An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov A
.gov website belongs to an official government
organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A
lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to
the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official,
secure websites.
Another procedure is called phacoemulsification. This involves inserting a needle through a small incision on the eye. The end of the needle produces sound waves. The sound waves break up the lens, which is then sucked out through the needle.
This procedure requires a smaller incision than the manual extraction procedure.
Review Date 8/4/2023
Updated by: Franklin W. Lusby, MD, Ophthalmologist, Lusby Vision Institute, La Jolla, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.