PRESS RELEASE:
September is a beautiful time of year in Nova Scotia and proved to be the perfect place to hold the annual Atlantic Eye Symposium. The Atlantic Eye Symposium is an educational event that is geared toward ophthalmologists, optometrists, and other eyecare innovators. The meeting provides an educational experience reviewing current clinical management of eye disease. Local ophthalmologist, Dr. Johnny Gayton had the honor to be on the faculty and present three talks at this year’s symposium. During the two day event, Dr. Gayton shared his experience with Narrow Angle Glaucoma and advanced cataract surgery using femtosecond lasers.
Narrow Angle glaucoma is one of the most common causes of blindness in the world. To diagnose narrow angle glaucoma, Dr. Gayton owns one of the most advanced imaging devices available. This device allows him to measure tiny changes in the ocular tissues. These measurements facilitate faster and more accurate diagnosis of the many different types of glaucoma and aid in the diagnosis of retinal diseases, such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Once diagnosed, Dr. Gayton generally treats narrow angle glaucoma by performing a lens extraction which is an idea that he pioneered over twenty years ago. Using this method of treatment Dr. Gayton has never had a reoccurring case of narrow angle glaucoma.
During the symposium, Dr. Gayton also shared his personal experience with femtosecond lasers for advanced cataract surgery. Eyesight Associates is one of four practices in the United States that has the technology of two different femtosecond lasers for cataract surgery. Femtosecond lasers offer a higher level of precision and safety to modern cataract surgery. These lasers use sophisticated OCT scanning technology to carefully map and measure the eye. These images are used to plan and perform customized laser-assisted surgery to exact specifications generally not attainable with traditional surgery. In 2013, Dr. Gayton became the first ophthalmologist in the nation to remove a black cataract through a tiny wound with femtosecond laser assistance.
Dr. Gayton has been practicing ophthalmology in middle Georgia for over 25 years. He is the owner and Chief Surgeon at Eyesight Associates, which was established in 1983 and has 4 locations, 7 providers, and an adjoining surgery center.