| Cataract surgery is a two-part process. The natural cloudy lens must first be removed, and then a new lens must be implanted. At TRSC, we perform cataract surgery using a method called Phacoemulsification (phaco) to remove the natural lens and then replace it with an intraocular lens (IOL) of your choice. This type of removal requires smaller incisions than traditional cataract surgery, and the entire process is completed in less than 30 minutes. This is the most common form of cataract removal performed around the world today.
Please note that after taking your eye measurements at the preoperative eye examination, we will have to special order your IOL. Depending on the type of lens and your measurements, it will take approximately 1 to 2 weeks to arrive.
Cataract surgery is a unilateral procedure. This means that surgery can not be performed on both eyes on the same day. The first eye must heal before surgery can be done on the second eye, which normally takes one week.
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A small 3-3.2 mm incision is made
in the cornea |
Ultrasound is used to break up the cataract into tiny pieces |
Insertion of the
new IOL
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The lens unfolds inside the eye and no sutures are necessary
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What are the advantages of cataract surgery?
- Option of single or multi-focal lens for wide range of vision |
- Minimal side effects |
- Small and foldable for easy insertion |
- Small Incision which eliminates need for any sutures |
- Does not alter the tissue of the cornea |
- Can be combined with other corrective options |
Intraocular Lenses
At TRSC, we offer the following intraocular lenses for cataract surgery:
AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL
AcrySof® ReSTOR® uses apodized diffractive technology — a design that responds to how wide or small the eye's pupil might be — to provide near, intermediate, and distance vision. Clinical studies used to support the March 2005 FDA approval showed that 80 percent of people who received the lens didn't use glasses for any activities after their cataract surgery. Because it allows you to see clearly at different distances, it is a multifocal lens.
Wavefront AcrySof® IOL
AcrySof® also came out with a new lens that incorporates an aspheric surface, which helps reduce optical aberrations in the eye. It is more efficient in reducing glare and halos than the ReSTOR® lens. It is a monofocal lens, which means it can correct for only one distance. With this lens, there are two options: full distance correction (both eyes for distance) or monovision (one eye for distance, other eye for near). If you choose for maximum distance correction, you will need to wear glasses for reading. With monovision, most patients do not need any glasses for most tasks, but find them helpful in certain situations such as driving at night.
Wavefront AcrySof® Toric IOL
For patients with cataracts and astigmatism there is the Wavefront AcrySof® Toric lens which has a biconvex optic that is shaped to provide both spherical and astigmatic correction. This is also a monofocal lens, meaning it can only correct for one distance. The same two options apply as for the above Wavefront AcrySof® IOL (full distance correction or monovision).
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The Eyes and Refractive Errors 
Cataracts
