Surgical Procedures
Only a surgical procedure can cure cataract. Three surgical procedures are available to remove cataract.
- Phacoemulsification:
The most common cataract surgery is this one. The patient will be given eye drops and general anesthesia before the procedure to numb their eye and the surrounding area. During the procedure, a small cut is made on the corneal surface of the eye. This cuts through the membrane that surrounds the lens. The degenerated lens will then be broken up into small pieces using ultrasonic waves and an ultrasonic probe. The pieces are then suctioned out with a device.
The new intraocular lenses are now ready to be implanted. The IOL will then be placed in the natural lens capsule. The lens is held in place by the haptics located on the lens side. After an hour, the incision can be closed either with stitches or without.
- Extracapsular surgery:
This surgery is different from phacoemulsification because the lens will be removed as a single piece. The surgeon will use this type of surgery if phacoemulsification is not able to remove the cataract. To do this, the doctor must make a large cut in the cornea. An injection of anesthesia is administered to the patient before the procedure. The IOL is then inserted into the natural lens capsule after the lens has been removed in its entirety. Stitches are used to close the cornea. This procedure takes longer to recover from.
- Intracapsular surgery:
The entire lens of the eye and the lens capsule are removed with this surgery. The artificial lens must be placed in a new location after the lens capsule is removed. The lens capsule and lens are removed by making large incisions. These days, this technique is used only rarely. To close the eye, it takes several stitches.
