Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness, but this eye disease is highly curable through cataract surgery. The condition causes proteins inside the lens of your eye to group together, creating a cloudy appearance and hazy vision. If untreated, the cataract will lead to blindness. Traditional cataract surgery has helped generations of people regain their sight, and now, bladeless cataract surgery has even better results at Mack Eye Center in Hoffman Estates.
These procedures remove the clouded eye lens and replace it with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL) implant. While the standard approach relies on the skill of the eye surgeon to create a small incision in the eye and a secondary, circular incision in the lens capsule, bladeless cataract surgery uses a laser for both cuts. This new technique offers several benefits, including:
1. Better Precision
Traditional cataract surgery relies on the surgeon’s ability to make a circular incision. The best eye surgeon in the world cannot make a perfect circle by hand repeatedly. Bladeless cataract surgery provides reliable precision because the incision is made using the LenSx laser guided by a 3D image of the eye.
2. Faster Healing
Bladeless cataract surgery uses the LenSx laser to soften and break up the cataract and then suctions it out of the eye. The traditional procedure uses ultrasound to split apart the cataract. The laser method uses less energy, resulting in minor corneal swelling and fewer visual disturbances during the healing process. The eye can heal faster with less swelling and irritation. LenSx is an excellent option for dense cataracts and difficult incisions.
3. Better Vision with Bladeless Cataract Surgery
LenSx technology is excellent at placing a premium lens implant such as a multifocal lens that improves distance and up-close vision or a toric lens for people with astigmatism. The cloudy lens is replaced with an IOL, which is positioned by hand during standard cataract surgery and by laser with the bladeless technique. Cataract surgery may also correct minor astigmatism during the procedure by reshaping the cornea, which is done more reliably with LenSx than the surgeon’s hand.
Contact Mack Eye Center About Cataract Treatment
Bladeless cataract surgery offers superior results over the standard procedure with improved micro-surgical accuracy, safety and less recovery time. Discover if you’re a candidate for bladeless cataract surgery by contacting our ophthalmologists at Mack Eye Center today to schedule your eye exam.