Paul N. Schacknow, M.D., Ph.D., will be giving a free educational lecture entitled "The Aging Eye -- Cataract Surgery" at the Community Center in the Meadow Mall on Tuesday, Sept. 17, from noon until 1:30 p.m., including a question and answer session as part of our Empowered Patients' Lunch & Learn series. The Empowered Patients' seminar series was started by Dr. Steve Cook, medical director of the Boothbay Region Health Center, and the free series is co-sponsored by the Health Center and the Community Center. The talks are open to the public and take place from September through June.

Cataract surgery is a procedure to remove the lens of your eye, which usually becomes cloudy with age, reducing your vision. It is generally replaced it with an artificial plastic lens. Cataract surgery is performed by an ophthalmologist, often in an ambulatory surgery center, not requiring an overnight stay or general anesthesia. Ultrasound energy is used to remove the cloudy lens. Over 1 million cataract operations occur each year in the U.S. and it is generally a safe procedure. Dr. Schacknow will discuss how cataracts form, what lens implant options are available, and the nature of the surgical procedure. Audience members will be encouraged to ask questions.

Schacknow has been a summer resident of the Boothbay Harbor area since 2008. He and his wife, Sharma, who grew up in Bangor, live on Southport. He is consultant in glaucoma at the East Florida Eye Institute in Stuart, Florida. He is a specialist in the medical, laser and surgical treatment of glaucoma patients. (Glaucoma will be the subject of a future Empowered Patients' seminar). Schacknow is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and he has been elected to membership in the American Glaucoma Society. He currently holds an appointment as a clinical associate professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Ophthalmology, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida and is the author of numerous books and medical journal articles.

Please come and join us for this free, interactive and educational talk about modern cataract surgery.