Basic Sciences Bldg. 2001 S. Lincoln Ave. And thanks to this amazing piece of equipment, veterinary ophthalmologists now remove cataracts from dogs earlier, more rapidly, and with a success rate of 90 percent or more. Phacoemulsification and aspiration are the same techniques human ophthalmologists use in treating people with cataracts. This type of surgery is much easier on the animal than the previous method.
Studies show that the sooner cataract surgery is done, the better.
Purchased in 1990, the phacoemulsifier fragments and then aspirates the cataractous lens. The fragmented lens material is then removed with a suction device. The lens looks like a human contact lens with two springs sticking out to help hold it in place. Most canine patients are visual soon after completion of cataract surgery. With the reduction in surgical time and postoperative inflammation, insertion of artificial intraocular lenses has become routine.