What Happens During Cataract Surgery?

During cataract surgery, the cloudy lens is removed or cleaned out and replaced by a clear manmade lens. There are three types of surgical techniques used. The most common method of cataract surgery is extracapsular surgery. During this cataract surgery, the surgeon makes a medium-sized slit on the side of your cornea. The cloudy central section of the lens is slipped out of the eye in one piece. Then, the surgeon vacuums out the rest of the lens. This type of cataract surgery is often used for advanced cataracts when the lens is dense. Phacoemulsification (FAY-co-ee-mul-sih-fih-CAY-shun), also called “small incision cataract surgery,” is an advanced form of extracapsular cataract surgery. Most cataract removals today are done by phacoemulsification. The incision can be smaller because the harder center section of the lens is (liquefied) and then vacuumed out. Under local anesthesia, a surgeon performing phacoemulsification makes a small opening on the side of your cornea. A device ...  more