This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Read more.
Heather Baldwin
Sapphire
What is PCO or a secondary cataract?
Transcript
In about 10 to 20% of patients following a cataract operation they might develop something called posterior capsular opacification, sometimes known as PCO.
This is also sometimes known as a secondary cataract because that's what it might feel like to the patient as their vision is going to go blurry again.
In some cases it's picked up routinely at an optician's visit and the patient hasn't noticed that the vision has gone down.
It's formed by a clouding of the posterior capsule.
That's the back wall of the pouch that the artificial lens is sitting in after the cataract has been removed.
If you're affected by this condition it's easily treated by a minor procedure known as a YAG laser posterior capsulotomy.