DECATUR - When she woke up Thursday morning, Genevieve Johnson could not believe her eyes.

"I had no idea what I was not seeing," she said. "It's like I'm living in another world."

Johnson 84, had undergone cataract surgery on her left eye just the day before at Macon County Eye Center's Advanced Eye Surgery and Laser Center under the care of ophthalmologist Dr. Sushant Sinha, the center's medical director.

Fully operational since late May, the new freestanding surgery facility contains two operating rooms and a patient preparation and recovery room - enough to fill the needs of a growing patient base.

The center, just behind the Macon County Eye Center building, is scheduling LASIK vision correction, or Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis, cataract and eyelid surgeries regularly.

The majority of the surgeries performed at the center are for cataracts, which are common among older people, clinic administrator Dawn Followell said.

A cataract occurs when the eye's lens, which focuses light, becomes cloudy and blurs vision. Cataract surgery acts to remove and replace the clouded lens, Sinha said. Under a microscope, surgical tools are used to make an incision less than 3 millimeters long into the eye. Then, Sinha said, he uses an Alcon Infinity ultrasonic device to break up and liquefy the clouded lens, which is suctioned from the eye. Finally, Sinha inserts a new lens "folded in half like a taco" through the original incision and then unfolds it into place without the need for a stitch or patch.

"The technique of cataract surgery remains the same (from patient to patient)," Sinha said. "There may be a slight variation of complexity, depending on the maturity of the cataract. If they are very, very thick, it requires a little bit more finesse and wisdom."

Johnson, who lives in an apartment building for seniors, said she got out of bed the day after surgery and began touring her home, opening and closing each eye to see the difference in her vision. She looked at the leaves on the tree outside her window, enjoyed some family photos and then began grabbing clothes out of her closet to revel in clarity and an array of hues she hadn't seen in years.

"Well, they tell me that when this eye gets all healed that I'm going to be able to see like I haven't been able to see in goodness knows how long," Johnson said as she sat under a warming blanket less than an hour after her surgery.

On the Wednesday of Johnson's surgery, Sinha also removed a basal cell carcinoma from near the corner of one patient's eye. He performed the surgery under a microscope because of the lesion's precarious location and the minimal availability of surrounding tissue to properly repair the incision.

Sinha said he is looking forward to expanding the center's cataract surgeries to include the potential for implantable multifocal lenses and toric lenses to correct high astigmatism. He also said he would like to be able to include surgeries on the retina and corneal transplantation among the services the new center offers.

"Those types of surgeries are not being performed in Decatur at the present time," Sinha said. "So people have to travel considerable distance, and there are multiple follow-ups included in this, so patients and their families have to take time off to provide this care. If we perform it here in Decatur, it will provide an economic benefit to the family and also the care locally available."

One other implantable lens Sinha said he is looking forward to working with is a new telescopic lens that, when it is approved for use, is expected to help combat the devastating effects of macular degeneration. He said he would like to be involved in upcoming clinical trials for it.

Aside from the scope of procedures the center offers, Followell stressed that convenience of a one-stop eye care and surgery center is a big draw for patients. Johnson said she was very pleased with the personal nature of the care she received at the facility. It helped, she said, to arrive on the day of her procedure and see familiar faces. Johnson, who was concerned about potential complications from a back problem, was able to express her concerns well before her surgery date.

"What I appreciated," Johnson said, "they listen. I wasn't worried about Dr. Sinha doing my eye, but I was worried about my osteoporosis back."

Johnson, a Jehovah's Witness, said she hopes her improving eyesight will help her participate in Bible studies and other ministries and regain a more active role in her faith.

Annie Getsinger can be reached at agetsinger@herald-review.com or 421-6968.