YAG Capsulotomy

The technique of cataract surgery involves removing the cloudy portion of the eye’s lens while leaving the clear outer membrane, or capsule, to hold the new intraocular lens in place.

This outer membrane contains cells that may continue to produce lens fibers. These fibers cannot be laid down in an organized manner and will form little beads or “pearls” on the lens capsule, forming a secondary membrane. When these pearls accumulate in the pupil, they can cause a blurring of vision similar to that which one experiences with a cataract. This occurs approximately 30-40% of the time and can appear at any time after surgery up to five or more years later.

Although the blurred vision  can be quite significant, there is a simple way of clearing the pupil of this cloudy capsule by using a YAG Laser. During the procedure, called YAG Laser Capsulotomy , a laser called Yttrium Aluminum Garnet is used to clear this secondary membrane. There is absolutely no pain involved in this procedure and patients can resume their normal activities immediately after the procedure. The patient will typically experience an improvement immediately.

  • A painless procedure
  • No anesthesia is required
  • No pre-op testing is needed
  • Procedure takes as little as 5 minutes to complete
  • No operating room is required
  • No post-op restrictions

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