“The actual Cataract Surgery procedure involves removing the cloudy crystalline lens of the eye so that once a Cataract is removed, no, it cannot come back”, explained Ivan Jacobs, M.D. a Cataract Surgeon and Glaucoma Specialist at Eye Care & Surgery Center. “But what can happen that might make it seem like the Cataract has returned is a condition called “posterior capsular opacification,” commented Joel Confino, M.D. a Cataract Surgeon and Corneal Specialist at Eye Care & Surgery Center. The crystalline lens of the eye is where a Cataract forms. “The crystalline lens has a soft protein center and is surrounded by a capsule-kind of like the structure of an M&M candy,” said Dr. Confino. A Cataract forms because the protein becomes cloudy. During Cataract Surgery Drs. Jacobs and Confino use microscopic instruments to break up and remove the cloudy material as this is what blurs your vision. However, they leave the “capsule” in intact and actually place the intraocular lens implant (IOL) to correct vision inside the capsule to help correct your vision. In some patients the capsule become “opacified” some time after surgery leaving the patient’s vision cloudy and often with glare sensitivity much like the symptoms they had from the Cataract. Fortunately, using a YAG Laser, Drs. Jacobs and Confino are able to quickly, safely and effectively create an opening in the capsule along the visual axis which restores the vision almost instantly. This procedure called a “YAG Capsulotomy” takes only a few minutes and is performed using simple eye drop anesthesia without discomfort. So, while cataracts do not come back a condition called “posterior capsular opacification” can make it seem like the Cataract has returned.
Please feel free to contact us with your questions or to schedule an appointment regarding Cataracts, Cataract Surgery or Lens Implants by calling Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999.
