Cataract surgery

Surgery is the only effective treatment for cataracts. Cataract extraction (i.e. the removal of the affected lens) is currently the most commonly performed operation and also has the best chances of success. The decision to have surgery is mainly determined by the patient’s visual impairment and symptoms.

Cataract surgery consists of two main steps:

• Phacoemulsification: the lens is broken up using ultrasonic vibrations (i.e. high-frequency sounds inaudible to humans). These tiny lens particles are immediately suctioned out of the eye.
• Lens implantation: once the (cloudy) lens has been removed, a (clear) artificial lens is inserted in its place.

Both of these steps are carried out through a very small incision in the eyeball, ranging from 2 mm (micro-incision) to 3 mm (small incision). Thanks to this surgical technique, patients can usually leave hospital safely almost immediately and resume their daily activities as early as the following day.

The implantation of an artificial lens also allows visual defects in the eye to be corrected straight away. The power of the lens implant is calculated before the operation based on a precise measurement of the length and curvature of the eyeball.

The procedure is almost always carried out under local anaesthesia using eye drops. In exceptional cases, general anaesthesia is necessary.

You can find more information in the brochure below.