Eye Surgery Procedures & Treatment

YAG Laser Capsulotomy

Many people think that cataract surgery is done with a laser. The need for a laser doesn’t come into play until after the cataract is removed, if the casing of the lens of the eye becomes cloudy. This casing is left in place during the cataract surgery in order to support the lens implant. In approximately 20% of patients, this capsule gets cloudy or wrinkled enough after the surgery to warrant popping it open with the laser.

The lens capsule may need to be opened anywhere from several weeks to several years after the original surgery. The lens capsule is the consistency of plastic wrap; and as it heals, it is put on stretch, like a shrink wrap. The YAG laser (named for the yttrium- and aluminum-doped garnet crystal that makes the light coherent) is used in the office in a quick and painless procedure that pops open the capsule in the center. The improvement in vision is noticeable the same day as long as the eye is otherwise healthy.

Laser Surgery & Capsulotomy
Insurance covers capsulotomy if the cloudy capsule diminishes the vision from what was achieved after the cataract surgery, causing glare or blur.

Complications in this type of laser surgery are extremely rare. Retinal detachment has followed YAG laser; but since there is approximately a 1.5% chance of detachment after cataract surgery, investigators have found it difficult to separate out problems after laser vs. after cataract surgery. In fact, few procedures are as safe and effective as this type of laser vision correction.

YAG Laser FAQs

Q – Does the YAG Laser eye surgery hurt?
A - No, but people say that there is a soft clicking sensation around their eye, or at the back of their head.

Q – Does this type of eye surgery need to be redone?
A – Almost never. There are extremely rare patients who have cells regrow across the back of the lens implant, and the laser is used to brush away those cells-really an unusual circumstance.