 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
The result of cataract surgery is the removal of the cloudy lens. Though this removal of the lens is performed using different techniques, all techniques are similar in that they all remove the cortex and nucleus of the lens and leave the posterior wall of the capsule intact. Using the extracapsular cataract extraction technique, the surgeon makes an incision where the cornea (the clear "window" to the eye) and sclera (the outer wall of the eye) meet. Carefully entering the eye through the incision, the surgeon gently opens the front of the capsule and removes the hard center, or nucleus, of the lens. Using a microscopic instrument, the surgeon then suctions out the soft lens cortex, leaving the capsule in place. Phacoemulsification is essentially a modification of extracapsular extraction. In phacoemulsification, the nucleus is fragmented by an ultrasonic oscillating probe. The nuclear fragments are simultaneously suctioned from the eye. The size of the incision is smaller that the incision needed to remove the capsule in the extracapsular technique. An intraocular lens is then usually inserted into the eye and the incision is sealed. Some new surgical techniques do not require a suture to seal the incision the surgeon makes because it is approximately 40% smaller than the incision made with other techniques (older techniques use an incision of 5.5 mm while the newer uses one of 3.2 mm). This sutureless technique allows the patient to recover more quickly and with better long-term vision. |
