The eye doctor has told you that you have cataracts and you are unhappy with your vision. What’s next?

The eye doctor is unable to change your glass prescription to improve your vision; therefore, you have decided to have surgery.

What is Involved in Eye Cataract Surgery?

A cataract is the lens inside of your eye behind your pupil that becomes cloudy and/or hazy. This cloudy or hazy lens inside your eye needs to be removed to restore your vision.

Types of Cataract Surgery

There are two basic types of cataract surgery.

1. Intracapsular cataract extraction is the removal of the whole lens in one piece. A large incision is made in the eye and a cryoprobe is placed on the capsule of the lens. The whole lens is removed in one piece. The wound is closed with several sutures. This procedure is not used in the United States any longer.

2. Extracapsular cataract extraction is the removal of the cloudy lens material, leaving the clear capsule inside the eye. This capsule is used to hold the intraocular lens in place inside the eye. An opening is made in the anterior capsule and the lens material is removed. This requires a medium-sized incision in the eye.
If the only thing performed was removing your cloudy lens, your vision will still be very blurred as there is no lens in your eye to focus the light onto the retina. After the cataract or lens has been removed, the natural human lens needs to be replaced with an artificial intraocular lens so your eye can see again.

Before your surgery, the eyes are tested and measured with special instruments that provide the eye surgeon with the correct strength of the intraocular lens implant to correct your vision. The lens strength or power is calculated by computers inside of instruments used to measure your eye. The eye surgeon will choose the strength of the lens that will best correct your vision.

The great news is that no matter if you are farsighted, nearsighted, or have astigmatism, your vision can be corrected with the insertion of an IOL that has been calculated to correct your vision.

What Happens Before Surgery?

Before cataract surgery, the eye doctor needs to make sure that you don’t have any other eye diseases that could affect the outcome of your surgery, such as diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, glaucoma, or other eye diseases. There will be a series of tests on your eyes to give guidance on the best surgery for you. The testing may include a visual field test, Lenstar, IOL Master, Pentacam, iTrace, specular endothelial microscopy, eye dominance, dry eye testing, and corneal topography.

For comprehensive information about cataracts and surgery, please read the full article on our website. https://www.floridacataract.com/cataracts-and-surgery-part-2/