A cataract is the opacification of the lens, a sort of lens that is located inside the eye, is a frequent disease that affects more than half of people aged over 65 years. Your doctor may recommend the operation to allow you to see better and the decision to undergo intervention for the cataract to be agreed to him.
In this short article will help you understand what is and what the cataract surgery that can cure.
Anatomy
Our eyes are very sophisticated optical instruments that collect light and focus in the back, allowing us to see. The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that allows the entry of light.
Then the light hits the iris, the colored part of the eye, while the opening at the center of the iris called the pupil. The iris is able to vary the number of lights entering the eye, because it can change the diameter of the pupil.
After passing through the pupil, the light passes through a crystal clear lens that just like the lens of a camera lens focuses light in the back of the eye. Between the lens and the back of the eye light rays pass through a transparent substance called the vitreous humor.
The back of the eye called the retina, which converts light signals into electrical signals, electrical signals are then transmitted to the brain by the optic nerve, where will the translation of the image we see.
CAUSE
The lens is composed of water and protein molecules, when we age it can happen that the molecules addensino in parts: some parts of the lens begins to become cloudy, preventing light rays partially reaching the retina and not allowing a correct view. The opacity of the lens is called cataract. Cataracts, usually, is related to age, but can also occur after birth or in the earliest years of life, or in response to an eye injury.
Although diabetes and smoking may predispose patients to cataract. Moreover, the possibility of getting cataracts are greater if you have prior personal or family from this disease.
Symptoms
In the early stages cataract may not show obvious symptoms, but with progressive opacification of the lens begins to see less and your vision is blurred.
Between the symptoms of cataracts include:
• blurred vision,
• the difficulty in night vision
• You can see the halos around sources of light and colors blurred,
• You can see double.
With the progressive opacification of the lens, the sight deteriorates gradually.
Diagnosis
The ophthalmologist will investigate thoroughly your previous health problems and will consider carefully the eye to understand what is the cause of the obscuring of sight if of diagnosis of cataract therapy depends on the degree of blurred vision and discomfort that the disease causes in your daily life.
In cases of mild cataract glasses may be a temporary aid, with the passage of time, however, the lens can become so opaque as to prevent light from reaching the retina. The view cans be compromised so much that it is no longer perceive sharp images. In cases like these, we recommend surgery.
If you decide to work for your cataract eye exams will make you do some quotes for the best choice of lens to be applied.
Surgery
The intervention for the cataract is a very safe and with high hopes of success, the operation usually lasts less than an hour and causes almost no pain or discomfort.
For patients suffering from cataracts in both eyes, the doctor will replace both the crystals in the same speech: the second eye will be operated only after full recovery of the first.
The intervention for cataract usually runs in the day, that is, the patient should be hospitalized, but it is necessary for someone to drive you back home after surgery, because you will not be in a position to drive.
The operation is usually performed under local anesthesia or topical, that only the eye is asleep. If necessary, you will be asleep with general anesthesia.
After practicing a tiny incision in the cornea, the surgeon removes the lens: the cataract can be removed in two ways
1. Phacoemulsification: the doctor may insert a tiny probe into a small incision on the side of the cornea, the probe breaks up the lens and sucks debris
2. Extracapsular extraction: the surgeon may slightly longer incision on the side of the cornea and remove the entire central part of the lens (the hardest) at one time. The rest of suction removed the lens.
Often, the surgeon replaces the clouded lens with an intraocular lens or IOL. This is a permanent artificial lens that requires no maintenance. Patients did not feel nor see it.
The cornea, finally, is repaired using sutures or a different technique. Items may be removed later, or dissolve on their own.
After surgery the eye is bandaged and the patient can return home after staying for a short period of time in a room after surgery.
After surgery
Follow your doctor's instructions is essential to heal completely and quickly, for the complete healing of the eye may take up to six weeks, but depends on the patient's age and his health.
For several days after the cataract operation may have to take eye drops or tablets to speed up the healing, drugs should be taken following the prescription.
In addition you should also protect the eye by using sunglasses during the day and a mask during the night.
We suggest you contact your doctor if you have symptoms such as:
1. Increased pain
2. Decreased vision,
3. Increased swelling and redness.
After surgery, patients should not take too much effort, for example should not lift more than 10 pounds at a time, should also avoid squeezing or rubbing the eye.
The use of shampoos containing soap or other products in the areas around the eye may cause irritation and is not recommended, unless your doctor specifically permits it. After healing, you know longer need to follow these limitations.
Patients may need to wear new glasses after the operation.
Risks and complications
The intervention for the cataract is a very safe, with excellent chances of success.
E 'can always run into complications which, if known by the patient, can be quickly identified by placing a remedy in a short time.
• You can take, risks related to the use of anesthesia, your anesthesiologist will tell them there in detail.
• Other risks are related to surgery itself, such as infections. Infections may occur during after surgery for cataracts. Infections may cause injury or impair the view and to treat them you can use antibiotics.
• It is possible that the eye becomes inflamed and bleed, and this may cause a decrease in sight.
• Sometimes, depending on the conditions of the eye, can be useful not introduced immediately IOL lens when you remove the lens. A second operation may be necessary to introduce the IOL after removing the cataract.
• The capsule is used to hold the lens. During surgery for cataract, it is left in its place, so it can hold the lens IOL. Sometimes, the posterior capsule opacification can: here the surgeon can make a small incision inside using the laser. This step takes only a few minutes and is not painful.
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