Modern cataract surgery techniques successfully restore vision and help to improve the quality of life for the great majority of patients. Sometimes, months or years after cataract surgery, vision can once again become cloudy. Activities like reading, driving and watching television slowly become more difficult. This can be due to a condition known as opacification of the lens capsule, or posterior capsular fibrosis. The lens capsule is the normally clear structure that holds the intraocular lens in place. If the lens capsule becomes cloudy it will block a clear picture from passing through the pupil of the eye. An opacified lens capsule develops in about 30% of patients who have cataracts removed.
YAG laser capsulotomy, utilizing our Nidek YAG laser, creates a small opening in the opacified capsule. This allows images from the outside world to once again clearly pass through the eye to the retina. It is quick, painless, and typically much safer than the cataract surgery itself. Patients often notice an improvement in their vision after just 1 or 2 days. A temporary increase in floaters is normal after the procedure. There are no restrictions or healing period following the laser. We typically prescribe an anti-inflammatory eye drop for just a few days to help limit any irritation the laser might have caused.
There is a very rare risk of retinal detachment so your doctor will check your retina about a week after the procedure. Once a cloudy lens capsule is opened by the laser, the condition typically cannot recur and the restored vision can be considered permanent.