Cataract surgery has made good progress in recent years to show its potential. Also, cataract surgery can replace your eye’s cloudy lens with a clear artificial lens. Phacoemulsification cataract surgery can restore your normal vision by using your clouded lens. However, a cataract surgeon is a professional to deal with all cataract forms and corrects blurred vision. The artificial lens is replaced through a tiny incision before the eye heals.

Cataract surgery evolved from creating large incisions to smaller incisions. As an outpatient procedure, the doctor’s office can guide you in avoiding severe complications. Patents can also recover from Cataract surgery in about a month, while the entire process takes less than an hour. Also, cataract surgery Sydney has some benefits and risks but also has measures to prevent infection.

Having cataract surgery can correct double vision for excellent visual outcomes. However, it also has a short recovery after the successful lens implant. Meanwhile, you must wear glasses or an eye shield to improve your vision without other complications. But is the small incision cataract surgery the best option for you?

What is the Small Incision Cataract Surgery?

Small Incision Cataract Surgery is the typical eye procedure to correct a patient with cataracts in the eyes. Cataract surgery requires that the eye surgeon makes a tiny hole or incision in the corneal of the eyes to access the cataract lens. In some cases, the eye doctor may need to access the cataract lens through the sclera, not the cornea.

The next stage uses a special ultrasound probe that emits ultrasound waves into the eyes. This device breaks the cataract lens into tiny bits that could be sanctioned out of the eyes through the incision part. This procedure, known as phacoemulsification or simply phaco, is the safest surgical procedure. After the procedure, the eye surgeon will also give you eye drops to help with the replacement lens capsule.

What happens after removing the Cataract lens?

After removing the cataract lens from the patient’s eyes, the eye surgeon then replaces the lens with an intraocular lens (IOL). There are many options for this artificial lens. Still, a medical expert will finally determine the best for you. It is also a decision you must arrive at before undertaking the cataract surgery in the first place.

Some of the factors that can affect your choice of minor incision cataract surgery include

• Your eyes
• Your vision quality
• Lifestyle
• Your surgeon’s recommendation.

Below are the three most crucial intraocular lenses that are available to you.

Monofocal IOL

This type of artificial lens gives the patient excellent distance vision after removing the natural lens.

Presbyopia-correcting IOL

The Presbyopia-correcting IOL also produces excellent distance vision as well as presbyopia. Meanwhile, presbyopia occurs in aging people and is characterized by the inability to see objects at arm’s length. When older people are no longer able to read correctly, it is usually due to presbyopia. This artificial lens comes in two types; accommodating and multifocal lenses.

Toric IOL

The Toric IOL is designed to correct astigmatism, perhaps the most common of vision problems that cause blurry vision at all distances. This condition is usually a result of the irregular shape of the cornea.

Artificial lenses used to replace natural lenses during cataract surgery require no extra care. Moreover, they fit the eyes for permanent use while giving a perfect vision. As technology advances, there are more effective ways to insert the lenses through the small incision in the eye. The same incision used to remove the cataract can replace the lenses.

Does one feel the presence of an IOL in the eyes?

If you replace your natural lens with any of the intraocular lenses, you can hardly feel it. The lens quickly becomes part of your eye

If both eyes have cataracts, will I need different IOLs in each eye?

Not always. After examination by the eye doctor, he can ascertain what IOL you will need in each eye. The eyes’ conditions may not be exactly the same, but the eye surgeon is in a better position to tell. He will also discuss the lens options with you and their peculiarity so you can choose. You may use the same IOL for both eyes and a specific combination of two lenses. While consulting with your eye doctor, you may need to discuss your lifestyle in detail for a better understanding of your IOL choice.

What if the Phaco procedure cannot remove my cataracts?

There are rare cases where cataracts have reached an advanced level. At this level, the phaco process can no longer remove cataracts. The solution is that the eye surgeon will remove the cataract through a slightly larger incision. This new process is known as extracapsular cataract surgery where the surgeon uses a replacement lens in place of the natural lens.

If you have more than one infected eye with cataracts, can the surgery remove both simultaneously? Cataracts in the two eyes must be removed one after the order for the best results. The new artificial lens of your eye corrects the cloudy vision as one of the safest surgical procedures.

Are there any risks with Small Incision Cataracts Surgery (SICS)?

There are usually different risks associated with any medical process, o matter how safe and harmless. However, cataracts are one of the easiest and safest medical surgery, with a success rate of over 98%. It is also one of the most effective procedures for correcting eye problems such as cataracts, astigmatism, and other related ones.

Some common risks that may occur after cataract surgery include the following

• Eye infection with bacteria
• Bleeding or haemorrhage of the eyes
• Retinal detachment after a while
• Increased eye pressure is known as glaucoma
• Swelling of the cornea or retina of the eyes
• A partial or complete loss of vision in the patient

Related: Frequently asked questions on choosing a Sydney eye clinic