Cataract Surgery
Content
Description
Cataract is a disease in which the lens becomes cloudy and takes on a gray color. It is a disease that most often affects people over 60 years old.
- The lens is normally translucent, clear and light passes through it easily - in cataract the lens is opaque and sight impairs.
- Cataracts appear due to age, diabetes, injuries, exposure to radiation and certain medications.
- The patient has a feeling of blurred vision, impaired perception of color saturation, or double vision.
- Treatment is by surgery, in which the damaged lens is removed and replaced with an artificial lens.
Facts
- Anesthetic drops
- Outpatient procedure
- Procedure lasts 20-30 minutes
- Correction of vision after the first day, recovery after 2-3 weeks
Before the operation a comprehensive eye examination is necessary:
- examination of visual acuity
- intraocular pressure
- examination of the anterior and posterior eye segment.
The eye has to be dilated with a special drops, therefore it is not possible to drive after the examination.
The operation is performed under local anesthesia using anesthetic drops.
- The lens is accessed through a small incision
- The lens capsule is separated
- The damaged lens core is removed using an ultrasound-guided cannula (phacoemulsification).
The surgical incision is very small and therefore the wound does not need to be sutured.
The lens is replaced by an artificial one, of which there are several types.
Today, artificial lenses are made from acrylic, with the basic type being a monofocal lens (the patient can see well at one distance - for example, only a far distance - and needs glasses for reading).
More complex (and more expensive) lenses are bifocal (the patient can see both near and far) and trifocal (the patient can see near, far and intermediate distances).
There are also special types of artificial lenses for diabetics and lenses with a protective coverage to protect the macula.
After the surgery, the eye is taped over for the first 24 hours, and the vision improves after the first day. The eye is usually treated with drops for a few days.
After the operation, blurred vision may persist, which corrects within 2 - 4 weeks. Sunglasses should be worn for the first month.
