Anyone who lives a long life knows there are some things that are inevitable. To the old adage of “death and taxes,” they can add “cataract surgery.” Cataracts form, clouding the lens in the eye as people age. Removing the clouded eye lens and replacing it with a clear one offers patients clearer vision and makes colors more vibrant. Who doesn’t want that?

Early days of cataract treatment

While today’s procedure is a breeze, that was not always the case. Cataract treatment was recorded as far back as the fifth century B.C., but that was simply a treatment, not removal of the cataract. Cataract removal was first introduced in 1747 by a French surgeon. It became the standard of care for more than 100 years, but it was not without problems: infection, poor healing, not to mention the lack of equipment well-suited for operations on something as delicate as the human eye.

And then there was the stress on the patient. Cataract removal patients had to be immobilized until healing was complete. That translated into days of lying in bed with sandbags on either side of the head to keep it stable.

Anyone who experiences cataract surgery today can breathe a sigh of relief that today’s procedure is quick, painless and precise, with modern technological advances. Shreveport-Bossier residents have enjoyed excellent eye care for many years, thanks to the evolution of care locally.

For many years, doctors who cared for ears, noses and throats also cared for eyes. That changed in 1979 when the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology split, and eye doctors moved into a separate academy. One of the local leaders of that new focus on eyes-only care was a young Shreveport eye surgeon, Dr. William H. Steen Jr.

WK focus on comprehensive eye care

Anticipating the future of eye care, Dr. Steen and his partner, Dr. Donald Hall, worked with Willis-Knighton to develop a comprehensive program of eye care to focus on innovative techniques, research and education for doctors and the public.

Doctors Steen and Hall were the first to offer outpatient eye surgery in the community. Then, in 1980, the eye practice of Doctors Steen, Hall, Drummond and Lusk announced that Dr. Steen would limit his practice to cataract and lens implant surgery. This was a sign that the demand for kinder, gentler and less expensive outpatient cataract surgery was on the rise.

Specializing in cataract surgery and advanced eye care, Willis-Knighton began to attract a regional population, and by 1984, Doctors Steen and Hall marked their 5,000th lens implant surgery.

To demonstrate its growing commitment to eye care, in 1988 Willis-Knighton opened what is today known as the Willis-Knighton Eye Institute. The Eye Institute includes ophthalmologists, optometrists and support staff who are dedicated to providing sophisticated eye care, from basic vision services and exams to innovative cataract surgery and vision correction surgery like LASIK.

The Eye Institute building on Greenwood Road in Shreveport features the Eye Surgery Center, home to some of the region’s most advanced eye lasers and eye surgery equipment, as well as a surgical support team devoted exclusively to eyes.

A second outpatient surgery center is located at Willis-Knighton Bossier, making eye surgery more convenient for residents in that area. Occasionally, eye surgeries require a full hospital-based operating room, and those are offered at North for adult eye surgery and at South for pediatric eye surgery.

Hospital-based eye surgery center

Although some eye surgeons choose to perform eye surgery in freestanding centers, surgeons at the Eye Institute point to the benefits of surgery at a hospital-based eye surgery center. Most obvious is that, if a medical emergency occurs during eye surgery (something that could be more likely with an older population), specialists can respond right away.

Also, the hospital-based eye surgery center is required to adhere to the same quality standards required at the hospital. Finally, Willis-Knighton’s membership in the prestigious Mayo Clinic Care Network gives surgeons the option of consulting with Mayo experts as they research care for complex eye conditions.

As the Eye Institute brings more doctors under its umbrella in 2026, the community can look forward to a brighter future for eye care built on the solid foundation of the past.