Los Angeles cataract surgery

Cataracts develop when the lens of the eye becomes opaque in appearance. This happens because of metabolic changes to the lens fibers that slowly cause loss or impairment of vision. Los Angeles cataract surgery involves the removal of the lens of the eye and replacing it with a synthetic lens. This may sound dramatic but in fact Los Angeles cataract surgery is a very routine operation. It’s usually performed by an ophthalmologist and it’s more likely that this type of operation will take place in a hospital or surgical centre and the patient is in and out within the day. It’s generally done under local anesthetic and the patient doesn’t feel any discomfort. More than 90% of operations successfully restore at least some useful vision and this operation has an extremely low complication rate.

The most common form of surgery involves removing just about all the natural lens and the incision made during Los Angeles cataract surgery is so small it rarely requires suturing. Cataract surgery usually falls into one or two categories. The most common type is phacoemulsification and involves using an ultrasonic hand piece that breaks up the lens into small pieces or emulsifies it, so that it can easily be aspirated. Another type involves manually removing the lens through a 10 to 12 mm incision in the cornea. This type of Los Angeles cataract surgery is most commonly used in cases where the cataracts are very hard. Another type involves the removal of the lens and the surrounding lens capsule and requires quite a large incision which places quite a lot of pressure on the vitreous body of the eye. This type of procedure is very rarely carried out nowadays. Once the lens has been removed and the area thoroughly cleaned and irrigated the artificial lens can be implanted.

The intraocular lens may be implanted through a relatively small incision as some of them are foldable and are made of an acrylic or silicon material. These types of lenses have been around since 1981 when they were first approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Their intervention was quite literally a revelation as before the availability of Los Angeles cataract surgery patients had to wear very thick lenses or extremely strong contact lenses. Nowadays they are so advanced that some can provide ultraviolet and blue light protection and there is yet another type that is currently undergoing FDA clinical trials which is light adjustable. Los Angeles cataract surgery is one of the safest types of surgery in eye care, and the cost may be covered by insurance companies. However patients may need to pay the difference if they choose to have more advanced or premium lenses. The pre-operation process prior to surgery involves checking the eye for any signs of other diseases such as glaucoma and age related macular degeneration. Some prescription drugs may also cause side effects during the surgery so it’s important to make sure that your Los Angeles cataract surgeon is fully informed of your medical history.

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