Small incision cataract surgery is the most common procedure used for cataract surgery today. Your eye surgeon will make a small incision in the cornea or, less often, the sclera, to access your cataract lens. The surgeon will then use a special ultrasonic device that emits ultrasound waves to break up the cataract lens into tiny pieces, which can then be gently suctioned out through the same incision. This is known as a phacoemulsification procedure, or phaco for short.
In this procedure, a small incision is made in the cornea. Then, ultrasound waves are used to break up cataracts and then removed from the eye. No suture (stitches) is required in this procedure as the cornea heals naturally due to the small incision. At the same time, an intraocular lens (IOL) is inserted to restore vision. The IOL is permanently placed in the eye.
