Question:
I am very allergic to plastics. Is there a glass lense to implant for
cataract surgery? If so , what is it called?
Answer:
In the olden days, before my time, they used to make a big incision in
the eye to do cataract surgery. Now they make a tiny incision, and
insert the lens rolled up in a little tube. Obviously, you can't roll
up a glass lens. Doing the big incision is much more risky and has a
much longer recovery time. You may have difficulty finding a surgeon
with recent experience doing it this way.
I would advise working with your doctor to make sure you aren't allergic
to any lens to be used.
Note that I am a layperson who has had cataract surgery in both eyes,
but with little knowledge other than my own experience.
When I was in optometry school, in 1965 or so (berkeley), I had the
opportunity to scrub for and observe a cataract surgery in San
Francisco. I almost passed out when the surgeon did the retrobulbar
injection and made a big cut from about 3:00 to 9:00. I hung in there,
however, and watched him shell the entire lens out, capsule and all, and
throw it into a large jar of human crystalline lenses, probably with
formaldeyhide. I'd say there were several thousand of them in there. I
have no idea what he did with that collection.
