Is a laser used during cataract surgery?

Lasers are not used in cataract removal surgery. However, the lens capsule (the part of the eye that holds the lens in place) sometimes becomes cloudy several months or years after the original cataract operation. If the cloudy capsule blurs your vision, your ophthalmologist can perform a second procedure using a laser.

This procedure, called a posterior capsulotomy, uses a laser to make an opening in the cloudy lens capsule, restoring normal vision.

Lasers are high powered lights that can be used to either cut or burn tissue.They have been used for more than thirty years in ophthalmology mostly for diabetes retina therapy, glaucoma, and after cataract membrane discission. Because they use light, they do not require an incision (hole) to cut or burn tissue inside the eye. This means there is less risk of infection or bleeding. Lasers also can be finely controlled by computers and thus allow more precision. 

Modern cataract surgery is done by ultrsound and not laser. Cataract surgery involves not only removing an opaque cataract but also replacing it with an implant lens. Hence, the eyes must be opened to allow the placement of this lens. Laser devices are being developed to improve cataract surgery currently (2011) but they are not used by most ophthalmologists. Look for this in the near future.