Is it necessary to wait for the cataract to mature?
Under no circumstances should you wait until cataract passes into the mature stage(cataracta matura). This is a view that has been disqualified once and for all by modern medicine. Why?
First, because a mature cataract is a condition in which the cloudy lens is already thick and rigid enough to cause an increase in intraocular pressure and lead to closure of the corneal-ocular angle, which can result in glaucoma.
Secondly, because the removal of such a hard thick and rigid lens is not easy and is not indifferent to the entire eyeball: the old methods of removing the cloudy lens (which in the process of removal adhered to the tool and was simply torn out of the structures of the eye) often caused damage within the intraocular capsule. Such an invasive method of removing the cloudy lens did not result in a full-fledged implant, because in the past there simply were no such implants. So the patient was condemned not only to eye/eye pain after the procedure, but also to wear thick and heavy spectacle lenses, one for distance and the other for nearsightedness.
By waiting for the cataract to mature, it was also possible to miss the opportune moment for surgery (or simply not to shoot the surgery schedule…) and arrive at the moment when the cataract has already passed into the overripe stage, in which the lens fibers gradually liquefy, causing the lens nucleus to move downward, which can further lead to irreversible blindness.
Today, cataract removal surgery is quick, painless and almost 100% successful. No one waits until the cataract has matured – specialists estimate that the maximum decrease in visual acuity at which surgery is necessary is 30-40%. That is, the earlier the better. Surgery is advisable even in the early stages, as long as the visual impairment is severe enough to impede daily functioning. To diagnose cataracts, an experienced doctor only needs to see the cloudy lens with dilated pupils.
Modern methods of cataract removal
Cataract phacoemulsification – a method of removing cataracts using an ultrasonic tip and implanting an artificial intraocular lens. The procedure is performed under surface anesthesia applied as a gel or drops into 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. The incision is minimal (1.5 to 3 mm).
High-precision femtosecond laser surgery – 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. The treatment takes 10-15 minutes.
Once the cloudy lens is removed, the patient faces implantation of an artificial lens.
When opting for cataract surgery under the National Health Service, we can only get a standard monofocal lens. A reimbursed monofocal lens means for the patient that he will be able to see clearly either up close or far away – for example, he will be able to drive a car without glasses, but will already need them for reading.
When deciding to undergo surgery in a private facility, in addition to the absolute medical indications, the individual needs of the patient are always taken into account in the calculation of the implantable lens when planning cataract surgery, who can choose from a whole suit of PREMIUM lenses, for which he can count on very good visual acuity for distance, near (35-40 cm) and intermediate distance (60-90 cm). For cataract treatment, bet on PREMIUM lenses – get rid of your distance glasses as reading glasses!
All types of PREMIUM lenses can be equipped with UV filters and/or a blue light filter (blue light filter) – then they eliminate the harmful part of the light beam, protect on the retinal pigment epithelium and reduce the risk of developing macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of irreversible blindness in patients over 60. year of age.
It is important to remember that During cataract surgery not only short- or farsightedness, but also astigmatism and presbyopia can be corrected at the same time.
