Placoemulsification

Sivaporn gets an IOL (intraocular lens) implant from Dr. Prin Rojanapongpan, Thailand's leading eye doctor. Tha lens is a Multi Focal SN 6A D3. This latest generation lense just arrived in Thailand last week and I am the first patient. This multi focal lense does away with the need to wear glasses. This latest model also was developed to minimize light flare and blooms, especially important for night time driving.
Placoemulsification: a probe is inserted into the eye and uses a high speed, ultrasonic tip to break the cataract up into very small pieces which are then vacuumed out of the eye through the same probe. The use of this probe has revolutionized cataract surgery so that it can be done through a very small (3 mm) incision. This incision is about one-fourth the size of the older type of cataract incisions. Because of this, the wound is self-sealing and most patients do not need a stitch to close the wound, thus the name "no-stitch" cataract surgery. Once the cataract is removed, an intraocular lens "implant" is placed into the eye in order to restore vision. An intraocular lens (IOL) is a tiny, lightweight, clear plastic disk placed in the eye during cataract surgery. An IOL replaces the focusing power of the eye's natural lens.

The lens of the eye plays an important role in focusing images on the retina. If the lens loses its clarity, as it does when a cataract develops, light rays do not focus clearly and the image one sees is blurry. Glasses or contact lenses cannot sharpen vision if a cataract is present.

The only treatment for a cataract is to remove the lens and implant an IOL. Intraocular lenses have many advantages. Unlike contact lenses, which must be removed, cleaned, and reinserted, the IOL remains in the eye after surgery.