This story is sponsored by Revision LASIK & Cataract Surgery.
People commonly pursue their career and purpose, but occasionally, it presents itself without warning. Sometimes with unexpected benefits. This was the case for Rhonda Mutchler-Ghent, 55.
A resident of Richland County her whole life, Mutchler-Ghent raised children here, and them, their own. Married with a host of stepchildren and step grandchildren, she has an active and nature driven family, geared towards exploring the outdoors, whether it’s floating along the water on a kayak or playing sports on the lawn.
22 years ago, she described it as being at the “right place at the right time.” Mutchler-Ghent was working as a receptionist at an ophthalmology practice when the doctor noticed how quickly she was picking up information, enough to where he asked her if she’d be interested in becoming an ophthalmic technician.
“I was looking for a career, so I accepted the challenge. The field of eye care really interested me. I feel like I didn’t really seek out ophthalmology. Truthfully, it found me, and I fell in love with the field,” Mutchler-Ghent said.
“Ophthalmology finding us is kind of a common theme among many eye care professionals. It’s just such a rewarding field. We get to give patients their vision for the rest of their life. I was wanting to be a part of something great, something that would change lives for the better, and that’s why I’ve been in the field for 22 years now.”
17 of those years have been at Revision LASIK & Cataract Surgery on Cook Road. She had been itching to grow in her career and expand her knowledge, and Revision was the perfect place for her to branch out. Not only that, but she gained extensive knowledge about vision solutions that would improve her own quality of vision over the years.
She had chosen to have LASIK at ReVision 16 years ago, as she had always heavily relied on glasses or contact lenses. Once she got into her 50s, Mutchler-Ghent began to lose the ability to see up close, a condition commonly associated with the natural process of aging called presbyopia.
“Everybody will experience this at some point in their life. I simply lost the ability to see up close. I was having a lot of glare from headlights at night and my vision just wasn’t sharp anymore. So that’s when I started to think, ‘I’m probably getting cataracts,’” Mutchler-Ghent said.
When consulting with Dr. Schumer at Revision LASIK & Cataract Surgery to undergo surgery to solve her cataract and presbyopia vision challenges, she elected to incorporate new laser and lens technology into her cataract removal procedure that would allow her to enjoy this visual freedom with nearly no dependence on physical eyewear. A femtosecond laser is used to complete certain aspects of the cataract surgery. Years ago, this was all done by hand. By using the laser, it’s more precise and requires less surgical time, which is equal to less inflammation.
“A femtosecond laser can break up your cataract very easily. Plus, I had an astigmatism correction so the laser put some slits in the cornea in my eye to flatten it and lessen the astigmatism. Then you go on with the ultrasound and it’s called phacoemulsification and they basically vacuum up the cataract. It’s really an easy procedure, believe it or not,” Mutcher-Ghent said.
The doctors at Revision have also increased convenience for patients after the procedure. By injecting a combination of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication into the eye during the procedure, the patient doesn’t have eye drops to use after surgery.
There is no better time than the present to get your eyes checked and get educated about your overall eye health. Revision performs LASIK and cataract surgery, as well as corneal procedures, Refractive Lens Exchange and more, which you can view on their website. Schedule an appointment today.
“It’s about education, which we do pretty well at Revision. There’s a lot of people out there we can help, there’s not many we can’t. Get an eye exam, find out your options,” Mutchler-Ghent said.
