The anterior segment refers to the front-most region of the eye and includes the cornea, iris, and lens. Typically, the phrase “anterior segment surgery” refers to surgery performed on the iris and lens (either natural lens or synthetic intraocular lens placed during cataract surgery).
Before surgery
Before deciding to have Cornea and Anterior Segment surgery, you will need an initial examination to make sure your eye is healthy and suitable for surgery. Your doctor will take a complete history about your medical and eye health and perform a thorough examination of both eyes, which will include measurements of your pupils, anterior chamber depth (the distance between your cornea and iris), and endothelial cell counts (the number of cells on the back of your cornea).
At this time, you should tell your doctor if you:
- take any medications, including over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and other supplements
- have any allergies
- have had any eye conditions
- have undergone any previous eye surgery
- have had any medical conditions.
After surgery
After the surgical procedure, you may be sensitive to light and have a feeling that something is in your eye. You may experience minor discomfort after the procedure. Your doctor may prescribe pain medication to make you more comfortable during the first few days after the surgery. You should contact your eye doctor immediately if you have severe pain.
You should see your eye doctor the day after surgery. Your doctor will remove the patch and/or shield and will check your vision and the condition of your eye. Your doctor will instruct you on how to use the eye drops that you were prescribed for after the surgery. You will need to take these drops for up to a few weeks after surgery to decrease inflammation and help prevent infection.
During surgery
- A 2 mm incision is made near the limbus in the cornea.
- An anterior chamber maintainer using balanced salt solution may be used to keep the eye pressurized.
- The endoscope tip is focused and rotated by adjusting the camera probe to where it enters the laser console. The tip is inserted into the anterior chamber until it reaches the pupillary margin.
- The laser is then centered over one of these processes, and the laser is activated. The aiming beam is then centered on the adjacent process and so on until the probe has reached its full range.