"No Stitch - No Shot" Cataract Surgery

The lens and cornea at the front of the eye work together to focus light onto the retina located at the back of the eye, and this produces a clear image. A cataract is a cloudiness that develops over time in the normally transparent lens. Cataracts tend to blur and darken one’s vision. Cataracts can occur at any age. They are more common later in life.

The reason most cataracts form is unknown. Over the years, proteins in the lens tend to clump. This clumping disrupts the passage of light into the eye. The light rays scatter rather than being allowed to focus on the retina.

The breakdown of proteins also leads to a buildup of yellowish-brown pigments. This tends to make colors appear “washed-out.”

Cataracts are painless, but they make your vision dim, blurry, and cloudy.

Symptoms of Cataracts

• Changes in perception of colors
• Frequent changes in eyeglass prescription
• Problems with glare from lamps or the sun
• Difficulty driving at night
• Vision appears cloudy, fuzzy, or foggy or has a “film” over it
• More light is required to read
• Double vision
• Sensitivity to bright lights

Treatment for Cataracts

The lens of the eye can become too foggy to see through. Therefore, the lens is surgically removed and replaced with a clear artificial lens (intraocular lens implant). During an outpatient procedure, with minimal anesthesia, a tiny incision is made in the eye and the foggy lens is removed through the tiny incision. This technique is commonly known as phacoemulsification, or phaco (pronounced FAY-co). This technique uses a probe that sends out ultrasonic vibrations that shatter the cloudy lens into tiny pieces and vacuums them out. An artificial lens (IOL) is inserted through that same incision site. There are usually no stitches. Usually, the entire procedure takes about fifteen minutes.

A cataract cannot return because the lens is entirely removed. However, occasionally after surgery, as long as months to years after, the lens capsule (the tissue bag that supports the replacement intraocular lens implant (IOL) becomes cloudy. This cloudiness can cause the patient to have the same visual symptoms as what was experienced prior to the cataract surgery, making it appear that the cataract has returned. This can be corrected with a minor office procedure called the YAG Capsulotomy Laser.

The benefit of cataract surgery is that it helps to restore vision. Your quality of life is improved due to the fact that working, reading, performing hobbies, daytime and nighttime driving, and social activities are once again possible.

The risks of cataract surgery are very minimal. It is one of the most commonly performed surgeries in America. Approximately 95 percent of patients have a complication-free surgical experience that results in much-improved vision and quality of life. No surgical procedure is free from risks and complications. Most of the complications usually resolve in a matter of days to weeks. In some rare cases, there could be some loss of vision as a result of the surgery.

Cape Surgery Center, LLC offers same-day office exams and surgery. This takes place when your referring optometrist consults with Dr. Cape regarding your potential need for cataract surgery following an office exam. Transportation or other personal issues can prevent a patient from taking a day for an evaluation and another day for eye surgery. Planning ahead and coordinating with the optometrist can result in a patient receiving an office evaluation and eye surgery on the same day. For further details, contact the scheduling technician at Cape Regional Eye Center, PLLC.