Cataract surgery has recently been improved out of all recognition by the development of a ‘key-hole’ technology specific to the eye called phacoemulsification. Phacoemulsification has many important advantages over the older method (called extra-capsular cataract surgery) that it replaced. It is both safer and quicker, taking only 20-30 minutes in most cases. The small incision made in phacoemulsification is gentle to the eye and heals quickly without needing stitches. This is in marked contrast to extra-capsular surgery when five stitches had to be put in the eye. Recovery from phacoemulsification is so fast that most normal activities may be resumed the day after the operation.

How Phacoemulsification Cataract Surgery Is Performed

An operating microscope designed specifically for eye surgery and delicate, miniaturised instruments are used. Firstly a small incision, about 3 mm wide, is made on the outside of the eye. The front surface of the lens capsule is then removed to expose the cataract. Next the phacoemulsifier is inserted into the cataract. This sophisticated instrument uses high-speed ultrasound waves, vibrating 40,000 times per second, to break the cataract into tiny pieces which are then suctioned out of the eye. Ultrasound is the most effective method of removing cataracts - contrary to popular belief, lasers are not used for this task.

Phacoemulsification of cataract

Removing the cloudy lens is necessary to allow light to pass to the retina. However to fully restore vision the focusing power of the lens must be replaced. This is achieved by putting a replacement lens, called a lens implant, into the space left inside the lens capsule after the cataract has been removed. A lens implant is a very small focusing lens made of clear, medical-grade plastic. Once implanted it will remain permanently inside the eye, requires no care and will not be rejected by the body.