Cataract surgery in animals is performed under general anaesthesia, and microsurgical techniques are used under an operating microscope. Cataracts are routinely removed by phacoemulsification (phacos = lens; emuls = to milk out). This operation involves using ultrasound energy introduced into the eye by a handpiece about the size of a pen. This instrument is used to break up the solid lens material into a liquid, which is then aspirated from the eye. As the entire lens can be removed in this way, the incision required to remove the cataract is very small (about 2.5mm long), leading to much better success rates than older techniques in which the entire lens was removed whole, requiring a much longer incision.

At Perth Animal Eye Hospital we use an AMO Signature phacoemulsification unit, one of the most advanced units available. As a result of this we expect a success rate of between 90 to 95% for the return of useful vision following routine phacoemulsification.

Following removal of the cataract an implant lens is generally placed into the eye. These intraocular lens implants (IOL’s) restore normal vision to the eye and are routinely placed in human eyes following removal of cataracts. However, while it is ideal to place an IOL, not all eyes are suitable for an implant and the decision as to whether or not to place an IOL is made at the time of surgery.

Surgery at Perth Animal Eye Hospital is performed as a day-patient procedure. Animals must have no food from 9 pm the night before the operation and should have nothing to eat on the morning of the operation. Diabetics should also have no breakfast and should have half their usual morning dose of insulin on the morning of the procedure. Your pet may drink freely up until the time of admission to Rivergum Referral Services. In some cases, you will be asked to administer different types of eye drops at home on the day of the surgery to prepare the eyes for the operation, generally starting at 7am and continuing at 7.30 am. Your pet needs to be admitted between 8 am and 8.30am on the day of the operation and can generally come home the same afternoon between 3 and 5pm.

After the operation, eye drops will be required to be applied to the eye(s) four times a day for a month, generally then reduced to twice a day for the following month and then once a day for the third month. Most animals can then come off treatment, but in rare cases of grumbling inflammation, treatment may be required for more extended periods or even indefinitely. Animals also generally receive anti-inflammatory treatment by mouth for a month and antibiotics for 5 days.

Routine post-operative reexaminations are generally performed the next day, then a week later, a month later, and three months later. At Perth Animal Eye Hospital, routine follow-up examinations over the six months following the surgery are included in the price of the operation.