MODERN CATARACT SURGERY
Cataract surgery consists of several steps:
- The eye is numbed with anaesthetic eye drops
- Microincisions are made in the cornea
- The cataract is removed
- An intraocular lens is implanted
- The incision is sealed
Most patients require an anesthetic injection for their procedure and will require a patch over their eye until the following morning.
People are often intimidated by the idea of consulting with an eye surgeon, we aim to make the experience and easy and pleasant as possible.
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When it comes to cataract surgery, we can treat people with topical anesthetics. No injections. With the newest multifocal and extended depth of focus lens implants, the latest astigmatism correcting implants, we can restore wonderful sight after the operation. We offer a full range of vision treatments for people who do not want to wear glasses or contact lenses. They include high-definition Lasik and smart surface laser eye surgery. We also performed phakic lens implants, which is a tiny lens or contact lens that’s permanently implanted in your eye, if we find you are not suitable for laser eye surgery. We can tailor a vision correction option to suit your specific requirements.
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A cataract is a haziness of the natural lens that is inside your eye. It’s a natural part of aging. It happens to everybody. The lens in your eye gets literally cloudy so it’s like looking through a dirty windshield, or dirty glasses. In fact, people often say, “It feels like my glasses are dirty, but no matter how much I clean them I still can’t see.” That is a typical sign of a cataract. You may also notice driving at night you get a lot more glare. Or driving into a setting sun, it can be very hard to see oncoming traffic. These are very typical signs and symptoms of cataracts.
A Smaller, Safer Incision, modern cataract surgery no longer requires a large incision.
Previously, surgeons had to make an incision in the eye equal to the size of the crystalline lens or implant, often 7.0-10.0mm long.
Modern technology (equipment and lenses) has made it possible for the entire cataract procedure to be performed through microincisions, 1.0- 2.5 mm long.
The benefits of these smaller incisions are:
- Less trauma to the eye
- Faster healing time
- No need for stitches to close the incisions, which are self sealing
One reason such small incisions are possible is because of a technology called Phacoemulsification.
Phacoemulsification uses an ultrasonic tip which is inserted through these microincisions to liquefy the often hard cataractous lens. The liquefied lens can then be suctioned out through the same microincision.
A large incision is not necessary as the cataract is not removed in one large piece as was performed before modern small incision surgery.
In addition, the incision does not need to be large to admit the intraocular lens implant.
Modern lens implants are made of flexible material that allows the lens to be folded and injected into the eye through these microincisions.
The implanted lens then unfolds inside the eye and is positioned in place.
