Cataracts surgery is the surgical removal of the clouded lens and replacing it with an artificial lens which may be a foldable or a hard plastic lens.

The surgical methods for cataracts are given as follows:

• Conventional Cataract surgery or Extra Capsular Cataract Extraction (SICS/ECCE) is an old surgical method that requires a bigger incision to remove the cataract and replaces the natural eye lens with a hard plastic lens.
• Phacoemulsification is a standard procedure that involves a small incision to emulsify and extract the clouded lens with the help of an ultrasound and insert a foldable intraocular lens in its place.
• Micro-coaxial Cataract Surgery is a procedure similar to that of phacoemulsification with the difference in the incision size.

The artificial foldable lens also called as intraocular lens, in short IOL, is available in various options depending on the needs of the patient, for example, Alcon Acrysof IQ, ReSTOR IOL, etc. The majority of intraocular lens available are mono focal which means these lens can only focus the light rays from a particular distance. In these cases, if the lens provide better vision for far away objects, one requires wearing eye glasses for nearby objects during activities, such as, reading.

The different types of available IOLs are as follows:

• Aberration Free IOLs are mono focal lenses.
• Multifocal IOLs are lenses that has two segments built in the same lens so as to ensure both nearby and far away objects are clearly visible, making it spectacle free.
• Multifocal IOLs are lenses that has two segments built in the same lens so as to ensure both nearby and far away objects are clearly visible, making it spectacle free.
• Toric IOL corrects astigmatism by combining both spherical and cylindrical lens.
• MICS IOL

Equipment and Facilities Available in Phaco Refractive Department

For the removal of cataracts, various equipments and facilities are essential. Some of the equipments available for you are as follows:

• Phacoemulsification & Foldable IOL Implantation
• The Laureate World Phaco system (USA)
• Operating Microscope- Carl Zeiss (Germany)
• Biomedix A-Scan (USA): To calculate the correct IOL power
• Alcon AcuScan Immersion Biometry (USA): This method of calculating the correct IOL power is more precise than the conventional contact method.
• Shin Nippon AutorefractoKeratometer: To measure of the Curvature of the cornea.
• Multifocal IOLs
• High Contrast Aspheric IOLs
• Toric IOLs

Blurred Vision

In some cases, due to complications in cataract surgery, some might still end up with blurred vision. The following are the causes of blurred vision after surgery:

• Infection due to entering of germs during surgery can cause vision problems, redness and pain in the eye.
• Inflammation
• Retinal detachment may occur after surgery due to which messages sent to the brain may be disrupted. It causes floating spots in your vision, flashes of light and fading of vision.
• Lens fragments may fall in the eye during surgery and remain there. If the fragments are big, surgery may be required
• Fluid buildup in the retina causes blurred vision and is treated with the help of eye drops
• Dislocated IOL causes blurred or double vision
• Secondary cataract
• Swelling in the cornea makes it harder to see
• High eye pressure can also damage vision
• Light sensitivity