What is cataract?
Cataract
('safed motia') is a clouding or opacity of the normally transparent
lens inside the eye. To understand why this leads to loss of vision, it
is important to understand the functioning of a
normal eye.
Inside the eye, behind the colored part of the eye (iris) with the
black hole in the center (pupil) is a lens. In the normal eye the lens
is clear or transparent. It helps to focus light rays on to the tissue
at the back of the eye (retina). When cataract develops the lens becomes
cloudy and prevents the light rays passing into the retina. The picture
that the retina receives becomes dull and fuzzy. Cataract usually forms
and progresses slowly and therefore leads to a gradual blurring of
vision.
What causes cataract?
Most forms of cataract develop in adult life. The normal process of
aging causes the lens to harden and become cloudy (opaque). This is
called age-related cataract and it is the most common type. It can occur
anytime after the age of 40. In younger people they can result from an
injury, certain drugs, long-standing inflammation or illnesses such as
diabetes. Babies can be born with this condition. This is called
congenital cataract.
What are the symptoms of cataract?
What is the treatment? Can it be cured by medicines?
There are no medications, eye drops, exercises or glasses that will
cause cataracts to disappear once they have formed. Surgery is the only
way to remove a cataract. Cataracts cannot be removed with a laser, only
through a surgical incision. In cataract surgery, the cloudy lens is
removed from the eye. In most cases, the focusing power of the natural
lens is restored by replacing it with a permanent intraocular lens
implant.
When should I have the surgery?
Usually, you can decide if, and at what stage to have the operation.
The cataract may need no treatment at all if the vision is only a little
blurry. A change in your eyeglass prescription may improve vision for a
while. If visual impairment interferes with your ability to read, to
work, or to do the things you enjoy then you will probably want to
consider surgery.
In the past, eye specialists often waited until the cataract became
'ripe' before suggesting you had it removed. Nowadays, with modern
surgery the operation can be carried out at any stage of the cataract's
development, and in fact, is a little safer to do before the cataract
becomes 'ripe'.
What are the surgical options for cataract surgery, and
which one is the best?
Today there are so many options in
cataract
surgery, e.g., routine extracapsular surgery with lens implant,
phacoemulsification with a
foldable or non-foldable lens implant, with or without stitches. The
best procedure for a patient is usually the one with which his or her
ophthalmologist feels the most comfortable, since these variations of
cataract surgery are all quite effective. The patient should discuss the
options with his or her ophthalmologist and the decision should be made
on the basis of the requirements of the patient and expertise of the
ophthalmologist. At Visitech, the surgeons routinely perform
Phacoemulsification with foldable intra ocular lens implantation.
