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Cataracts
What is a Cataract?
A cataract occurs from the denaturing of protein of the natural lens.
Currently, the only effective treatment for cataracts is surgical removal. Medications
cannot stop cataract formation.
In the past, the most common technique of cataract removal was intracapsular
cataract extraction (ICCE). This procedure involved removal of the entire lens and its
supporting structures. Extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) and phacoemulsification
(Phaco) involves removal of the cataract leaving the posterior capsule intact.
The difference between ECCE and Phaco is the size of the incision and the technique
of cataract removal. With ECCE, the incision is approximately 6 millimeters. The central
nucleus of the cataract is removed by gentle external expression. Then the incision is
closed with about 3 sutures. By comparison, a Phaco incision is only approximately 2
millimeters. Ultrasound energy dissolves the nucleus and it is aspirated through a small
instrument. The incision may or may not require any sutures to close it. Because Phaco
offers the patient the quickest recovery, it is the technique most often employed by the
physicians at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston.
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