An ophthamological surgery team from the Syracuse, N.Y., area spent Thursday morning observing the team at Sharon Regional Health System to study efficiency and to share ideas.

Dr. John Costello, who practices ophthalmology out of Rome, N.Y., and a team of nurses, assistants and a surgical consultant observed 15 cataract surgeries performed by ophthalmologist Dr. Robert Stein of the Valley Eye Center.

"Dr. Stein has been with the hospital for a period of time, and he's done great work here," said Kathy Sankovich, director of surgical services at Sharon Regional.

Costello had seen Stein on a lecture circuit and contacted him about observing his surgical team.

"Dr. Costello came to observe surgical techniques and to see what the staff does," Stein said.

The team saw all aspects of surgery, from the time the patient comes in for preparation to the discharge time, which is a span of about 90 minutes. The surgery itself takes about 10 minutes.

Surgeons perform about 1,800 cataract surgeries a year at Sharon Regional. A cataract is the hardening of the lens of the eye caused by age, trauma or illness. While cataracts are not dangerous, most people who have them choose to have them removed.

Stein's patients range from infants with congenital cataracts to people who have passed the century mark. Both morbidity levels and complications for his patients are extremely low, he said.

Patients typically regain their vision within 90 minutes of surgery and can usually resume their normal lifestyles the following day, Stein said.

Stein said the success rate for cataract surgery out of the Valley Eye Center is 99 percent. Stein attributes the success not only to the surgeons but also to the staff that work with them.

Sharon Regional uses a "two-room" system to perform cataract surgery, something Costello wants to implement at the State University of New York Upstate Medical School at Syracuse, where he is a clinical instructor as well as a surgeon.

In a two-room system, a patient is prepped for surgery in one room while the surgeon is working on another patient in the second room. The system helps keep the surgeon focused and eliminates down-time for the patients.

The system is also beneficial to certain patients with other medical conditions, such as diabetics. Since surgery patients cannot eat the night before procedures, getting diabetics into the operating room as quickly as possible helps them stay on their medical regimens.

Sharon Regional has used the two-room system for about three years.

"We're trying to emulate what Dr. Stein does here at Sharon Regional ... the system they have here is unique," Costello said. "We're trying to bring the team approach to the upstate New York area."

Costello said that a lot of hospitals do the same thing for so many years and it can be difficult to persuade people in positions of authority to change. He said he has been trying for nine months to get this system in Syracuse.

"We finally got the green light for April," he said.

The two teams also shared surgical techniques and suggestions about how to make the whole process more efficient. Nurses and assistants, as well as the surgeons, exchanged ideas.

Surgical techniques keep improving with time, including the advent of no-stitch cataract surgery a few years ago and use of topical anesthesia instead of needles.

Stein said he has been able to fine-tune his strategies over the years, and continues to learn from other physicians.

"Dr. Costello was giving me some helpful hints of how to do things," Stein said. "Every time we have something new, there's always a newer way."