How are cataracts removed?
Modern cataract surgery has been made possible by the operating microscope. This high-powered microscope allows the surgeon to see better as he removes the cataract during the surgery and implants the IOL into the eye. In addition to using the operating microscope, the modern cataract surgeon uses an extracapsular surgical technique. This means that the surgeon removes the lens contents but leaves the back portion of the natural lens capsule in place. Although this technique is much more difficult for many surgeons to perform, it provides the patient with many benefits. The old cloudy lens can be removed using several different techniques. The technique chosen depends on the type of cataract and other factors about the patient. The whole lens can be removed (intracapsular technique), or the cloudy central portion alone can be removed (extracapsular technique).
Surgery is the only effective way to remove the cloudy lens from the eye. There is no known medical or preventive treatment for cataracts. Eye drops, ointments, pills, special diets, vitamins, or eye exercises have not been proven to dissolve or reduce a cataract. Surgery is performed to remove the cloudy lens, and in many cases, an artificial lens is then implanted into the eye to restore normal vision. Surgical removal of the cataract is performed under general anesthesia by making a small (2-3 mm) incision into the eye. A thick viscoelastic gel is injected into the anterior chamber to prevent the eye from collapsing during surgery, and to protect the inside of the cornea. A special needle-like ultrasonic instrument is then inserted into the lens. The needle tip vibrates at a very fast rate (about 40,000 vibrations per second), which ultrasonically fragments and removes the cloudy lens.
