Cataract surgery is the removal of a cloudy natural lens from a patient's eye. Because of the advances in technology, this surgery is an outpatient procedure; the surgery itself usually only takes about one hour to complete. During the surgical procedure, the patient is typically awake with topical anesthetic drops used to numb the eye. There are three methods for cataract removal, but only two are regularly performed by ophthalmologists.
Phacoemulsification
According to the Eye Surgery Education Council, phacoemulsification is the most common type of cataract surgery performed. In this surgical procedure, the surgeon makes a small incision in the eye and in the thin capsule covering of the lens.
The doctor uses a small ultrasound probe to liquefy the cataract and aspirate the pieces into the probe. The artificial intraocular lens can then be placed into the remainder of the capsular bag inside the eye. In the phacoemulsification procedure, the incision in the eye usually does not require stitches to close.
Extracapsular Cataract Extraction
Extracapsular extraction was once a more popular procedure; however, it is used mainly to remove very hard cataracts that would not be able to be broken up with the ultrasound probe, states the University of Maryland Medical Center or UMMC website.
In this procedure, a larger incision is created at the edge of the cornea and an opening is created in the thin capsule that covers the cataract. The surgeon removes the cataract in one piece. An intraocular lens may be placed into the eye after this procedure as well. The recovery time may be longer because of the larger incision.
Intracapsular Cataract Extraction
According to the All About Vision website, in an older type of cataract surgery called intracapsular cataract extraction, the surgeon removes the entire lens and the entire capsular covering of the lens. The procedure for the surgery is similar to the one for extracapsular cataract extraction, but instead of making an opening in the thin capsule, the surgeon removes everything.
In this type of surgery, the surgeon is unable to slip an intraocular lens into the remaining capsular bag, since the entire capsule has been removed. Intracapsular cataract extraction has a higher risk for retinal detachment, notes the UMMC website.
Intraocular Lens Implantation
There are many different types of intraocular lenses that can be used to replace the cloudy cataract. These lenses are made of different materials; some fold up very small so they can be used in surgeries with small incisions. Other intraocular lenses are larger and more rigid so the incision for insertion would need to be larger. Some lenses operate as bifocals in the eye, eliminating the need for reading glasses.
