Protecting and preserving your vision while maintaining your comfort is our first priority. Having performed thousands of surgeries and operations, we understand your concerns and know you’ll probably be a little nervous. Rest easily; you’re about to receive treatment from an experienced physician, aided every step of the way by a caring, personable and sensitive staff. Every surgery is cause for anxiety and concern, and good information is your best defense against such worries.

Please read the information about your upcoming procedure carefully. Inside, you’ll find everything a prospective patient needs to know about their appointment time, guidelines about eating and taking medications, and what to expect after surgery is complete. If you still have questions, please feel free to contact us online or reach us via telephone at (904)296-0098. Our staff is ready, willing and fully capable to answer your questions and to help calm distressed nerves.

We’ll contact you the day before your surgery to remind you of your appointment time, about when you should stop eating and drinking anything, and whether or not you need to stop any medications. You should also abstain from any dairy or citrus products after midnight the night before your surgery.

Please note: you won’t be able to drive yourself home after surgery. Be sure you’ve made arrangements with a family member or friend.

After Your Surgery

Before your surgery, your doctor will prescribe eye drops you’ll need to use two days prior to surgery. We strongly recommend you fill these prescriptions before your surgery. Your doctor will instruct you on how often to use these drops and a schedule for taking them will be provided at the Surgery Center.

You should experience no pain and be able to return home immediately after the procedure. If you feel a mild ache, you may take Tylenol. Your eye may tear and feel “sandy” the day of surgery and your vision may be a little blurry. Don’t worry; all these reactions are perfectly normal. You may shower and wash your hair, butdon’t let water in your eye for two weeks after surgery. It’s crucial you avoid rubbing or pushing on your eye. Most people choose to rest the remainder of day of the surgery and we strongly recommend that you do.

Your eye will be checked the day after the procedure. Afterwards, you will need to use drops for several weeks. You will also need to avoid bending, stooping,lifting, and any strenuous exercise for two weeks or until the doctor.

Of course, if you experience any pain that Tylenol can’t take care of, contact one of our surgical coordinators immediately at (904)296-0098.

Cataract Surgery

Cataract surgery is a simple, relatively painless procedure that can be done in matter of minutes at our Surgery Center. The skin around your eye will be thoroughly cleansed and a sterile covering will be placed around your eye and head. You’ll be given some eye drops to dilate your pupil and a sedative to help you relax, should that be necessary. You’ll be administered a local or topical anesthetic to make sure the procedure is absolutely painless. No injection is used.

Then using the latest ultrasound technology available, Dr. Bowden will dissolve the cataract and wash it away through a tiny incision. Your new lens is then implanted again using state-of-the-art technology to match the newly implanted lens to your eye’s prescription.

In all, the procedure will take less than ten minutes.

Glaucoma Surgery

Bowden Eye Associates has helped thousands of patients affected with glaucoma battle the disease, retain their sight and maintain the highest quality of life possible. The goal of glaucoma surgery is to relieve the pressure inside the eye. Making an incision into the white part of the eye, located beneath the upper eyelid, and into the eye’s front chamber creates a small drain. The drain is made to remain open so that harmful fluid can flow through it, thus relieving pressure on the eye. As can happen with any incision, the drain may begin to heal over. That’s why it’s essential we monitor it closely, so during the first couple of months after surgery, you’ll need to make several visits to the office.

LASIK Surgery

All refractive LASIK procedures reshape the cornea to reduce or eliminate visual distortions by reshaping the cornea to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. During your procedure you may feel some slight pressure on your eye. It’s normal and will last only a few seconds. The doctor will be talking to you and someone will be guiding you the entire time to help you feel more comfortable.

For your protection, clear shields will be placed over your eyes immediately after the surgery. Your vision will be blurry, your eyes may tear, and they may feel slightly scratchy. It’s all entirely normal and to be expected.

Cosmetic and Oculoplastics

If you are considering any surgery around the eyes (whether to address a disorder or for aesthetic reasons), you should see a board certified oculoplastic surgeon. We will contact you the day before your surgery to remind you of your appointment time. You should not have anything to eat or drink for at least 8 hours prior to your surgery. However you may brush your teeth.

Smoking can seriously affect the success of any facial surgery. You must stop smoking two weeks before any surgery and continue not smoking for at least 3 weeks after surgery.

Please note: you will not be able to drive yourself home after surgery. Please be sure that you have made arrangements with a family member or friend.

Corneal Transplant Surgery

When the cornea is severely damaged or there is a risk of blindness, a corneal transplant, or keratoplasty, may be recommended to preserve your vision. A corneal transplant replaces the damaged cornea with one from a healthy donor. A low-risk procedure with a high success rate that takes between 30 and 90 minutes, corneal transplants are performed in our outpatient Surgery Center using either a local or general anesthesia.

Because it offers patients in need of a new cornea clear post-operative vision and shorter recovery times, whenever possible Dr. Bowden uses DSAEK – Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty – a revolutionary new corneal transplantation technique.