YAG Capsulotomy

Posterior capsulotomy is laser surgery you might need sometime after cataract surgery. It helps you see clearly if your vision becomes cloudy again.

When you have cataract surgery, your ophthalmologist removes your eye's cloudy lens. They replace it with a clear, artificial intraocular lens (IOL). The IOL is held in place in the eye’s natural lens capsule. Weeks, months or years later, this capsule can become cloudy or wrinkled, causing blurry vision. This is called a posterior capsule opacification (PCO). It’s also sometimes called a "secondary cataract" or "scar tissue." With posterior capsulotomy, a laser is used to make an opening in the cloudy capsule. This allows light to pass through again for clear vision. 

YAG capsulotomy is an outpatient procedure and can take just minutes to perform, but you should allow up to 2 hours for your appointment.  You should not drive for the rest of the day, as the dilating drops might take a while to wear off and your vision might still be blurry 

Symptoms of PCO include:

• A gradual decrease of vision.
• Vision that is blurry.
• Glare around lights.
• Sensitivity to sunlight.
• Halos around lights.

As with any surgery, there are possible risks and complications with YAG capsulotomy. Here are some of them:

• You may have a detached retina (where the tissue lifts from the back of your eye). You may see what looks like a gray curtain moving across your field of vision. You might also see a lot of floaters. You should call your ophthalmologist immediately if this happens to your vision.
• The pressure in your eye may increase.
• The IOL might move through the posterior capsule opening.
• You may have swelling in your eye, and you may need steriod eye drops.