Fact Sheet:

Cataract Removal

	Roughly forty years ago, researchers developed Phacoemulsification, or phaco, to remove cataracts. A doctor makes a small incision on the side of the cornea, the clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye.
The doctor then inserts a tiny probe into the eye, which vibrates at ultrasound frequency that softens and breaks up the cloudy lens. This enables the doctor to remove the lens by suction. In rare circumstances, complications from phaco can occur. Two of the most common complications from phaco include inadvertent rupture of the lens capsule or corneal burns from the vibrating phaco probe.
	The newest advance in lens removal technology is called AquaLase®* Liquefaction Device. Instead of using a metal probe, a doctor removes the clouded lens with pulses of warm, naturally balanced fluid media to “wash away” the lens layer-by-layer. The new technology may reduce the risk of thermal burns and other potential complications.

*AquaLase® is based on technology invented by Mark S. Andrew, MD and Mylina Lincoln-Andrew, MS