Hundreds of years ago when cataract surgery was first performed, practitioners performed what is called Intracapsular surgery or "couching." In this procedure, the lens was simply snipped from its supporting muscles and left to float, requiring that the patient then rely on very thick or "coke-bottle" glasses to see. This procedure is hardly ever performed today.

Then someone got the idea of trying to actually replace the lens internally. British ophthalmologist Sir Harold Ridley introduced the world to the first intraocular lens (IOL) in 1949. His lens, a rigid acrylic (polymethyl methacrylate), showed great promise. But it wasn't until the 1970s that the use of a replacement lens in cataract surgery gained widespread acceptance. Even then, cataract surgery was an inpatient procedure that required up to a week of hospitalization and convalescence at home.

Today, cataract surgeries are performed under local anesthesia and usually last just 15 to 30 minutes. Patients typically go home the same day and usually return to regular activities within 24 hours. Learn more about recovering from cataract surgery.

Advancements in techniques, surgery equipment, and intraocular lenses (IOLs) help make this quick recovery possible.

Technique. Performing a procedure known as micro-incisional phacoemulsification, a surgeon can make a very small incision (as small as 1/8 of an inch) on the side of the cornea that requires no stitches and results in rapid healing.

Equipment. Modern surgical systems provide customizable treatment for each individual patient. Employing advanced technology such as ultrasound and torsional ultrasound, these systems can break up and remove the eye's natural lens quickly and safely.

Lenses. Intraocular lenses made of flexible material and thinner optics can be folded to fit through the tiny incision and unfolded into place. And lenses that once offered only vision at a single fixed point can now correct near, intermediate and distance vision simultaneously, greatly reducing or eliminating the need for eyeglasses. Learn more about multifocal IOLs.

More Research and Advances in Cataract Treatment