The 3 Types Of Cataract Surgeries And How Lasers Can Play A Role
There are three main types of cataract surgery. Each one is for a unique set of circumstances. It's important to remember that in mild cases, surgery isn't necessary at all. However, when it's time for a surgical procedure for you cataracts, it will come down to one of these three methods:
1. Phacoemulsification
Phacoemulsification, or phaco, involves lens emulsification. That might sound a little gross in the abstract, but it's actually the most common form of cataract surgery. The surgeon creates an incision in your cornea. The incision is necessary so the surgeon can use the surgical equipment on the lens underneath.
Sometimes the doctor must make multiple incisions, depending on the technique employed. A probe will go into the incision that will create ultrasonic frequencies that break up the lens. It will also suck out those particles. From there, the surgeon will place the intraocular lens.
Phacoemulsification is typically the fastest of the cataract surgeries. You will certainly have anesthesia, and you probably won't have any issues healing afterwards.
2. Extracapsular
When a cataract is exceptionally hard, it becomes necessary to make a larger incision. The surgeon makes that incision on the side of the cornea and attempts to remove the lens in one piece. This procedure is also sometimes necessary if the doctor believes that you're not a candidate for phaco.
In the Western world, extracapsular surgery was once the main type of cataract surgery, but it has since started to fall to the wayside in favor of phaco. That's because the phaco tip tool used in phacoemulsification has become better over time at breaking up harder cataracts. Even so, there are some places that still use extracapsular as the go-to procedure.
Just as there were advances in phaco, there are also advances in extracapsular methods that use smaller incisions and shorter procedures. This is sometimes called manual small incision cataract surgery. In any case, extracapsular surgery comes with sutures and a longer recovery time.
3. Intracapsular
You will likely not hear about intracapsular surgery. It's rare, and for highly specialized cases. It's typically reserved for severe damage or trauma. It involves making a very large incision. The doctor will then remove the lens and lens capsule in their entirety. From there, an intraocular lens will be surgically put in.
A Note about Involving Lasers
Laser surgery often comes up as a kind of cataract surgery, but it's not a category by itself. Laser-assisted cataract surgery employs a laser to make the incisions rather than a hand-tool. The laser can also act to soften a cataract as well. It's still relatively new, but gaining ground. You will hear names like LenSx and LensAR thrown around. These are techniques for using a femtosecond laser specifically for cataract surgery.
In the end, the odds are that you will have some form of phacoemulsification surgery. Even so, no matter what type of surgery you need for your cataracts, make sure that you're dealing with a highly experienced surgeon. Cataract surgeries do fail, and one way to prevent that is to only see a service with a long history of performing these surgeries successfully.
For more help, contact a company like The Eye Center with any questions you have.
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