At Chatswood Private Hospital we are committed to providing the most advanced, effective and proven technology. Just as you have options when it comes to choosing the intraocular lens that you receive during cataract surgery, you also have the option of choosing the technology that’s used to perform the procedure. That means you have the choice between conventional cataract surgery, which is the majority technique in Australia, or laser cataract surgery. Both options are safe and effective. Ask your surgeon about the best options for your surgery.
In conventional cataract surgery, the eye surgeon manually creates a tiny incision on the cornea using a diamond blade and peels a circular hole on the surface of the lens of the eye. A high-frequency ultrasound is then used to break up the cataract and the tiny pieces are vacuumed out with a fine tube. Finally, the intraocular lens is inserted and a patch or shield is placed on the eye to protect it during the initial stages of healing. The success of the procedure largely depends on the surgeon’s skill and experience. The conventional approach continues to be the majority technique used by eye surgeons in Australia.
At Chatswood Private Hospital, we have the LensAR Laser — a fully-integrated, image-guided femtosecond laser designed specifically for laser cataract surgery. Using a customizable 3D surgical platform, it allows the surgeon to visualize, customize and perform many of the most challenging steps of cataract surgery with the laser itself, rather than with blades or needles. This allows for more predictable, and accurate results for the patient.
With laser cataract surgery, the eye is carefully placed under a docking station for lens pre-treatment, which holds the eye with gentle suction, and allows accurate focusing of the laser. High definition 3D scans of the eye are performed, and the tailored surgical plan is entered into the laser’s computer system. Once the plan is complete the laser procedure commences, and the laser bladelessly and accurately creates the incisions, the circular hole on the lens and fractures the lens into small pieces. The fragments are removed from the eye with a suction.
Regardless of whichever technology you or your surgeon chooses to perform your cataract surgery at Chatswood Private Hospital you can rest assured that you are safe in the hands of experts. Modern cataract surgery is a medical success story with ongoing evolution of surgical advances delivering improved visual outcomes and enhanced quality of life benefits.