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If your vision is only slightly blurry, a change in your eyeglass
prescription may help for a while. However, if you are still not able to see
well enough to do the things you like or need to do after the change in
eyeglass prescription, cataract surgery may be considered.
Cataract surgery is performed as an outpatient procedure and does not
require an overnight stay. There are usually few restrictions, and you will
be able to resume your normal activities almost immediately.
Before surgery, the length of your eye will be measured in what is called an
A-scan, and the curve of your cornea will be measured in a technique called
keratometry. These measurements help your doctor select the proper lens
implant for your eye.
With phacoemulsification, an ultrasound instrument breaks up the center of
the cloudy lens and gently removes it from your eye.
The most common procedure used for removing cataracts is called
phacoemulsification. A small incision is made in the side of the cornea (the
front part of your eye). Your doctor inserts a tiny instrument through the
incision that uses high-frequency ultrasound to break up the center of the
cloudy lens and removes it.
After the cloudy lens has been removed, the surgeon will replace it with an
intraocular lens (IOL) implant made of silicone or acrylic. This
new lens allows light to pass through and focus on the retina. The IOL
becomes a permanent part of your eye. In most cases, the IOL is inserted
behind the iris, the colored part of your eye, and is called a posterior
chamber lens. Sometimes, the IOL must be placed in front of the iris. This
is called an anterior chamber lens. When the IOL is in place, the surgeon
closes the incision. Stitches may or may not be used.
In some cases, the part of the lens covering that supports the IOL (called
the capsule) can become cloudy several months or years after the
cataract was removed. This is called an “after cataract” or “secondary
cataract.” If this occurs and blurs your vision, your ophthalmologist will make an
opening in the center of the cloudy capsule with a laser to allow light to
pass through the lens properly again. This procedure, called a posterior
capsulotomy, takes about five minutes and requires no
recovery period.
If you are having cataract surgery, be sure to tell your doctor if you are
currently or have ever used alpha-blocker medications such as Flomax®,
Uroxatral® or Cardura®. These medications affect the iris or pupil size and can
lead to complications during cataract surgery. You can still have a
successful surgery if your surgeon knows that you have taken these drugs and
appropriately adapts his or her surgical technique. You should also tell
your doctor about any other sedative medications you are taking.
Also, if you plan to have cataract surgery and you have had LASIK or refractive surgery, provide your doctor with the vision correction
prescription you had before LASIK, if possible. This information will help
your doctor calculate the correct IOL prescription for you.
Most people who wear bifocals or reading glasses for near vision may still
need to wear glasses after cataract surgery for reading, and, in some cases,
even for distance. If you choose to have a multifocal or accommodative IOL,
your dependence on glasses may be minimized or, in some cases, eliminated
completely.
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