Many people want to know if they
need "laser surgery" after undergoing cataract surgery. In fact, many
people are actually confused about "laser surgery" and cataract
surgery. In fact, modern cataract surgery performed in an eye clinic in Malaysia is usually does not involve lasers. Instead,
a microscopic device (phacoemulsification probe) is used
to break down and remove the turbid/cloudy lens from the patient's eye. After
removing the cloudy lens, an artificial intraocular lens implant (IOL) was
placed in the eye. However, in most cases, the laser does not participate in
this process.
Laser cataract surgery may have some benefits after cataract surgery. The
most common is the development of posterior capsular opacification (PCO), which
can grow on the residual lens structure behind the IOL. This paralyzed PCO can
partially block the light of the intraocular lens, obscure the patient's
vision, and cause blurred blemishes or glare. PCO is actually the most common
complication after routine cataract surgery. If it becomes large enough to
limit the functional vision of the patient, it is usually treated with an
instrument called an Nd: YAG laser.
This type of laser has existed
for several decades and has been very accurate and successfully removed the PCO
with slight discomfort and the shortest recovery time. The Nd: YAG laser can be
very carefully aimed at the back of the intraocular lens to remove the PCO area
and create a clear path for the passage of light. This procedure is usually
less than five minutes.
From the patient's point of view,
this is actually very simple. The doctor puts plastic "contact
lenses" on your eyes to keep your eyes open and enable him to focus the
laser beam. Then he carefully aimed the laser to cut a small, clear circular area
on the PCO. Despite the bright light, the patient hardly felt anything. Nd: YAG
laser cataract surgery has been very
successful in restoring visual acuity to high levels.
