Dr. Wiens – surgeon and owner of Image Plus Laser Eye Centre – also has a full ophthalmology clinic where he treats patients with many different eye health conditions or injuries, and who are often referred to him from other health care professionals.
Last year, Dr Wiens was able to help a police officer through a combination of procedures to treat a progressively worsening vision condition due to a previous injury. These procedures have allowed them to continue to work in a high-risk field where strong visual acuity is an absolute must.
We have been given permission to share his story with their name removed to protect their identity due to their profession.
In the Fall of 2019, as I was using a tool without wearing eye protection, a tiny shard of metal the size of a grain of salt flew into my eye. It cut through the cornea, tore through the lens and its capsule and lodged itself in the retina. I received an emergency vitrectomy at Misericordia Hospital and the foreign object was successfully removed by a retinal specialist, without further damaging the retina and without having to remove the damaged lens, which would have caused extra scar tissue to the capsule, to perform the surgery.
This still left me with a severe and worsening cataract due to the torn lens and visual acuity in the injured eye of about 20/80 and worsening. At 30 years old, with a long career still ahead of me, I was very concerned with never meeting the vision requirements required to retain my job as an operational police officer.
With the specifics of my duties in mind, my ophthalmologist. Dr James John Wiens recommended a multi-focal lens to replace the damaged one. At my age and still early in my career, this would give me the best chance at retrieving most of my visual acuity, without having to wear corrective lenses (bi/trifocals) for near and/or far vision. This would be key for operational activities such as shooting firearms at various distances, driving while reading license plate numbers, having to focus on moving objects at various distances, and many more. Without hesitation, I opted to take this recommendation and, almost immediately after the cataract surgery, performed by Dr Wiens, my visual acuity was back to 20/30 at close, mid and far range.
I wore corrective lenses for a few months to allow for full healing until Dr Wiens recommended a PRK Laser Surgery to fine-tune my vision. This was performed by him at his Image Plus Laser Eye Centre in the late Spring of 2020. After a few more weeks, I had attained a visual acuity of 20/20, excellent vision at close, mid and far range and great contrast and low light vision, with minimal starburst effect when looking directly at lights. I passed all required tests without issue and was able to return to my full operational duties without restriction, which include being a firearms Instructor for the police force.
Several more months later, my vision has further improved, and I often outdo other police officers with my visual acuity at various distances.
I hope this helps others in positions similar to mine with making the right decision in opting for multifocal lenses if recommended as it has without a doubt allowed me to pursue a career where near-perfect uncorrected vision, at various distances, is paramount.
Thank you to Dr Wiens and his staff.