Cataract Treatment Centre, Aachen

Clouding of the lens is an irreversible process. The only treatment for cataract is surgery, during which the clouded lens is replaced with an artificial one

The Cataract Treatment Centre in Aachen offers cataract removal surgery under general anaesthesia (with a short inpatient stay) and under local anaesthesia. Typically, cataract surgery is carried out using the microsurgical technique of phacoemulsification – the most advanced and least traumatic method of cataract removal. Unlike extracapsular cataract extraction, phacoemulsification breaks up the nucleus of the lens and then aspirates it through a small incision (about 5 mm), after which an artificial lens is implanted into the empty capsular bag. A full command of sutureless surgery enables the doctors to perform the operation as a «day case», sparing the patient pain, unnecessary discomfort and distress.

In special (comparatively rare) cases, cataract surgery is performed through a long incision at the outer border of the retina or the adjacent sclera, followed by removal of the lens together with the capsular bag (intracapsular) or without it (extracapsular).

In addition, the Centre treats secondary cataract, where surgical removal of the primary cataract leads to the complication of posterior capsule opacification and deteriorating vision. Modern lenses and surgical techniques have significantly reduced such complications. Secondary cataract is treated with the painless method of YAG laser capsulotomy using a solid-state «YAG» laser.