Cataract is one of the most common eye pathologies found among the elderly. Leading to a significant decrease in vision, the disease complicates all kinds of work, limits opportunities, and can even cause irreversible blindness. By contacting an ophthalmologist in time and undergoing a course of high-quality treatment, you can restore normal vision and return to a full-fledged lifestyle.
Clouding of the lens is quite capable of causing absolute blindness, so therapy is not complete without surgery. All kinds of medicines only slow down the course of the disease.
Cataract surgery with lens replacement is one of the most popular surgical procedures in general. After all, this is the only effective method of treating progressive eye disease. During cataract surgery, the clouded lens is removed and replaced with an artificial prosthesis. Surgical therapy in almost all cases guarantees an almost complete restoration of normal vision.
Disease definition
Cataract- this is a natural clouding of the eye lens, which in the body plays the role of a natural lens. Like all other organs, it is also subject to a completely normal process of gradual aging, which leads to blurred vision. This happens in every body at an individual pace, with some medications, as well as a variety of eye injuries and smoking, can accelerate the onset of cataracts.
Most often this disease is explained by the mature age of the patient, due to which it is sometimes even called senile cataract. As a rule, people over 60 years old experience this pathology. And only occasionally does a cataract turn out to be a birth defect.
At first, the disease manifests itself as a kind of thin veil on the eyes, which gradually becomes denser. In many cases, patients experience sensitivity to light.
Sometimes it happens that for some time the patient's vision improves due to changes in the refraction of the eye. But very soon this positive change will be nullified, and all because of the progression of the pathology. If the clouding of the lens continues continuously and vision gradually deteriorates, cataract surgery is the only possible treatment. By the way, such surgery is deservedly considered one of the safest.
Symptoms of cataracts
When the disease occurs in people of mature age, clouding of the lens occurs extremely slowly and can be detected very slowly. But certain symptoms should alert everyone: surrounding objects seemslightly faded or not clear enough, colors fade, everything around looks distorted and as if covered with a veil.
Cataract patients become sensitive to light. Often the first sign of a cataract is a feeling of blinding from the sun or from the headlights of cars moving towards.
Among other things, this pathology can change the refraction of the lens, since the clouded lens refracts the incoming rays in a completely different way. That is why some patients suddenly notice that their visual acuity improves, they rejoice at the absence of the need to wear glasses. This phenomenon also complicates the timely diagnosis of the disease.
Diagnosis of cataracts
At the stage when the pathology progresses, it is very easy to detect it, because it is clearly visible even to the naked eye: the lens visually becomes cloudy, whitish. But even for those who are faced with the original form of cataracts, ophthalmologists have a lot of devices for recognizing the disease.
If the pathology has not yet progressed much, then the oculist can make a diagnosis by examining the eyes with a slit lamp, which plays the role of a kind of microscope. The special direction of the rays of this device makes it possible to carry out an optical incision through the organ. So the specialist can accurately assess the location and extent of pathological changes in various eye tissues.
Preparation for surgery
If it wasit is decided to perform an operation to remove the cataract, the patient will need to undergo several preliminary studies of the organ, during which each corner of the eye is examined. Using ultrasound, a specialist can accurately determine the need for implantation of a particular type of lens.
The doctor then checks the person's general he alth and sees what medications the patient is taking, in case it becomes necessary to temporarily stop taking the medication immediately before cataract surgery. This usually applies to blood thinners.
How cataract surgery is done
The clouded lens can only be removed through surgery. During cataract eye surgery, the damaged lens is taken out and replaced with a transparent artificial prosthesis, the characteristics of which are calculated in advance.
Ophthalmology today is considered one of the most advanced sciences, so this intervention is quite safe. The time of the operation depends on how much the pathology interferes with the patient. Usually it is carried out on an outpatient basis, so that the patient can return home in just a couple of hours.
If the pathological condition has spread to both eyes, then the operation is done first on one of the damaged organs. The optometrist together with the patient decides when the second procedure will be carried out.
How long does cataract surgery take? In fact, the procedure is carried out very quickly -in just half an hour. In this case, specialists use local anesthesia. After the operation, the patient may well be allowed to go home immediately.
As for the types of surgery, doctors can use:
- laser phacoemulsification;
- extracapsular;
- ultrasonic;
- intracapsular extraction.
All these methods differ by the method of replacing the lens. Most often, various complications after cataract surgery occur after the use of intracapsular and extracapsular extraction. But these techniques also have some advantages.
When a patient is referred for surgery
Indications for surgical intervention can be medical and vocational. As for the first option, here we can say that the operation will save all the functions of the body. Required if available:
- secondary glaucoma;
- damage to the lens;
- overripe cataract;
- anomalous lens shapes.
Regarding professional and domestic indicators, the operation may be required for people who are faced with:
- insufficient visual acuity needed to perform everyday tasks;
- narrowing of the field of vision, interfering with the usual activities;
- binocular low vision.
Usually such testimony is found among pilots, drivers, operators and representativesother professions for which clear vision is very important.
In general, the operation is prescribed without taking into account the stage of the cataract. After all, only after cardinal therapy the patient will be able to return to normal life.
Contraindications
Of course, as in the case of any other medical manipulations, if certain factors are detected, surgery is prohibited. It is noteworthy that in this case it does not matter at all which technique was planned to be used.
Contraindications include:
- Infectious-inflammatory pathologies: for example, pathological processes in the iris, conjunctiva and membrane of the eye. In such a situation, the patient should first be treated with antibacterial drugs. Only after proper therapy, the question of the operation can be resumed.
- Decompensated glaucoma. With such a diagnosis, an operation is out of the question. Otherwise, vision may be completely lost. The operation can be performed only after the intraocular pressure has stabilized.
- Decompensated somatic pathologies. This category includes a heart attack, a stroke that occurred during the last six months, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, malignant tumors.
- Pregnancy and lactation. Cataract removal is accompanied by the use of painkillers, sedatives and antibacterial drugs. That is why experts recommend that expectant and new mothers temporarily postpone surgery.
Contraindications may also affect the age of the patient. For example, patients under the age of 18 are subjected to the most thorough examinations.
Features of the operation
This procedure always consists of two main stages: first, the surgeon removes the damaged lens, leaving only its capsule, and then installs an artificial lens, which is called intraocular. Today, among all operations to remove an obsolete organ, phacoemulsification is considered universal, which is used by specialists from world-famous clinics.
What is this procedure? Phacoemulsification is an absolutely safe and painless intervention that does not require an overly large incision and usually does not leave postoperative sutures behind. It is due to this operation that a huge number of people have gained a chance to regain full-fledged vision, no longer dependent on glasses and contact lenses.
The essence of the procedure
There is a specific scheme of steps that specialists follow when replacing a damaged lens. How is cataract surgery performed? It consists of several stages:
- First, the surgeon makes a self-sealing incision and emulsifies the clouded lens through it.
- Remains of the lens are removed by suction.
- Then, an elastic artificial lens is placed in the organ, which straightens itself, taking the necessary shape.
The whole procedure is performed under local anesthesia in a hospital. The operation to remove a cataract lasts no longer than an hour, much depends on the individual characteristics of the eye and the neglect of the pathology.
The operation has a lot of advantages:
- well tolerated by patients of all ages;
- is completely painless;
- no need to adhere to serious restrictions during the rehabilitation period;
- after it does not leave seams;
- only safe materials and high quality fixtures are used in the process.
All these advantages over outdated methods of surgical intervention make it possible to perform the operation in the shortest possible time with minimal complications.
Description of artificial lenses
The use of an intraocular lens allows you to achieve maximum comfort and safety for the patient. These lenses are made from an inert plastic that is non-rejectable.
This material is soft in texture, making it easy to fold and insert into the lens cavity through a micro-incision.
The lens is inserted into the place of the eliminated lens, and then straightens itself, taking its original shape, fixed.
Risks and possible complications
As with any other surgical intervention, there is a possibility of some complications during phacoemulsification. Operationfor cataract removal is the least traumatic, but there are still some minor risks:
- Despite the fact that the risk of infection during the operation is very small, it still exists. And to prevent infectious complications, patients are prescribed drops containing antibiotics after the procedure.
- It is extremely rare to encounter hemorrhages. But it may well occur after a traumatic intervention with suturing.
- The body can react with corneal edema to the introduction of various devices into the eye cavity. Usually this phenomenon goes away on its own, but to speed up the process, the doctor may prescribe special drops.
- Another rare complication is an increase in intraocular pressure. Most often occurs in patients suffering from myopia. This side effect usually goes away on its own, but based on complaints, the doctor may prescribe drops.
Post-operative period
Usually, eye rehabilitation after cataract surgery is very fast. But this question largely depends on the qualifications of the surgeon and the patient himself.
Some time after the manipulations, the patient should be under the supervision of an ophthalmologist. According to reviews of cataract surgery, the operated person can safely go home just an hour after the intervention. It is necessary to re-appear in the clinic in a day, and then several more times within two weeks.
After changing the lens, a soft bandage is applied to the patient to prevent various contaminants from entering the eye. You can only take it off after a few days. Instead of a bandage, you can arm yourself with special glasses.
At first, it is advisable to refuse to go outside without special need. After all, the micro-incision will finally heal only after a week.
As for the reviews about cataract surgery, they are all extremely positive. As a rule, patients are satisfied with the quality of vision, the speed of manipulations and their well-being. Operated people reported that they felt improvements almost immediately after the operation.
