Can cataracts return after surgery?
Cataracts cannot return. However, when the cloudy lens is removed in cataract surgery, the clear posterior capsule of the lens is usually left intact to keep the vitreous (the clear gel that fills the posterior cavity of the eye behind the lens) from leaking from the eye during surgery. Months or years later, this thin capsule may become cloudy and caused blurred vision. This is sometimes called an after-cataract. An after-cataract can be treated with a short and painless laser procedure called a posterior capsulotomy. In this procedure, a YAG laser removes the central cloudy portion of the lens capsule to restore clear vision. Because the artificial lens remains firmly intact and is unaffected by the laser, there is little risk of vitreous leakage after a posterior capsulotomy.
