Commerce Park, 4699 Main Street Bridgeport, CT 06606 Phone: (203) 374-8182, Fax: (203) 374-2626 CONVENIENTLY LOCATED Just off the Merritt Parkway at Exit 48.
Cataract Surgery
If you have been told that you have a cataract, there is no need to be overly concerned as you are not alone. Each year in the United States, more than 2.5 million people have cataract surgery. Thanks to advanced surgical procedures and technology, cataract surgery is not only one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the United States, but it is also one of the safest and most successful surgical procedures that you can have. A study by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery recently reported that more than 98 percent of cataract patients had their vision successfully improved following surgery.
Cataract surgery is performed on an outpatient basis and usually only requires a few hours of your time from beginning to end. The procedure itself can take as little as ten minutes. In most cases, daily activities such as driving and reading can be resumed almost immediately.
During the surgery, the cloudy lens is removed from the eye. This is done most frequently with an ultrasonic probe that softens the cataract in order to remove it in small pieces from the eye. This method is called phacoemulsification. In almost all cases, the focusing power of the natural lens is restored by replacing it with a permanent intraocular lens implant or IOL. Once removed, cataracts will not reoccur.
YAG Laser Capsulotomy
A posterior capsulotomy is a surgical laser procedure that may be necessary after cataract surgery.
During cataract surgery part of the front (anterior) capsule that holds the lens is removed. The clear back (posterior) capsule remains intact. As long as that capsule stays clear one has good vision. But in 10 to 30% of people, the posterior capsule loses its clarity. When this happens, an opening can be made in the capsule with a laser (posterior capsulotomy) to restore normal vision.
A posterior capsulotomy is painless and takes five minutes. Eye pressure is taken a half hour after the operation to make sure it is not elevated. Vision should improve within hours.
Before the laser procedure, we do a thorough ophthalmic examination to make sure there is no other reason for vision loss.
Potential but rare complications following laser posterior capsulotomy are increased intraocular pressure and retinal detachment.
