YAG Laser Capsulatomy

What To Expect on The Day of the Procedure
You will be asked to sign consent on the day of the procedure. The consent gives Dr. D permission to perform the procedure and outlines risks associated with this procedure. In general, this is one of the safest procedures in all of medicine with a very low rate of complications. Specifically the risk, though very rare, are the following:

• Possible movement of the implant after the procedure (less than 1 in 1,000 chance.)
• Possible increase in intra ocular pressure after the procedure (less than 1 in 1,000 chance.)
• Damage to the eye from the laser (less than 1 in 1,000 chance.)
• Lack of response to the treatment due to other eye conditions.

Although it is possible, Dr. D has never had a serious complication with this particular procedure.

The Procedure
On the day of the procedure, you will be dilated in the eye to be treated. The procedure will be performed at the slit lamp by Dr. D. The procedure will take about 3 minutes. There will be no real pain, but some people report a "picking sensation".

After The Procedure
You will be given a prescription for Lotemax, an eye drop, to be used four times a day. You will return to clinic one week after the procedure to re-check the result and look for any complications. During the week, if you have any pain, increased redness or decreasing vision, you should call the office. IT IS NORMAL TO HAVE SOME BLURRED VISION AFTER THE PROCEDURE WHICH WILL PROGRESSIVELY CLEAR UP IN 1-5 DAYS.

Dilation Protocol
Dilation is one of the most time consuming portions of the laser procedure; therefore, to increase efficiency and decrease our patient's wait time, we recommend that our patient's arrive at our clinic with their eyes already dilated. At the office visit preceding your laser procedure, you will be given a sample of a dilating drop, i.e. a red top drop. We ask that you begin putting one to two drops in the Right Eye / Left Eye starting two hours, then one hour, and finally half an hour before your next appointment time. As stated above, you may be more comfortable having a driver come with you for this procedure due to the dilation.