Preliminary examination

Experience has shown us: The more precise the preliminary examination is, the better the surgical result. We do not only use preliminary examinations to determine whether you are suited for a refractive surgery but also to precisely plan the cataract operation.

The reason is that the result of the operation is influenced to a large part by thorough diagnostics of the eye. These include measuring the anterior and posterior part of the eye with state-of-the-art technology and examining the eye for disease to take no risks. By the way, some operations can also be combined with cataract surgery, such as e.g. surgical treatment of glaucoma.

Anesthesia: Select the degree of painlessness you want:

• Twilight sleep after injection
• Twilight sleep and an injection next to the eye (peribulbar anesthesia). In 10 years, no eyeball has been injured by this technique in our practice
• General anesthesia for phobic patients
• Local anesthesia with eye drops for courageous patients

Further preparations on the day of the operation

On the day of the cataract operation, you will receive disinfecting eye drops; hair and body are covered, and the skin around the eye to be operated is disinfected; then, an eye speculum is placed to ensure that the eye remains open.

Gentle cataract surgery with minimally invasive incision technique

Using a surgical microscope, your surgeon makes a tiny incision at the outer edge of the eye to gain access to the natural lens.

The lens is suspended in the lens capsule which is opened with a circular incision (capsulotomy). To remove the eye's natural lens, it is broken up with ultrasound energy, enabling it to be suctioned without problems by means of tiny instruments. This procedure is called phacoemulsification.

Finally, the transparent artificial lens is placed in the empty lens capsule. For this, tiny instruments in which the folded lens is placed are also used. In the capsular sac, the lens unfolds and finds purchase. Depending on the type of lens, the surgeon aligns the lens precisely to provide optimum quality of vision.

Outpatient cataract surgery takes 20 minutes at most. If additional risks are present, we would perform the cataract surgery on an inpatient basis. You can find additional specialist literature references on this topic on this page below.

Since May 2012, we have been performing cataract surgery with a femtosecond laser at the patient's option. Please read more about this in the chapter on laser lens replacement. The use of the femtosecond laser provides you with an additional feeling of security and enables an even more precise alignment of the artificial lens in the eye. This is of particular importance if you choose a premium lens. We will be happy to advise you on the type of lens best suitable for you. Do you want to know more about artificial lenses implanted in cataract surgery? Then please continue reading in the chapter on multifocal lenses. In it, you can also find all information about our concept for individual lens selection, 'MI-LENS'.