If you have a cataract that is negatively impacting your vision and ability to do your daily activities such as driving and reading, you will be referred out for cataract surgery.
Most of the time is spent in preparation: you eyes will be dilated a few times and local anesthesia applied. The procedure itself takes 4 minutes: it’s over before you know it!
We’ve seen excellent results with Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute.
From All About Vision:
Here are the basic steps in a typical modern cataract surgery:
- A small incision is made along the side of the cornea.
- A high-frequency ultrasound device or laser is used to carefully break up the cloudy lens into small fragments.
- The lens fragments are gently removed from the eye using suction.
- After all fragments have been removed, the surgeon inserts the artificial lens securely behind the pupil and the colored part of the eye (iris) in the same location your natural lens occupied.
- The incision heals on its own without the need for stitches.
- A protective shield is placed over the eye to keep it safe during the early stages of recovery.
If you need surgery in both eyes, your cataract surgeon will typically wait one to three weeks between procedures to give the first eye a chance to heal.
Los Alamos Family Eyecare, P.C. 