Caroll says sight is her favorite sense after premium cataract surgery

Caroll’s long and interesting trip to Dr. Assil’s office 

Before she visited Dr. Assil, Caroll lived a life out of a movie script. Without a hit for several years, the Teddy Bears eventually broke up after Caroll almost died in an auto accident. 

After recovering, Caroll began songwriting and ironically penned a big hit about a car entitled “Hey Little Cobra” in 1964. Carol’s piece celebrating the Shelby Cobra automobile spent 14 weeks on the Billboard Top 100. The car’s designer, Caroll Shelby, was so pleased with Caroll’s contribution to sales that he gave her one of the potent beauties. 

Then, in 1976, she collaborated with composer and conductor Bill Conti and Ayn Robbins to write “Gonna Fly Now,” the theme song from the Academy Award-winning film “Rocky. Carol also earned herself an Academy Award nomination. 

Inside the doors of Assil Gaur Eye Institute 

Then, in 2024, Caroll woke one morning with very blurry vision. She recalled her childhood, many years before, when she imagined a life without sight. “To say I was scared would be an understatement. I tried everything I could think of to make it go away,” says Caroll, referring to over-the-counter remedies.

Luckily for Caroll, her friends Sandy and Sue directed her to Dr. Kerry Assil, one of the country's premier ophthalmologists and cataract surgeons. He examined her and, interestingly, identified a cataract on the lens of her right eye. “I had never heard of having a cataract in one eye; everyone I had ever known had it in both eyes.”

“Cataracts, which is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens, tend to develop with age and typically affect both eyes simultaneously,” explains Dr. Assil. “They, however, do not always develop at the same rate. Some people wait years between their two eye surgeries until a cataract finally forms in the other eye.”

With premium cataract surgery, patients can achieve significantly enhanced vision with an intraocular lens (IOL), a vision-correcting replacement lens.

The IOL replaces the cloudy, natural, cataract-damaged lens. Sometimes, patients can eliminate the need for eyeglasses with the latest-generation trifocal IOLs, but not everybody is the right fit for them. Caroll was one of those patients. 

Dr. Assil selects a single distance IOL 

Because Caroll did not mind wearing reading glasses but did not want to wear glasses to see her audience when performing, Dr. Assil recommended the Sensar Monofocal IOL. This lens will give her crisp, distant vision, and it is also more cost-effective than the newer tri-focal premium lenses. In her case, it was also covered by insurance. “We opted for the simplest lens,” said Caroll.

The key features of this type of monovision IOL are:

• Single-Focus Vision: This ‌ lens implant provides crystal-clear vision at a specific distance, which, in Caroll’s case, is distance vision. This means she will need glasses for near vision, such as reading.
• Higher-Quality Vision: Patients often experience improved contrast sensitivity and reduced glare or halos after surgery compared to their natural, cloudy lenses.
• UV Protection: The lens features a UV-blocking filter, which shields the retina from harmful UV rays, much like the natural lens in a healthy eye.
• Stability: The Sensar monofocal lens is designed for long-term stability, providing durable vision correction with minimal risk of shifting or displacement.
• Less Expensive than Multifocal IOLs: Compared to multifocal lenses or accommodating IOLs, the Sensar Monofocal lens is often more affordable and covered by most insurance plans.

With more than 15 different monofocal lenses to choose from for Caroll, she was confident that Dr. Assil had made the proper selection for her ideal visual outcome. “For me,” says Caroll, “the tradeoff of using eyeglasses for reading so I could always see who I was performing for was perfect for me.”

Caroll’s show must go on… and it does! 

Now that Caroll is “out of the cataract woods,” she recalls her experience as daunting. “I was scared to have eye surgery. I thought of every excuse to avoid it,” she says. “But with the constant blurriness in my eye, I bit the bullet because I trusted Dr. Assil. And now that I have great vision with zero complications, I wonder why I waited so long!” 

While performing recently at a community show, shortly after her cataract surgery, Caroll loved that the audience was no longer blurry. “It’s wonderful having my cataract gone. At my last eye examination, I could read the itty-bitty print at the bottom of the eye chart, which I could never have done! I owe it all to Dr. Assil.”

And let’s not forget her excellent vision, now with a perfect eyeglass prescription. “It was so easy to see to proofread my new book, Elvis, Rocky, and Me (now available on Amazon). Her book discusses Caroll's brief romance with the King of Rock’ n’ Roll and her long-standing friendship with Sylvester Stallone. The book has been adapted into a documentary and is scheduled for release this year. Stay tuned.

Why choose Assil Gaur Eye Institute for your cataract care?

Assil Gaur Eye Institute (AGEI) is renowned for its comprehensive ophthalmology care, expertise, and technological advancements in premium cataract surgery and its “sister procedure,” refractive lens exchange (RLE).

Their eye care team, comprising seasoned ophthalmologists and optometrists, is among the most experienced in the United States.

With cutting-edge technology and a commitment to patient care, AGEI provides highly patient-satisfied advanced treatments for all vision needs.

Take your first step toward crystal-clear vision—call (866) 945-2745 or request your appointment online.