A Laser Eye Surgeon Could Effortlessly Eliminate A Cataract
2nd December 2011 by Cataracts No CommentsA laser eye surgeon is usually an eye surgeon (ophthalmologist) which utilizes the technologies of a laser unit in carrying out eye operations, typically the elimination of cataracts. Eye surgery is generally known as ocular surgery.
Cataract surgical procedures are typically carried out with a phaco probe, which vibrates rapidly at ultrasonic frequency and thereby breaks up the cataract while the ensuing contaminants are sucked up by the probe. In the case of a laser eye surgeon a phaco probe using a laser is used to break up the cloudy lens, which is the cataract and the elimination of the fragmented cataract is also done by the probe in a suction motion.
Laser eye surgery, also called LASIK in the event of cataract removal, requires the patient being given a tranquiliser drug to induce stillness in the patient before a local anaesthetic is administered to anesthetise the eye. As in any operation procedure, there’s always risk associated and in the case of the eye infection is always a risk albeit not a frequent occurrence. For this reason in cataract surgery, just one eye is operated on at once, to reduce any likely contamination. The operation generally lasts about 1 hour and the success rate of such a surgical procedure is greater than 95%.
The laser eye surgeon performs the surgery in a adequate sterile setting, the area to be operated on is prepared with antiseptics and gloves and a face mask is worn by the laser eye surgeon. A local anaesthetic is administered leaving the affected person fully awake (youngsters get a general anaesthetic) and the laser eye surgeon uses an operating microscope to look into the patients eye. A person’s eye is kept open with a small instrument called an eye speculum, which is placed under the lower and upper lids and kept open. The laser eye surgeon will use a laser phaco probe in the one hand and a “chopper” in the other hand to remove the cataract. The cataract is slowly removed by the surgeon making a tiny incision in the lens and the phaco probe is then inserted through the cut to perform phaco emulsification, which is a practice whereby the cataract is emulsified and sucked up by the probe. When the cataract damaged natural lens has been removed, an intraocular lens (IOL) is placed into position through the tiny incision that had been made at the start of the operation in the cornea. The IOL is an artificial lens made from soft acrylic and it is folded, which allows for easy insertion behind the eye’s pupil by a tiny injector. Once placed in position the IOL unfolds and is anchored behind the eye’s pupil. Stitches are very seldom needed in this procedure, making the recovery process rather quick and painless. A dressing is used and can usually be removed the very next day. This procedure allows for speedy vision rehab and often results in less reliance on glasses for distance vision.Additionally, there are other procedures or operations performed by laser eye surgeons. Some of such procedures are more uncomfortable than cataract removal, but are equally successful.
