Mayo Clinic's team of experts in the Cataract Surgery Clinic have deep experience treating people with all forms of cataracts, from common to the most complex. We use the latest intraocular lens models and technologies to precisely diagnose and measure your cataracts so we can provide the exact treatment you need.
Using the latest technologies is just one aspect of the Mayo Clinic Model of Care. This set of principles has guided our organization since its earliest days and is what sets Mayo Clinic apart. Our primary value is "The needs of the patient come first." That means unhurried exams in which we take time to listen and a care team that cooperates across specialties.
The Mayo Clinic Model of Care ensures you receive a comprehensive evaluation with timely, efficient assessment and appropriate, effective treatment.
Preoperative evaluation
Effective treatments require an accurate diagnosis. Your evaluation begins with an experienced cataract surgeon. Your surgeon uses advanced technology to assess the severity of your cataract and decides whether it's severe enough to require surgery. Depending on your needs, your surgeon may consult with other Mayo Clinic specialists in these areas:
Mayo Clinic specialists carefully evaluate your condition and the health of your eye. They do this to make sure you receive the exact treatment you need. They also select a lens specific to your needs. Your evaluation may include:
- Biometry. precisely measures the eye and the curvature of the cornea.
- Corneal tomography provides a 3D map of the cornea and assesses imperfections of the cornea's curvature, called astigmatism.
- Aberrometer provides an evaluation of the shape and special characteristics of the cornea before surgery.
- Optical coherence tomography (OCT) images the macula or optic nerve to help assess the health of those structures and screen for issues of the eye caused by disease.
- Specular microscopy counts endothelial cells to evaluate the inner part of the cornea before surgery.
Procedures
Our cataract team offers a range of procedures that address various conditions. This ensures you receive the exact care you need.
Cataract surgery. This surgery removes a lens that has become cloudy and replaces it with an artificial intraocular lens, also called IOL. At Mayo Clinic, you have access to the best available lenses and the newest lens technologies, including:
- Monofocal intraocular lenses, which have a single point of focus. We use lenses that have different designs and power options, depending on your needs and vision goals.
- Toric intraocular lenses, which corrects for astigmatism.
- Multifocal lenses, which help decrease the likelihood that you'll need glasses after surgery.
- Light-adjustable lenses, which also help decrease the likelihood that you'll need glasses after surgery while extending the range of vision.
- Extended depth of focus intraocular lenses, which extend the range of vision.
Postoperative refractive treatment. If you need glasses after cataract surgery, laser vision correction may be an option. The procedure changes the shape of the cornea so light bends precisely onto the retina, which is essential for sharp vision.
Intraocular lens exchange. If you have had cataract surgery but are having issues with your new lens and experience light sensitivity or blurred vision not corrected by glasses, a lens exchange may be considered. It also can be considered in cases of imperfections of the new lens, deposits such as calcium buildup on the new lens, or a mismatch between the implanted lens and the eye's measurements.
Intraocular lens fixation. The procedure resets a lens that dislocated after surgery.
Research
Mayo Clinic doctors who are involved in cataract surgery actively research the procedure, with emphasis on results, prevention, new technologies, intraocular lens performance and surgical techniques.
See our cataract research publications.