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Cataract Surgery

Better vision for a better lifestyle

When your doctor tells you that you have a cataract and it should be removed, it may be frightening to consider. But once you understand what a cataract is, how it will be removed, and the life-changing benefits cataract surgery can bring, you'll likely wish you'd had the procedure sooner. A cataract can progress until eventually there is a complete loss of vision in your eye, and neither diet nor laser treatment will make a cataract go away. However, cataract surgery can help restore your vision, long before you experience loss of vision significant enough to interfere with your daily activities.

Getting Ready for Surgery

Cataract surgery is one of the safest, most effective types of surgery. It's also one of the most successful. After you and your eye doctor have decided that you will have cataract surgery, your doctor will measure your eye to determine the proper power of the IOL that will be placed in your eye during surgery.

Your doctor will then work with you to decide which IOL is best for your visual needs. There are two basic types of IOLs, each designed for a specific corrective function. Monofocal lenses provide corrective power in only one segment of your visual range (typically distance vision), while multifocal lenses are designed to correct a range of vision – near through distance. You may be a candidate for the ReZoom™ IOL, which is an advanced type of multifocal IOL. Ask your doctor if the ReZoom™ IOL is right for you.

The Procedure

Cataract surgery is an outpatient procedure that will only take a few hours. When you arrive, your eyes may be treated with eye drops and anesthetic to minimize any discomfort during the operation.

During this routine operation, a small incision is made in the eye. Your surgeon will use a tiny instrument (about the size of a pen tip) to remove your clouded lens. This can be done with either an AquaLase® device, which uses gentle pulses of fluid to wash away your cloudy lens, or an ultrasonic instrument that breaks up and gently removes your cloudy lens (called phacoemulsification.) Once this is accomplished, your surgeon will insert an artificial intraocular lens (IOL) into your eye.

After Cataract Surgery

After the procedure, you'll be given a short time to rest. Then, the very same day, you can go home. Within the next 24 hours, your doctor will probably want to see you for an evaluation. Drops will be prescribed to guard against infection and to help your eyes heal. For a few days, you may need to wear a clear shield, especially at night, to prevent you from rubbing your eye.

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Brief history of IOLs

Over 23 million eyes have been implanted with ReZoom™ IOL lenses.The evolution of cataract surgery took a giant step forward in 1949, when an English eye doctor named Harold Ridley developed and implanted the first intraocular lens. This lens was designed to imitate the natural human lens and was made of a hard plastic called Plexiglas, or polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA).

While there are several different types of intraocular lenses, all IOLs share a common basic construction-they typically consist of a round lens (called the optic) and two arms (called haptics), which keep the lens in place and centered in the eye. Since 1949, different materials have been used to make IOLs.

Today, the most widely used IOL materials include PMMA, silicone, and a soft, foldable acrylic called ReZoom™ IOL material.

PMMA and ReZoom™ IOL lenses have similar properties, but with one major difference-PMMA forms a rigid lens, while ReZoom™ IOL lenses are flexible. This means that ReZoom™ IOL lenses can be folded and inserted into the eye through a small incision, where it gently unfolds into its permanent position. These smaller incisions often do not require sutures, allowing for faster recovery with better results.

ReZoom™ IOL lenses were the first to use foldable material that was specifically designed for use in the human eye as an IOL. ReZoom™ IOL lenses have been available since 1994. Due to their excellent safety and effectiveness profile, they have become the most frequently implanted lenses in cataract procedures worldwide.

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