Cataract surgery dr vk sharma krishnakkvv

Performing Cataract Surgery

Most cataracts are highly treatable. Cataract surgery is one of the
most common surgeries performed in the United States, with approximately
98% of patients experiencing improved vision if there are no other eye
conditions present.


Two very small incisions (one larger, approximately three
millimeters, or one-tenth of an inch, and one smaller, approximately one
millimeter, or one thirty-second of an inch) are made in the cornea,
which is the transparent dome-shaped tissue that covers the front part
of the eye. A viscous (thick, sticky, glue-like) material is injected
into the front part of the eye to help maintain its shape during
surgery. This viscous material is made from substances that occur
naturally in the body. Because it is thick, this material will not leak
out of the incisions during surgery.

Phacoemulsification

The surgeon creates an opening in the natural "sac" or "bag" that holds the lens in place, called the lens capsule. The lens is separated from the lens capsule by using a balanced salt solution.


Once the capsule is open and the lens can move freely inside the
capsule, a special ultrasound device is used to break the lens into
small pieces and suck it out of the eye. This technique is called phacoemulsification.


Prior to the development of phacoemulsification, the lens used to be
removed in one solid piece through a very large incision (8-12
millimeters). That surgery entailed considerably more risk and had a
significantly longer recovery time.


After the lens is removed, additional viscous material is injected
into the lens capsule to hold it open and make room for the new
artificial lens. The folded artificial lens is inserted into the "sac"
or capsule, where it is then allowed to unfold.


The viscous material that maintained the shape of the eye during
surgery is removed. The two incisions usually self-seal and do not
require stitches.


Phacoemulsification was introduced more than 40 years ago and is now the most common surgical method used to remove cataracts.