When, due to cataract formation, the natural lense of the eye is opacified, the problem can be tackled in three ways:
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intracapsular cataract operation is a method by which the natural lens is completely taken out of the eye; a large surgical wound is needed for that, which is why nowadays this technique has been abandoned except for certain special cases.
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extracapsular cataract operation is a method by which the hard nucleus of the lens as a whole is removed, the theca of the natural lens (capsule of the lens) remains, however, anchored in the eye; again, nowadays, this surgical technique is used only as an exception.
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today, phaco-emulsification is the prime technique; during this operation, the nucleus of the lens is pulverized with ultrasonic or laser energy and aspirated through a thin canula. The incision necessary for that and for the implantation of the folded intraocular lens is not wider than 3,5 mm, watertight and resilient immediately after the operation.
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This latter technique has made it possible that an operation, which only fifteen years ago required a one- to two-week stay in hospital, can now be performed on outpatients and with an extremely low complication rate. The quality of the visual function gained by the cataract surgery does, however, not only depend on the success of the operation as such, but also on the other functional capacity of the eye. If there are additional, severe eye diseases, e.g. a exudative macular degeneration, even a cataract surgery perfectly carried out cannot provide a good vision.
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