Let’s be clear: cataract is a degenerative disease that we can’t stop or cure pharmacologically. However, we can perform an ophthalmologic procedure that is quick, safe and effective, which will restore our vision. Cataracts do not need to be feared – you need to know enough about cataracts to catch the heralding symptoms in time, go to the doctor and remove the cloudy lens once and for all. The implanted artificial lens will not become cloudy – the removed own lens will not grow back. Thus, there is no risk that the cataract will return.
…there is so much to know about cataracts
Cataracts can appear as a congenital or acquired disease. Importantly, one can get the disease regardless of age, and the so-called senile cataract, or degenerative cataract(Latin: cataracta acquisita), is only one of its forms – it is the one that is spoken and written about most often.
Whether cataracts appear as a congenital disease and are diagnosed in infancy, or as a result of aging and accompanying metabolic disorders (and as a complication after another eye disease or systemic illness, or as a “companion” to large visual defects), they are always associated with lens clouding that cannot be inhibited by drugs.
However, it is not necessary to wait until the lens reaches a particular level of opacity – surgery to remove the lens can be performed even in the early stages of the disease, as long as the visual impairment is severe enough to impede daily functioning. The earlier we intervene, the better. Why?
When the cataract enters the mature and then overripe stage, you can lose your vision – the lens fibers gradually liquefy, causing the nucleus of the lens to move downward, which can further lead to irreversible blindness. Equally important, as the opacity covers more and more of the lens surface, it becomes hard, thick and rigid. This degenerated structure spreads into the eye, causing intraocular pressure to rise and putting us at risk of a glaucoma attack.
But beware: if the decision to have cataract surgery is made quickly – specialists estimate that the maximum decrease in visual acuity at which cataract surgery is necessary is 30-40% – you can save your vision. That is, you can undergo surgery to replace your own lens with an implantable artificial lens, with a guarantee that the remaining structures of your eye will be preserved without the damage that a hard, thick and rigid or already liquefying lens would expose them to.
You already know that cataracts can be overcome. Find out what symptoms should get your attention.
First symptoms of cataracts
When the lens begins to cloudy, we experience symptoms such as:
- Deterioration of distance vision,
- problem with perception and color discrimination,
- Better vision on cloudy days,
- Seeing objects “as through a dirty glass.”
- Deterioration of self-care due to visual impairment.
However, trying to eliminate these symptoms by replacing glasses or contact lenses does not work. Then it is necessary to visit an ophthalmologist and diagnose for cataracts. An experienced doctor only needs to see the cloudy lens with dilated pupils. The examination of the fundus of the eye is already aimed at assessing the risks of the procedure that it brings to the retina and the quality of vision after the procedure. Because it won’t be done without the procedure. Read more about the first symptoms of cataracts you can read on our blog.
Defeat cataracts with modern procedures to remove the opaque native lens and implant an artificial lens
The method of removing cataracts using an ultrasonic tip and implanting an artificial intraocular lens is called cataract phacoemulsification. The procedure is performed under surface anesthesia (anesthetic gel or drops are applied to the conjunctival sac). In place of the removed lens, a new one is inserted – a flexible, retractable, acrylic lens that unfolds on its own in the natural lens bag and settles in the right place in the eyeball.
High-precision femtosecond laser surgery, or femtoemulsification, is a method that involves making micro-incisions (called ports) in the cornea and removing the cloudy lens through them and then inserting a new lens.
Both treatments are short (several minutes to half an hour) and painless.
STANDARD or PREMIUM lenses?
When opting for cataract removal surgery under insurance (on the National Health Service), you can either get only standard monofocal lenses, which ensure that you can see clearly at only one distance, or toric lenses, which allow you to remove cataracts and correct astigmatism at the same time (only toric monofocal lenses are reimbursed, and only people with cataracts and astigmatism equal to or exceeding two diopters can get them).
Treatment in a private facility means the possibility to choose an artificial lens from the PREMIUM group – perfectly matched to the individual needs of the patient. State-of-the-art implants (artificial lenses) from the PREMIUM group additionally allow:
- Correction of nearsightedness and hyperopia, or farsightedness,
- Astigmatism correction (toric lenses),
- Correction of presbyopia (multifocal, or multifocal lenses),
- Improved contrast vision (aspheric lenses),
- prevention of age-related macular degeneration – AMD (lenses with UV filter and blue light filter).
Beat cataracts before they beat you – Today, the procedure to remove the cloudy lens is quick, painless and almost 100% successful.
