Clouding After Cataract Surgery

Cataract surgery is necessary when the natural lens in the eye becomes clouded, yet, ironically, for 50 percent of people who undergo this procedure, the cloudiness returns but for a different reason, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). It is common for a person to experience clouding after having had cataract surgery. This condition is called "secondary cataract" or "after cataract."

History

• According to the AOA, people need cataract surgery when vision is impaired to the point of interfering with daily activities. Cataract extraction is one of the world's most frequently performed surgeries. Cataracts usually affect people older than age 55, and there is no way to prevent them. Symptoms include blurred vision, glare and difficulty reading.

Significance

• While cataract surgery is a procedure that removes the natural lens in the eye and replaces it with an artificial lens, sometimes the lens capsule, the part not removed during surgery, becomes cloudy. This will, again, impair your vision. The name of this condition is posterior capsular opacification (PCO), according to the American Optometric Association.

Time Frame

• PCO, or a secondary cataract, may not be an immediate after-effect of surgery. It may take months or even years to develop, if it develops at all. The patient may think the cataract is returning; however, the cloudiness is a result of cell growth on the back of the lens capsule, according to the AOA.

Solution

• Treatment is simple to correct a secondary cataract. According to the AOA, the patient will undergo YAG laser capsulotomy. This procedure uses a laser beam to make an opening in the clouded capsule that will allow light in. This painless procedure takes less than five minutes with an hour of recovery time in the doctor's office to make sure you do not experience eye pressure. Patients see an immediate improvement or one that takes several days.

Warning

• About 1 in 50 patients who have laser capsulotomy develop retinal detachment, which can cause vision loss, according to Kaiser Permanente. Cataract patients are recommended to consider how badly the cloudiness is affecting daily activities before opting for more surgery. Kaiser Permanente offers guidelines to determine if YAG laser surgery is right for you, such as if vision is affecting your work or lifestyle, if glare is a problem, if you cannot pass the vision test to get your driver's license or if you have double vision.