Have you thought of getting cataract surgery? You’ll often be offered either traditional cataract surgery or laser cataract surgery. Although these two procedures may seem similar at first glance, there are a lot of advantages and disadvantages to each so it’s important to understand which one is right for you before making any commitments. Traditional cataract surgery is a very common surgery that is proven to be safe and create lasting results. However, laser cataract surgery may provide you with benefits that traditional cataract surgery would not.
If you have any questions or concerns about whether you should be getting cataract surgery, please don’t hesitate to contact your ophthalmologists at Round Rock Eye Consultants.
Traditional Cataract Surgery
Traditional cataract surgery (also called phacoemulsification) is a process where your eye surgeon will make a small incision on the side of your cornea. An instrument will be inserted behind the pupil and the surgeon will use a circular opening in the lens capsule. A probe is used to break up the cloudy area of the lens and are removed. An intraocular lens (IOL) is used to replace this, thus giving you clearer vision.
Laser Cataract Surgery
Laser cataract surgery (more aptly named, laser-assisted cataract surgery) a camera is used to map the eye’s surface, gathering information about the lens. Once the information is gathered, the computer will know the exact location and size of incision that is needed. The same probe that is used in traditional cataract surgery is used to remove the remove the lens fragments
Recovery
As with any surgery, recovery time can vary based on your situation and what exactly was performed. However, when it comes down to traditional cataract surgery vs. laser cataract surgery, the recovery time is nearly identical. The only difference being that one incision was created with a scalpel where one was created with a laser.
Benefits
There are several major benefits to laser cataract surgery that you won’t get with traditional cataract surgery:
- Using a laser allows for more precise and reliable incisions
- Allows for more correction in the event of a refractive error
- Laser cataract surgeries will often be faster due to the reliance on technology to perform complicated procedures.
It should be noted that not every patient is able to have a laser cataract surgery. Under medicare guidelines, only people with astigmatism and want their refractive error fixed, or people who have a premium lens implanted. As mentioned previously, you should speak with your opthamologist in order to determine the best option for you based on your current condition and your goals for the surgery.
If you’ve determined that you’re ready for cataract surgery, contact the experts at Round Rock Eye Consultants. We will perform eye exams, contact lens evaluations, traditional cataract surgery, laser cataract surgery, multifocal and toric intraocular lens surgery and more. If you’d like to hear what our patients are saying about us, please feel free to visit our Testimonials page to learn more.