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YAG

This is a simple, painless laser treatment performed on 20% of patients who have had cataract surgery. Following cataract surgery, you may experience a clouding in your vision similar to what you experienced before your surgery. This may occur a few months after your surgery or not for several years. When you visit your eye doctor it may be determine that you have developed a “secondary cataract,” a clouding in the membrane behind your new lens implant. Your vision can easily be restored by performing a laser treatment using the YAG laser.

Click the play button to watch Dr. Shelby explain YAG

If you are scheduled to have your laser treatment on a separate day, one of our staff members will call to remind you of your arrival time. On the day of YAG laser you may drive yourself to this appointment. There are no requirements for you to prepare for this treatment. In other words you may eat breakfast and/or lunch and you may take your medications at your designated time.

Upon arriving you may be asked to sign a consent form giving the doctor permission to do the treatment. The eye having the laser treatment will be dilated. This allows the doctor a better view of the cloudy membrane behind your lens implant.

You are seated in front of the laser, your doctor will then focus the laser on the cloudy membrane behind your lens implant, you will hear a gently, painless popping sound. This treatment takes less than two minutes. In most instances you will notice an immediate improvement in your vision. Your vision may continue to improve over the next several days. You may also notice floaters following your treatment. These floaters are tiny remnants of the membrane that your doctor just opened. In most patients these floaters will disappear within a few days or weeks. Sometimes your doctor will prescribe eye drops following your treatment to allow your eye to heal. You may need to have your glasses prescription changed as a result of this procedure. We will be happy to assist you with that.

After having a YAG laser it is very rare for you to ever need to have this treatment again. You should have a noticeable improvement in your vision following your laser treatment. If you have any questions or concerns please contact our office.

The following WK Eye Institute doctors offer this procedure: