Cataract Eye Surgery

Cataract Eye Surgery

Cataract eye surgery is one of the world's most common surgery procedures and it is also the most effective and safest surgery performed. Cataract eye surgery is done by removing the cloudy lens of the eye and replacing it with a substitute eye lens that has the same functions as the original lens. The replacement lens are called “intraocular lens”. There are two kinds of intraocular lenses. These are the “monofocal intraocular lenses” and the “multifocal intraocular lenses”. Monofocal intraocular lenses are lens that provide a clear vision at one distance only. Majority of individuals who undergo cataract eye surgery choose to see well far and correct their near vision with a pair of eye glasses or contact lenses. Multifocal intraocular lenses were introduced on 1997 with the approval of the FDA for use in cataract eye surgery. Multifocal intraocular lens provides the patient with near and far vision (the far vision is however much clearer than the near vision). On the other hand, not all patients are eligible for this type of intraocular lens. The doctor will evaluate the patient before deciding if the patient is eligible for multifocal intraocular lenses. The patient is considered a good candidate for cataract eye surgery if the cataract has decreased the patient's quality of life.
The individual who wants to undergo cataract eye surgery must arrive at least two hours after the scheduled surgery time. This is to prepare the patient for surgery, the patient needs to have some eye drops administered and then is explained on how the cataract eye surgery is done. The patient is then settled down in a comfortable position ready for cataract eye surgery. The span of the cataract eye surgery lasts no more than half an hour. Most patients are conscious throughout the surgery procedure. However there are some patients that needed to be sedated because of anxiety and fear. A mild sedative is sometimes used to administer in the patient.
There are two kinds of cataract eye surgery procedure. These are the phacoemulsification procedure and the extracapsular procedure. Phacoemulsification is the most common type of procedure. It is done by making a small incision on the side of the cornea (the clear and dome shaped that covers the front of the eyes). A tiny probe that emits an ultrasound is then used to break the cloudy lens. The lens is then removed by suction and an intraocular lens is then inserted. In extracapsular procedure, the incision is longer in order to remove the hard center of the lens and the remainder of the lens is then removed through suction.
If the cataract is present on both eyes, it can not be operated at the same time. The surgeon will perform separate surgery on one eye and the other eye on a later date.