As the most common cause of vision loss and the leading cause of blindness around the world, chances are you have heard of cataracts. You may even be familiar with cataract surgery, with more than three million procedures performed in the U.S. and 20 million surgeries performed worldwide each year. Cataract surgery is one of the safest surgical procedures performed, and recent advances have improved outcomes for patients after cataract surgery.
|
All-Laser Cataract Surgery
Why is this important?
All of our eyes are different. The size, depth, and curvature of our corneas, the transparent layer forming the front of our eyes, vary significantly from person-to-person and can even vary from eye-to-eye in the same person.
The LenSx® laser used in all-laser cataract surgery, is used for three or four (depending upon the eye), critical steps in the surgical procedure.
- The laser is used to provide three-dimensional (3D) visualization of the eye. These 3D images optimize surgical incisions, which are made with lasers in custom cataract surgery. In fact, blades are not used at all in all-laser cataract surgery. This allows for more accuracy and precision, which can lead to more effective surgical outcomes.
- The laser is used to make a precise incision in the capsule of the crystalline lens of the eye, known as a capsulotomy. This is a crucial step in replacing the clouded lens (cataract) with an intraocular lens (IOL) implant, or artificial replacement lens, during the procedure. The capsule, which holds the IOL after it is placed, must not be damaged during this step. The laser helps to ensure that the capsule is not compromised.
- The laser is used to soften the cataract and to break the cataract into smaller pieces, enabling removal of the cataract. The laser uses less energy to perform this step of the procedure, which means a lowered chance of burning and distorting the surgical incision.
- Finally, the laser can be used to correct astigmatism, an uneven curvature of the cornea that causes blurry vision at distances, as needed at the time of surgery.
Is All-Laser Cataract Surgery Right for You?
So what are the reasons you may consider and choose all-laser cataract surgery? Here are three:
- Computer-controlled precision
- Automated steps of the surgical procedure and optimized incisions for enhanced outcomes and reproducible results
- Additional IOL implant options for vision correction
Cataract Surgery Consultation
- Richard W. Strecker, MD, Traditional Cataract Surgery
- Steven A. Nielsen, MD, All-Laser and Traditional Cataract Surgery
In our following posts in this series, we will be comparing traditional cataract surgery and all-laser cataract surgery further, exploring vision after cataract surgery, and IOL options. To learn more about cataracts and cataract surgery, please visit our Cataract webpage, as well as our Cataract blog posts.