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Is it possible to undergo Cataract surgery after LASIK

March 31, 2021

In short, answer is yes. In this article we will try to elaborate about Cataract surgery and LASIK, so that you can understand how they are separate and interlinked.

Our eye is an asymmetrical globe having a dimension of about an inch in diameter and is protected by bony socket called the orbit. It is surrounded by muscles for the eye movement. It consist of Conjunctiva(a thin layer of tissue that covers the entire front of your eye, except for the cornea), Cornea (clear transparent front part of the eye and of a dome shape), Sclera(white portion of the eye), Iris(the colored part) and Pupil(the black circular opening in the iris).

Eye lens lies behind the iris and pupil. Light enters through pupil and the lens projects it onto the inside lining of the eye(equipped with special light-sensing cells) called the retina. It converts light into electrical impulses which are carried by your optic nerve to the brain.

What is Lasik?

LASIK(Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis) is a type of refractive laser surgery. If you are having any vision defect like nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), astigmatism or presbyopia, then LASIK is for you. In this surgery, your ophthalmologist uses an excimer laser to change the curvature of your cornea. Once the cornea is reshaped, light rays are focused on the retina properly to form a clear image. 

After LASIK, eyeglasses or contact lenses are not required in most of the cases. Before planning for LASIK, Your ophthalmologist will thoroughly examine you by testing you vision problems, measure  and map the corneal surface with pupil size. As a LASIK requirement, you should be 18 years or above of age, your cornea should be thick enough that reshaping is possible.

What is Cataract surgery?

Getting Cataract (degenerated lens) is an age related issue and most of the individuals encounter with it, after the age of 55 years. Cataract is basically clouding of your eye lens because of the clumping of proteins and your vision gets worse with time. Changing Eyeglasses and contact lenses are not of much help in Cataract patients as the quality of your vision deteriorates and if surgery is delayed.

Cataracts are leading cause of blindness, worldwide. A cataract isn’t resolvable on its own, or with eye drops, in fact over time it will harden. Cataract surgery is done to remove the cataract from within the eye. Most types of cataract surgery involve replacing the cloudy lens with an artificial transplant called an intraocular lens (IOL). The IOL becomes a permanent part of your eye.

At this point of our article, it is quite clear that both LASIK and Cataract surgeries are done for different reasons and involves different parts of the eye. LASIK is focused just till corneal reshaping for refractive errors while Cataract surgery is aimed to replace the eye lens and get rid of cloudy or foggy vision and achieve sharper vision.

Now in case LASIK is not done prior to cataract surgery, it is easy to correct refractive errors with cataract removal. Your surgeon takes eye measurements pre-surgery to determine which intraocular lens to choose for your eye.

But in case LASIK has already been done, your surgeon needs to do additional calculations to work out the best intraocular correct lens power to give you best visual results. After LASIK your eye measurements changes and Eye doctor has to consider both the pre LASIK and post LASIK measurements.

If you’ve previously had any such laser vision procedure and have since developed a cataract, schedule an appointment with one of our experts to know more about our various Laser assisted corrective and treatment modalities and feel free to contact us at +91-9137462795 or visit our clinic atBandra and Kandivali.

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