Dr Matthew Russell discusses the advantage of laser cataract surgery.
While seeing more clearly is the main goal of cataract surgery, new lasers, and premium lenses have made it possible to achieve even better vision.
How does traditional cataract surgery work?
During traditional cataract surgery, cataract surgeons use a small blade to enter the front of the eye and another instrument to make a circular incision on the lens capsule to reach the cataract.
Ultrasound waves break the cloudy cataract lens into tiny pieces, which we then remove and replace with a new artificial lens.
Will I be awake during cataract surgery?
Do you know what the most common question about cataract surgery is? It’s “Will I be awake during cataract surgery?”.
Unless your medical condition puts you at risk, we’ll give you sedation, sometimes known as “twilight sleep”.
Doctors use a variety of anaesthetics for cataract surgery. You may take a Valium pill to help you relax and feel drowsy during the procedure. Sometimes, we may give you medication in an intravenous catheter put in a vein in your arm. We also use anaesthetic eye drops to numb your eye before surgery. Even though you’re awake, you won’t feel pain. You may notice a little pressure at times.
After the surgery, you may not remember the whole process. You can take over-the-counter medications for discomfort. Always follow your doctor’s post-op instructions.
How does laser cataract surgery work?
In laser cataract surgery, we use a laser to make the incision and lens opening.
Here at OKKO, we use the CAPSULaser as it creates a more reliable, repeatable, precise incision than a surgeon can do by hand.
Even a very good surgeon can’t make a perfect circle as precisely as a laser can.
The laser is useful when a cataract is dense or the opening is difficult to create.
The laser’s accuracy is also particularly important when we want to implant a multifocal lens to correct distance and close-up vision. Or when we want to implant a toric lens that corrects astigmatism.
We use these lenses when patients want more options regarding how they function with their vision, such as wanting to drive, read, do computer work, or play golf without needing to wear glasses.
The precision of the laser, its ability to consistently create incisions help us do that.
Laser cataract surgery and astigmatism
We can also use the laser to correct minor astigmatism by reshaping an imperfectly curved cornea. Often, we can do that by hand, but the laser allows us to do it more reliably and more precisely. This leads to a better and more predictable vision outcome.
Laser cataract surgery recovery
Because the laser requires less energy than ultrasound to break up the cataract, it also reduces the risk of corneal swelling, which can impact vision. If we use less energy and have less corneal swelling, the eye can heal faster.
If you’d like to know more about the advantages of laser cataract surgery in Brisbane, give us a call. If you’d like to see if we can help you, book a consultation.
