UT Southwestern’s physicians and researchers have access to the latest scientific findings and treatments for cataracts, including:
- Blade-free, image-guided, fully FDA-approved laser-assisted cataract surgery, a procedure customized for your eyes
- Age-related cataracts, which make up 90 percent of cases
- Congenital cataracts, when babies are born with cataracts
- Complicated cataracts, which develop in people with other health problems such as diabetes or who take corticosteroids
- Secondary cataracts, which develop in up to 50 percent of cases following previous cataract surgery
- Traumatic cataracts, such as from an eye injury
Treatment Options
For early-stage cataracts, a change in the strength of your prescription (glasses, bifocals, or contact lenses), or the use of a magnifying lens, may improve your vision enough to allow you to do the tasks you like to do. Surgery is indicated when you cannot carry out your normal day-to-day work or leisure activities because your vision is too poor, even with corrective lenses.
Cataract surgery may be beneficial when you:
- Need to drive, but there is too much glare from the sun or headlights
- Cannot see well enough to perform tasks at work
- Cannot see well enough to do the tasks you need to do at home, such as cook, clean, or repair
- Cannot see well enough to do the things you like to do, such as read, watch television or movies, sew, or play games or sports
- Are afraid of bumping into objects or falling
- Are not as independent as you would like because of poor vision
- Are not improved sufficiently by glasses
Types of Cataract Surgery
Cataract surgery is one of the safest outpatient procedures performed in the United States. Thanks to technological advances in intraocular lens (IOL) implant design and surgical devices like the femtosecond laser, today’s cataract patients undergoing surgery experience better outcomes and less disruption to their lives. A safe and reliable procedure is now even better: incision sizes are smaller, which promotes faster healing, while laser use reduces the surgeon’s reliance on hand-held tools and blades.
There are two components to the surgery: removal of the clouded crystalline lens, and insertion of an artificial lens (intraocular lens implant or IOL).
- Traditional cataract removal The most widely used method of cataract removal involves the surgeon making a small incision in the eye with an instrument about the size of a pen tip. Next, the physician uses ultrasonic energy to break up the cataract, so it can be removed through the incision, often less than 3 millimeters in length. This part of the procedure is called phacoemulsification. Once the clouded crystalline lens has been removed, the surgeon inserts an artificial IOL into the eye, through the same small incision. As with any surgical procedure, complications may occur during cataract removal. Be sure to discuss with your doctor all aspects of the procedure, so you can weigh the risks and benefits of cataract surgery.
- Blade-free, image-guided, fully FDA-approved laser-assisted cataract surgery Since the mid-1990s, blade-free laser technology has transformed eye surgery to correct refractive errors such as astigmatism, near-sightedness, far-sightedness, and presbyopia (‘over-40’ eyes). Fortunately, with the FDA approval of the LenSx® laser, the customization, precision, and safety of laser surgery are not limited to the realm of LASIK. UT Southwestern Ophthalmology is the first practice in Dallas to offer blade-free, image-guided, FDA fully-approved laser-assisted cataract surgery, the next step in the optimization of cataract treatment, and astigmatism correction. In laser-assisted cataract surgery, the surgeon uses the laser and its computer to perform some of the most critical stages of the operation, including the incision and opening to remove the clouded crystalline lens. Research indicates that this method is more accurate than the manual incision performed in traditional cataract surgery, and results in a more accurate insertion of the replacement lens. Extracting the cataract through the opening is made easier, too, because the laser breaks up the lens into smaller, more pliable, pieces. The improved incision technique and extraction may help patients recover sooner. However, not all patients are good candidates for laser-assisted cataract surgery. Your ophthalmologist will discuss which treatment options are best for you.
Intraocular lens replacement options
Following the removal of the cataract, your surgeon will implant an artificial intraocular lens. Prior to today’s multi-focal lenses, the objective was to treat the cataract, and restore vision with a monofocal IOL. With this lens, the patient must wear glasses for the rest of their life.
The development of astigmatic (toric) lenses provides better distance vision with glasses than conventional IOLs. Today’s presbyopia-correcting multi-focal IOLs have transformed patients’ options following cataract removal, allowing them to focus on objects at near (reading/sewing), middle (computer), and far (movies/driving) distances. Some patients find they no longer need glasses or contact lenses following the insertion of multi-focal IOLs in both eyes. No more reading glasses!
ReSTOR® is one type of multi-focal permanent artificial lens. Made of soft plastic, the ReSTOR® lens is folded and inserted into the eye through a tiny incision, smaller than the optic diameter of the lens. Once inserted, the lens gently unfolds to restore vision.
Clinical Results
- Clinical studies have shown that the ReSTOR® IOL provides good near, intermediate, and distance vision without the need for glasses or contacts.
- 75 percent of patients with ReSTOR® lenses reported that they NEVER needed glasses or contact lenses for any activities. They can read books and the computer screen, drive a car – day or night – and play golf or tennis with freedom from glasses.
- 94 percent of patients were so pleased with their vision that they would have the ReSTOR® implant again, if given the chance.
Our physicians implant a variety of IOLs to provide you with the best customized treatment for lens replacement, including Crystalens®. Your doctor will discuss all options with you.
To learn more, please contact UT Southwestern at: (888) 663-2020 FREE James McCulley R. Wayne Bowman
Cataract surgery: Questions to ask your doctor
Which type of intraocular lens (IOL) would I benefit the most from? How long is the recovery time? What will my vision be like after recovery? Will I still need to wear glasses or contact lenses after surgery? Do I have any general health or other eye conditions that could rule out cataract removal? If I have other eye conditions, how can I best manage these together with cataracts? Will any of my current prescriptions or over-the-counter drugs complicate the procedure or recovery process? What is the post-surgery follow-up process?
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