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 Using
the extracapsular cataract extraction technique, the surgeon
makes an incision where the cornea and sclera meet. Carefully entering the
eye through the incision, the surgeon gently opens the front of the
capsule and removes the hard center, or nucleus, of the lens. Using a
microscopic instrument, the surgeon then suctions out the soft lens
cortex, leaving the capsule in place.
 Phacoemulsification
is a modification of the extracapsular cataract extraction. In
phacoemulsification, the nucleus is fragmented by an ultrasonic
oscillating probe. The nuclear fragments are simultaneously suctioned from
the eye. The size of the incision is smaller than the incision needed to
remove the capsule in the extracapsular technique.
 An
intraocular lens (IOL) is a clear plastic lens that is
implanted in the eye during the cataract operation. Lens implants have
certain advantages. They usually eliminate or minimize the problems with
image size, side vision and depth perception noted by people who wear
cataract eyeglasses. They are also more convenient than contact lenses
because they remain in the eye and do not have to be removed, cleaned, and
reinserted.
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