Phacoemulsification

Micro Incision Cataract Surgery

Once your vision with corrective glasses or contact lenses is no longer adequate for you to comfortably, safely do your normal activities, it is time to consider cataract surgery. The only effective treatment for cataract is cataract surgery. This is a common procedure. At Marin Ophthalmic Surgery Center, we do over 700 cataract surgeries a year. The surgery involves a relaxing sedative and “topical” anesthetic for complete comfort. Under microscopic control, the surgeon removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with a new, clear artificial lens.

The surgery itself generally takes less than 15 minutes in most cases. The patient goes home about 2 hours after arrival at Marin Ophthalmic Surgery Center. The vision may be blurry for the first few days, but is nearly always much better by 2 weeks postop. Typical post-operative care includes eye drops for 6 weeks after, and 2-3 post-operative follow-up appointments. Occasionally the post-operative care involves higher levels of medication and visits, but most people who will need glasses are ready for new glasses about 2 weeks post surgery. Many of our patients are having multifocal lens implants such as the ReStor and enjoying reduced dependency on glasses. Check the links at the upper left of the page for more detailed information. Drs John C. Shin and Christian K. Kim use the most current proven methods in their cataract surgery. The doctors provide pre-operative consultations, second opinions and post-operative care.