A: In conventional (traditional) cataract surgery, the eye surgeon creates a small incision in the cornea’s side using a metal or diamond scalpel blade. Ultrasound energy breaks up the lens’ cloudy centre. Then, the broken-up pieces of lens are suctioned out of the eye. An artificial intraocular lens replaces the cloudy natural lens. After surgery, a special liquid and self-seal fill the corneal incision’s side walls. Most commonly, stitches are unnecessary.

• The laser makes a perfect circular opening in the lens, which is 10X more accurate than the traditional opening made with a surgical instrument. A perfect opening facilitates manipulation and removal of the cataract, and allows for improved implant positioning.
• The laser makes a precise corneal incision (astigmatic keratotomy) to correct astigmatism. These incisions are adjustable, allowing for fine-tuning after the procedure.
• FLACS is gentle on the eye. Breaking up cataracts with the laser requires less ultrasound energy. Applying less energy to the eye minimizes potential damage to the cornea, thus speeding recovery time.
• The laser makes the corneal incisions, specifically tailored to eye shape, eliminating the need to use a hand-held metal blade.

A: Cataract surgery is one of the most common and successful surgeries in North America. With an experienced surgeon using advanced technology, patients usually have an excellent outcome. Yearly, there are more than 350,000 surgeries performed in Canada and over 15 million cataract operations performed worldwide.

A: Cataract surgery is painless. Topical anesthesia (using drops, not an injection) is applied, and the surgery only lasts a few minutes. Thus, there are no needles or sutures.

A: You are usually able to take any medications, including blood thinners (aspirin, warfarin, and non-steroidals), before surgery. Start all of your medications immediately following cataract surgery.

A: Yes, all patients need an implant of a specific power. The natural lens normally helps focus light onto the back of the eye for vision. An implant will help focus light and eliminate the need for thick glasses.

A: The main classifications of implants are standard aspheric, toric, and multifocal. 

The standard implant is covered by Saskatchewan’s  Medical Services Branch (MSB).

• The standard aspheric implant is an advancement over the traditional implant because it reduces aberrations and improves contrast sensitivity. Most patients with the implant will need glasses to fine-tune sight. In Saskatchewan, the majority of lenses implanted are aspheric.

MSB does not cover other implants but they are available for private purchase. These include:

• Toric implants reduce spherical aberration and enhances vision quality. They also reduce astigmatism, making them the best choice for higher degree astigmatism patients. The implant is rotated to a specific orientation in the eye, increasing astigmatism correction.
• Multifocal implants improve both distance and near vision without glasses. Multifocal implants are also available in toric corrections to correct astigmatism at all distances. This type of implant may cause glare and/or halos but these symptoms tend to diminish with time.

A: MSB covers all implants and procedures deemed medically necessary. The advanced technology lenses, such as toric and multifocal implants, are considered elective lenses. As glasses remain an alternative, these implants are not considered medically necessary.

A:It depends on the implant type chosen. Patients that choose a standard or aspheric implant typically require glasses for both distance and near vision. Those that choose a toric implant will usually only need glasses for reading. And those that select a multifocal implant typically do not need glasses unless the print is very small or the lighting is poor.

A: The most common complication is a transient corneal edema. The cornea can respond to the ultrasound (i.e. phacoemulsification) with some swelling that typically resolves in a few days. Patients may have some irritation or foreign body sensation during the first few weeks from the micro-incisions. Artificial tears or lubricating drops usually help this symptom.