Complex Cataract Surgery
In most cases cataract surgery is a straightforward procedure taking 15-20 minutes. The cloudy crystalline lens of the eye is removed and replaced by an acrylic artificial lens (intraocular implant or IOL). Patients enjoy clearer and brighter vision a few days following surgery.
There are other cases where cataract surgery is not expected to be straightforward for different reasons. If the patient has had previous eye trauma, the lens may behave differently during surgery and it may not be stable. Traumatic cataracts can be unpredictable during cataract surgery and may collapse in the back of the eye.
In patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome, there is widespread deposition of white flaky material in most ocular structures including the lens outer capsule, the zonnules which hold the lens in place and the iris. Coexistence of glaucoma is very common. In cases of pseudoexfoliation, the lens (cataract) can also be unstable as a result of weakened zonnules and tilt or drop in the back of the eye.
Whenever the cataract collapses in the back of the eye, additional surgery is required with special instrumentation to remove it from the posterior part using a different approach. A vitreoretinal surgeon, such as George Morphis, performing both routine and more complex cataract surgery has the skills to deal with this rare complication on the operating table and when it happens as opposed to a non vitreoretinal surgeon who would need to refer the same patient to a retinal specialist to perform the additional surgery on a different date.