When Jerry Bilinski, a 67-year-old retired social worker, scheduled cataract surgery with Carolina Eye Associates near his home in Fayetteville, N.C., he expected no drama, just a future with better vision.
Cataract procedures are among the most common surgeries in the U.S. — nearly 4 million take place annually — and generally take about 30 minutes under light sedation. At the same time, the surgeon scheduled the placement of a little stent inside his eye to relieve pressure from his diabetes-related glaucoma, also a routine procedure to preserve his eyesight.
