A change of spectacles can sometimes improve the patient's vision enough to delay surgery, yet new glasses will not eradicate glare symptoms. If the patient is happy with his or her vision and the symptoms caused by the cataract are not too bothersome, then there is no need to undergo surgery. However, if the cataract is interfering with the patient's lifestyle, keeping the patient from doing the things he or she enjoys in life, then cataract surgery is indicated. The decision is elective and should be left up to the patient. Cataracts can be removed by several different methods.
Some surgeons continue to use a large incision method known as extracapsular cataract extraction.
This method requires an 11 mm to 13 mm incision through which the nucleus of the cataract is delivered in one piece. This small incision technique is called phacoemulsification. Clear viscous material is then injected to keep the eye formed during surgery and a bent needle or forceps is used to make a circular opening in the anterior capsule. The surgeon then separates the cataract from the remaining capsule with a layer of fluid and places the phacoemulsification probe into the eye. The probe vibrates at a very high frequency to create ultrasonic sound waves, which break the nucleus into tiny pieces.