Chester County Cataract Surgeons Say Baby Boomer Vision Loss is Now Widespread

Chester County Cataract Surgeons Say Baby Boomer Vision Loss is Now Widespread

Chester County Eye Care Associates Discuss Growing Demand for Cataract Surgery

At their West Chester cataract surgery and eye care practice, Drs. Michael Ward and Bruce Saran say they have observed a recent trend in increasing demand for vision correction procedures from the baby boomer generation. As the hosts of regular support groups for family, friends, and sufferers of macular degeneration, Drs. Ward and Saran say the generation of people now hitting their 50s and 60s are experiencing natural age-related vision loss and beginning to seek corrective procedures such as cataract surgery.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), nearly 22 million Americans age 40 and older are affected by cataracts, and by age 80, more than half of all Americans will have cataracts. As retina surgeons at the Chester County Eye Care Associates for vision correction in West Chester, Drs. Ward and Saran say with the baby boomer generation making its way into the next stage of life, the demand for age-related corrective eye procedures has experienced a steady rise over the past few years. They say there has been more interest recently in vision correction at their practice, particularly premium intraocular lens (IOL) cataract surgery and other procedures targeted towards aging vision.

As people age above their 40s, Dr. Ward says the eye begins to lose focus and the ability to see things clearly up close. He says various vision concerns such as presbyopia, cataracts, and macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 50, begin to play a much more significant role in the lives of his patients at later stages in life. While the AAO reports that more than 2 million Americans age 50 and older have advanced macular degeneration leading to severe vision impairment, Drs. Ward and Saran have taken action by offering regular free support groups for family, friends, and sufferers of the debilitating condition. The last meeting was held on October 8, 2011 at the Chester County Hospital and the next event will take place at the hospital in May of 2012.

Drs. Ward and Saran say one of the most important ways to combat age-related vision loss and conditions like macular degeneration and cataracts is to improve education and awareness about the conditions. Dr. Saran says he also hopes the availability of advanced cataract surgery procedures and support groups at the Chester County Eye Care practice will help baby boomer patients find both comfort and effective treatment options in the restoration of their vision.

About Michael J. Ward, MD

After earning his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College, Dr. Michael Ward completed his residency in Ophthalmology at Case Western Reserve University along with an internship at St. Barnabas Medical Center and a two-year fellowship in vitroretinal diseases and surgery at the Scheie Eye Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. He is board-certified and fellowship-trained in retina surgery, and serves on the Advisory Board for Gene Therapy for Macular Degeneration at the F.M. Kirby Center for Molecular Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dr. Ward is also the recipient of the Carol R. Mullen Memorial Prize in Ophthalmology at Jefferson Medical College and the Hobart Amory Hare Honor Medical Society.

About Bruce R. Saran, MD

Dr. Bruce Saran is a graduate with honors of the University of Rochester and a magna cum laude graduate from the Doctor of Medicine program at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He completed a residency in Ophthalmology at the University of Illinois at Chicago Eye and Ear Center, where he was elected best senior resident. Dr. Saran is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School and an Attending Surgeon at the Chester County Hospital. He is the founder of the Chester County Macular Degeneration Support Group and has been featured nationally on the medical television program Second Opinion on the Discovery Channel.

With three locations at 915 Old Fern Hill Road, Bldg B, Ste 200 in West Chester, PA; 740 West Lincoln Hwy in Exton, PA; and 1011 West Baltimore Pike, Medical Office Bldg. 1, Suite 203 in West Grove, PA, the Chester County Eye Care Associates can be reached at (610) 696-1230. It can also be contacted online via the website chestercountyeyecare.com, chestercountylasik.com.

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