Glossary Unfortunately, ophthalmology sometimes involves a lot of big words, and you may hear a term you don’t know now and then— or you may hear multiple terms used to describe the same thing. Hopefully, this short glossary will help clear up any confusion. These are some of the most common buzzwords you’ll hear when talking about cataract surgery. Acuity: How sharp your vision is. Astigmatism: A condition in which the front of your eye (the cornea) is not perfectly round. The shape of your cornea can affect the way light focuses in the back of your eye. People with astigmatism may report seeing double vision. CATALYS Precision Laser System: The brand of laser we use to perform laser-assisted cataract surgery. It’s a type of femtosecond laser. You might also hear “femtosecond” shortened to “femto.” Cataract: A natural lens that has become yellowed, clouded, and hardened due to age. The goal of cataract surgery is to replace the cataract with a clean artificial lens to recover vision. Cornea: The clear, dome-shaped window of the front of your eye. It focuses light into your eye. Extended depth of focus intraocular lens: A type of multifocal lens. Your surgeon will discuss multifocal lens options at your cataract consultation. Femtosecond laser: The laser we use to perform laser-assisted cataract surgery. It’s called a femtosecond laser because the length of time the laser pulses is a femtosecond, which is a millionth of a billionth of a second. The type of femtosecond laser we use is called the CATALYS Precision Laser System. You
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