When are your eyes eligible for cataract surgery?
The first symptoms of cataracts are:
- 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
Until recently, only mature cataracts were operated on, but now ophthalmologists take the position that cataract surgery is advisable even in the early stages, as long as the visual impairment is severe enough to impede our daily functioning. Specialists estimate that the maximum decrease in visual acuity at which surgery is necessary is 30-40%.
Maturecataract (cataracta matura) 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. The haze, the opacity of the lens, is complete in mature cataracts. Transperitoneal cataracts, on the other hand, are already a stage in which the lens fibers gradually liquefy, causing the lens nucleus to move downward, which can further lead to irreversible blindness.
As you can see, delaying cataract surgery is really risky!
Although the National Health Service reimburses cataract surgery, the patient is only provided with the simplest lenses that do not correct presbyopia, making it necessary for the patient to continue using reading glasses.
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.