MODEL RELEASED. Cataract surgery: phacoemulcifica- tion of lens. Surgeon performs cataract extraction on a patient's eye using phacoemulsification. This minimally invasive surgery uses ultrasound to bre- ak up the opacified lens of a cataract sufferer. The surgeon is inserting the phacoemulsification probe into the eye of a patient and watching the procedure using a binocular microscope. A second surgeon is also seen. A cataract is the loss of transparency in the lens of the eye. To restore normal vision, the defective lens must be surgically removed and replaced by an artificial lens.