Cataract surgery is the most common eye surgery in the world and is considered safe and effective. The latest and most advanced method for performing cataract surgery is laser-assisted cataract surgery, which many eye doctors prefer as a pre-treatment to “soften the cataracts.” This procedure involves removing the lens from the eye and replacing it with an artificial lens. Normally, the lens of the eye is transparent. A cataract causes the lens to become opaque, eventually affecting vision.
Sometimes, cataract surgery doesn't improve vision due to underlying eye damage caused by other conditions, such as glaucoma or macular degeneration. After the cataracts have been removed, you can keep the same vision you had before surgery or choose to correct your vision by selecting an intraocular lens that improves your vision up close, far, or in the middle. One of the great benefits of laser-assisted cataract surgery is that a laser can also be used to correct astigmatism by reshaping an imperfectly curved cornea. In most cases, waiting to have cataract surgery won't harm your eye, so you'll have time to consider your options.
Cataract surgery is generally performed as an outpatient procedure with local anesthesia (an anesthetic gel is placed in the eye) and light intravenous sedation. Before deciding to have cataract surgery, it's important to tell your doctor if you are taking any medications for prostate problems, as some of these medications may interfere with cataract surgery. Traditional cataract surgery is done by creating a small incision, with a scalpel, on the side of the cornea by hand. If possible, it may be beneficial to evaluate and treat other eye problems before making the decision to have cataract surgery.
If you have cataracts in both eyes, your doctor will usually schedule the second surgery after the first eye has healed. One of the most recent advances in cataract surgery includes a technology called ORA (Optiwave Refractive Analysis), which is a type of intraoperative aberrometry that surgeons can use to take refractive measurements in the operating room for optimal lens power and location. When considering cataract surgery, talk to your eye doctor about available surgical technologies and the type of intraocular lens (IOL), such as a synesthetic lens, that you would like to use to replace the cataract. Phacoemulsification is the most common type of cataract surgery. During this procedure, a vibrating ultrasound probe emulsifies and breaks up the cataract before it is sucked out of the eye.
Then, an intraocular lens (IOL) is implanted.
