A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s lens. The vast majority of cataracts are related to age although some children are born with them. Most people do not even realize they have a cataract, as cataracts grow very slowly and may not impede vision early on. After a number of years vision will likely be affected. When the cataract has become so dense that it compromises the patient’s quality of life, the patient and ophthalmologist will discuss the appropriate time to remove it. Surgery is the only treatment.

Often at some point after cataract surgery (usually months to years later), scar tissue or haze can form on the sac that holds the IOL in place. If the sac clouds enough, your vision can be impaired- much like it was when the original cataract formed. If this becomes visually significant, it is best treated with an outpatient laser procedure called a YAG Laser Capsulotomy. YAG Capsulotomy uses laser light energy to open a central hole or window in the cloudy sac which allows light to pass through clearly and come to a sharp focus on the retina, thereby restoring your good quality vision. This procedure is NOT performed in an operating room, but rather at a machine very similar to the slit lamp your optometrist or ophthalmologist used to examine your eyes in the office.