Information about Cataract Surgery

In US, number of people that undergo cataract surgery exceeds 1.5 million every year. This procedure is among the most effective and safest ones. The natural eye lens is removed. The lens pacifies due to the crystalline lens fiber of the eye experiencing metabolic change. Consequently, you experience a color vision that is dull, problems with glare, loss of vision or blurred vision. According to a recent research, in America, about 22 million who are aged beyond 40 are affected by the defect. Again, most of Americans suffer from the defect while reaching 80 years. Therefore, treatment costs about $6.8 billion annually.





The one who performs a cataract surgery is called an ophthalmologist and he uses an artificial intraocular lens to replace your deteriorated natural lens. While the procedure is done under local anesthesia, the rate of complication is relatively low. In fact, more than 90% of the surgeries lead to better vision successfully. Currently there are numerous surgical and medical advancements. Consequently, while the process has become sophisticated, it is also among those that are most successful. The surgery for cataracts is of three types namely; intracapsular, extracapsular and phacoemulsication cataract surgery. Phacoemulsification is most common and takes up to half an hour to be completed.
While Phacoemulsification involves removal of the lens only, sedation is minimal, the eye is not patched after surgery and no stitching is done. The other procedure is Extracapsular and is utilized when the condition is too advanced for phacoemulsification to be effective. Since the incision in your cornea or sclera is larger, time for recovery is longer compared to phacoemulsification where only a small incision is made. The artificial lens is implanted when the natural one has been removed. With intracapsular, the cataract surgery is associated with high risks therefore it is used in rare cases such as presence of trauma that is severe.