's already beginning to clear up.

Davis Nolan: Davis Nolan, Nashville's News2.

Speaker 1: Dr Wang says that since 3.2 million cataract surgeries are already performed annually in the US, the new laser technique is expected to have a major impact on the lives of people wanting to improve their vision.