Utah's Cataract Surgery Resource
The Moran Eye Center’s state-of-the-art laser-assisted cataract surgeries allow for a customized procedure with unparalleled accuracy. Our highly trained surgeons have extensive experience that allows them to help each patient with personalized care.
If you’re looking for a cataract doctor near you, Moran has the top experts in the field right here in Utah.
State-of-the-Art Cataract Treatment
If you’re noticing cloudy or blurry vision, halos around lights, or poor night vision, you may have cataracts.
A cataract is a gradual thickening and hardening of the naturally transparent lens in the eye. The lens becomes clouded or opaque as it thickens, preventing light from reaching your retina. As less light reaches your retina, it becomes increasingly difficult to see.
Your surgeon will remove the cloudy lens in your eye and replace it with a substitute artificial lens, known as an intraocular lens, or IOL.
The Moran Eye Center offers the most advanced laser cataract surgery available, and our surgeons are dedicated to excellence in the treatment of all types of cataracts. Cataract surgery is one of the safest, most effective, and most common operations performed. Since cataracts don’t return, cataract surgery can improve the quality of your vision for years to come.
Contact us at 801-581-2352 to schedule a consultation.
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Cataract Surgery: Introduction
Find a Cataract Surgeon
Your Surgery Options
Phacoemulsification (also called small incision cataract surgery)
Phacoemulsification is the most common type of cataract removal procedure. The surgeon makes a small incision on the side of the cornea—the clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye—where a tiny probe emits ultrasound waves to soften and break up the cloudy center of the lens. The cataract is then removed by suction through the same incision.
Extracapsular Surgery
During this procedure, a longer incision is made on the side of the cornea to remove the hard center of the lens; the remainder of the lens is then removed by suction.
Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery
As an alternative to manual incisions, the Moran Eye Center also offers laser-assisted cataract surgery. Femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) adds computer control to key steps of the procedure. Its unique system analyzes high-resolution OCT images of your eye; helps the surgeon to design a customized procedure; and then, visualizes and performs the procedure on command from the surgeon.
To further enhance accuracy, a patient interface connects your eye to the image-guided surgical unit, so that both the femtosecond laser computer and the surgeon commanding it have precise, real-time images at all times during the laser procedure.
Intraocular Lenses (IOLs)
Two Types of Lenses:
- Single focus lenses - The most common type of lenses used in cataract surgery are monofocal (or single focus) lenses. These can be fitted to provide either near or distance vision—most patients opt for far vision in both eyes. As a result, reading glasses are usually required after surgery, and glasses are sometimes required for vision at far distances as well. This type of lens is covered by Medicare.
- Multifocal lenses, advanced option - These implants split the light coming into your eye for distance and near vision, and provide the most freedom from glasses. In a few patients, these implants can cause halos (rings around lights at night) which tend to fade four to six weeks after surgery. A corneal procedure correcting astigmatism can be performed at the same time by your doctor. Medicare provides partial coverage for these lenses.*
*Patients with certain eye conditions including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, retinal scar tissue, corneal scars, or who previously underwent radial keratotomy, are ineligible for this type of lens. Your doctor will review your examination findings to determine if you are a good candidate.
Astigmatism Correction
Your doctor can use laser reshaping of the cornea or an astigmatism-correcting lens implant to treat your astigmatism at the time of cataract removal. Astigmatism occurs when the cornea (front window) of the eye is shaped more like a football than a sphere. If you have astigmatism of the cornea, leaving it untreated would mean you would need glasses for both distance and near vision after cataract removal.
Advanced Option: Accommodating Lens Implants
These implants change position within your eye based on your eye muscle effort. Accommodating lenses can treat astigmatism, but give slightly less near power than multifocal lenses. They are typically used in patients who are ineligible for multifocals due to mild or moderate glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, retinal scar tissue, corneal scars, or prior radial keratotomy. Medicare provides partial coverage for these lenses.
After Cataract
What Is an After-Cataract?
After cataract surgery, your vision can become cloudy due to what is known as an after-cataract. In this condition, the posterior capsule, which holds the lens in place, becomes cloudy and may blur your vision. An after-cataract can develop months or even years after surgery.
Treatment with YAG Laser Procedure
An after-cataract is treated by a technique called YAG laser capsulotomy. Your doctor uses a laser beam to create a tiny hole in the posterior capsule to let light pass through. This is a painless outpatient procedure.
