“Cataract surgery- The path to Vision”
What is a Cataract Surgery??
Cataract Surgery is the process of removing the Lens which is formed cloudy and blurs the vision of the eyes. A cataract is a clouding of the lens or any opacity within the lens which leads to a decrease in vision.
In other words, the term “CATARACT” denotes any opacity of the crystalline lens whether it affects the visual acuity or not.
Symptoms of cataract:
Each person experiences different degrees and types of symptoms:
- Glare, cloudy or foggy Vision,
- Sensitivity to bright sunlight, lamps, or headlights.
- Glare (seeing a halo around lights), especially when you drive at night with oncoming headlights.
- Prescription changes in glasses, including sudden nearsightedness.
- Double vision.
- Difficulty seeing at night (poor night vision).
- Changes in the way you see color.
- Gradual loss of vision unless traumatic
- Reduced near vision
- Need for brighter light to read.
- Central lens opacities may decrease pinhole vision
- Second sight – nuclear cataracts cause changes in the refractive index of the lens so that they become more myopic and one may not need reading glasses
- Normally when one age one becomes more presbyopic, i.e. near-sighted requiring more plus lens
How do Cataracts Develop?
When protein substances build up in the lens, Cataracts are formed. Those build-up substances in the lens will block full light transmission, which causes the vision to cloudy or impaired.
Three common types of cataracts are defined by their location in the lens which is senile (age-related). The types are:
- Nuclear cataract
- A cortical cataract, and
- Posterior subcapsular.
The impairment of vision may depend on the size, density, and location of the lens. It is possible that more than one type can be present in one eye.
Common Risk Factors:
- Age
- Medical conditions such as diabetes
- Traumatic injury to the eye
- Medications like corticosteroids or diuretics
- Radiation and ultraviolet light
- Exposure to toxic substances and pollution
- High alcohol consumption
- Smoking or exposure to cigarette smoke.
How Can I Reduce Risk?
- Schedule regular appointments with an eye doctor
- Quit smoking
- Eat lots of fruits and vegetables
- Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight
- Wear sunglasses to limit your exposure to harmful UV rays.
Do cataract surgery improve vision?
After the age of fifty, some people or even more are likely to hear from doctors who say that you have cataracts.
A cataract cannot be corrected with glasses, contact lenses, or corneal refractive surgery like LASIK surgery. Surgical treatment is the only definitive treatment to remove a cataract.
Once the cataract is started to cause some problems in daily activities, it is time to focus on removing it. Having a cataract is not only the major reason to do cataract surgery; it may cause some major impacts on your normal daily activities.
After having the complete replacement lens/cataract surgery, there is no longer anything interfering with light transmission to the retina. So you could have a clear vision and improved contrast sensitivity.
Conclusion:
- Modern cataracts surgeries help restore the lost vision to cataracts; it often reduces the use of eyeglasses.
- Modern cataract surgery is one of the safest and most effective surgical procedures performed today.
- More than a million cataract surgeries are performed nowadays in India; the vast majority of these procedures produce excellent visual outcomes.
