Can cataracts grow back

Can cataracts grow back?

Patients in Las Vegas that are considering cataract surgery often ask

Can cataracts grow back?

Indeed they really don’t grow back but when cataract surgery is performed in an adult, a thin film is left behind to hold the implant in place and the eye compartmentalized with the vitreous humor left in the posterior chamber and held back by the posterior capsule.

The posterior capsule starts out clear after cataract surgery like saran wrap but often clouds like wax paper.  This is called a secondary cataract.  So in lay person terms, the cataract has come back as the symptoms of a secondary cataract or posterior capsular opacification is the same as a primary cataract.

By polishing the capsule, and using specially designed implants, the chance of clouding of the capsule is minimized.  In routine surgery the rate is about 20-30{60df113cd5a1cd00914727638812fb5300a840b86aa020a6e915251c64286fee}.

With premium (multifocal) implants the vision is very sensitive to minor capsular opacification and treatment (YAG Laser Capsulotomy) is necessary more often.