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Surgery Closer to Home

There is no need to travel when surgery is the option for your care. SMH welcomes Truman Mark Vasko, MD, FACS. Dr. Vasko is a General Surgeon. Services include endoscopy, colonoscopy, hernia repairs, skin cancer and lesion removals and laparoscopic gallbladder and other abdominal procedures.

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Hospitalist Program

A hospitalist is a physician who specializes in caring for patients while they are in the hospital. Their time is devoted to caring for hospitalized patients. Hospitalists manage and coordinate all aspects of your hospital care - from admission until discharge - working closely with your primary care physician and/or specialists involved.

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Health Library

From diabetes to problems sleeping, it is important to have information so that you can make informed decisions about your health. Browse our on-line health library for a variety of news articles.

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Cataract Surgery

The world can seem to be blurry and faded when cataracts interfere. What may be a surprise to many is that an estimated 20.5 million (17.2%) Americans 40 years and older have cataract in one or both eyes, and 6.1 million (5.1%) have had their lens removed operatively. The total number of people who have cataracts is estimated to increase to 30.1 million by 2020.

The good news is that cataract surgery is a common and relatively fast outpatient procedure where a surgeon removes the eye's clouded natural lens and replaces it with an artificial, intraocular lens (IOL). For those who are candidates, after surgery they may experience little to no pain and the procedure usually has them returning to their normal activities the following day.

What is Cataract?

Cataract is a clouding of the eye’s lens and is the leading cause of blindness worldwide, and the leading cause of vision loss in the United States. Cataracts can occur at any age due to a variety of causes, and can be present at birth. Contrary to popular belief, a cataract is not a "film" over the eye; rather it is a gradual thickening of the lens that causes the lens to become so clouded that light is either distorted or cannot reach the back of the eye (the retina) for transmission to the brain.

What are the Symptoms?

The symptoms of cataracts are often blurry or dim vision, colors appearing faded, poor night vision, halos appearing around lights, and sensitivity to bright lights. Age–related cataracts develop very slowly and painlessly.

What are the causes of Cataracts?

In general, there are two main causes of cataracts: you can acquire them or, you can be born with them. A variety of factors cause acquired cataracts such as exposure to ultraviolet light. Another factor is simply the normal process of aging. Over time of the lens becomes less resilient, less transparent, and thicker which causes the formation of cataracts.

Trauma to the eye can also cause cataracts and is the most common cause of cataracts in people under the age of 40. Systemic diseases can also cause cataracts, including diabetes and hypothyroidism.

For more information about Cataract Surgery at SMH, call 217.774.6433 ext. 5271