Cataracts - Resources

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Avoiding Glaucoma. Cataract surgery can cause glaucoma, a condition in which the pressure of fluids inside the eye rises dangerously. It is very important to minimize any activity that increases internal eye pressure. Postoperative cataract patients take the following precautions:

• Minimize vigorous exercise.
• Put on shoes while sitting and without bending over.
• Kneel instead of bending over to pick something up.
• Avoid lifting.
• Limit reading since it requires eye movement (watching television is all right).
• Sleep on the back or on the unoperated side.

Treatment of Posterior Capsular Opacification (Secondary “After-Cataract”)

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About 15% of patients who have cataract surgery develop a secondary "after-cataract" called posterior capsular opacification. Posterior capsular opacification, also called secondary “after-cataract,” is a clouding of the lens capsule that was left behind when the original cataract was removed. It generally occurs because after surgery there are still some natural lens cells left behind that proliferate on the back of the capsule.

The standard treatment for posterior capsular opacification is a type of laser surgery known as a YAG capsulotomy. (Capsulotomy means cutting into the capsule, and YAG is an abbreviation of yttrium aluminum garnet, the laser most often used for this procedure.) This procedure can help improve vision and reduce glare.

• This is an outpatient procedure and involves no incision.
• Using the laser beam, the ophthalmologist makes an opening in the clouded capsule to let light through.
• After the procedure, the patient remains in the doctor's office for an hour to make sure that pressure in the eye is not elevated.
• The doctor will usually prescribe anti-inflammatory eyedrops for the patient to take at home.
• Most patients will find that their vision improves within a day.
• An eye examination for any complications should follow within 2 weeks.

Complications. YAG laser capsulotomy is generally a safe procedure. Serious complications are rare, but can include retinal detachment.

Click the icon to see an image of a detached retina.

Review Date: 06/23/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).