Surgical techniques

According to the standards of the "American Academy of Ophthalmology" and the "American Intra-Ocular Implant Society" phaco-emulsification with small incision is the best technique.

In this case the posterior capsule behind the lens remains in place and a new lens is put in the capsular bag.
With the Phaco-emulsification technique the opaque cataract-lens is emulsified and afterwards the cortical rests are aspirated.

This method is also beneficial to a faster wound healing thus enabling the patient to resume his daily activities faster.

This technique also restores the normal balance within the eye. The only disadvantage is that the posterior capsule, which hasn't been removed, may start to become blurred within months or years after the intervention thus affecting the sight, giving the impression that the cataract is coming back.
This blurring can be treated by means of a "Yag laser", a painless treatment that can be done in the centre and only takes a few minutes.

Deze techniek herstelt ook de normale verhoudingen in het oog. Het enige nadeel is dat het achterste kapsel, dat niet wordt verwijderd, maanden of jaren na de ingreep kan vertroebelen zodat het gezicht opnieuw verslechtert en men de indruk heeft dat de cataract terugkomt. In dit geval kan deze vertroebeling verholpen worden door de "Yag laser", een behandeling die gebeurt in het kabinet, niet pijnlijk is en slechts enkele minuten vraagt.


Before the modern lens-implant the cataract patients had to wear very thick optical glasses. These glasses were very disturbing in the cosmetic field, limited the visual field a lot and caused an unnatural magnification. More over, the wearing of such glasses was impossible when only one eye had been operated on.

Contact lenses already were an improvement, but they magnify the image, may irritate the eye and some patients have difficulties in using them.
The best method is the implant of an intra-ocular artificial lens, which replaces the opaque cataract lens.
Such a lens has a diameter of 12 to 13 mm, a thickness of 0,5 mm and a refraction faculty that is adapted to the eye.
This intervention has to be done only once and the eye that has been operated on in this way remains externally intact.

Implant-lenses

With the modern surgical techniques an artificial lens can be implanted in 99% of the cataract cases.
As the refraction of the lens is different for each eye, an A and B scan ultrasonographic examination preceding the intervention will determine the eye-length and examine the eye-structure behind the lens. This allows the surgeon to calculate the dioptric value of the implant-lens by means of the computer.

Nowadays several types of implant-lenses are available. Recently in some cases bifocal lenses have been used successfully. With this type of lens the patient has a sharp image, both from far as nearby, and in some cases he/she doesn't even have to wear glasses anymore after the intervention.

Sometimes also the surgeon prefers to use flexible lenses. With these types of lens the incision is small and the lens is implanted into the eye in its flexible condition. After the implantation the lens relaxes and remains in this condition centered in the pupil opening.

In almost all cases a "small incision surgery" is used. With a small incision (3 mm opening in case of the phaco-emulsification) there is less irritation of the eye, less deformation or astigmatism after the intervention and the surgeon can work in a closed circuit. Moreover, for this intervention stitching of the wound is often not necessary.
With Clear Lensectomy technique the natural lens of the patient is replaced by an implant which has the same refractive power as the spectacles. This technique is used for treatment of high hyperopia or myopia.

Secondary lens-implantation

People who have already undergone a cataract-operation with the old technique and who received thick cataract glasses or contact lenses, can still be helped with a lens-implant via a secondary lens-implantation.