CATARACT SERVICES

There is a painless gradual decrease in vision. Early cataract is associated with difficulty in reading in normal light conditions, and extra illumination is required. Excessive glare and reduced sharpness can make night driving difficult. Some experience rapid changes in the number / power of glasses. In advanced cases there is complete loss of sight and lens becomes pearly white in colour. If you experience any of the following issues, schedule an appointment with your eye doctor immediately:

• Cloudy or blurry vision
• Double vision (diplopia)
• Fading of colours
• Seeing halos around lights
• An increased sensitivity to glare
• A distortion of vision that makes objects appear as if you’re looking at them through a veil.

There is a painless progressive reduction of vision. Initially some help is achieved by changing the spectacle number, but in advance cases the spectacles also prove to be ineffective. Cataracts are the world’s leading cause of blindness, accounting for approximately 42 percent of all cases of blindness in all the countries, luckily its easily treatable in the present age through a simple surgery

Cataract is a long-term problem that usually starts developing around the age of 40 and intensifies by the time an individual attains the age of 50 to 60. It is also caused by eye-trauma, long-term diabetes, corticosteroid medications or radiation treatments.

Some infants are also afflicted by cataract, which is caused as a result of infections during pregnancy. The disorder can also be a symptomatic of metabolic disease affecting the body’s processing of carbohydrates, amino acids, calcium or copper among infants and young kids. If left untreated, cataracts might also lead to blindness.

There is no medication for treating cataract but surgery has long proven to be an effective treatment of the disorder. With the advancement in technology, it is now safer than ever to get your vision corrected with minimal risks to your vision.

The decision to have surgery depends on the degree to which your vision in impaired. Although some persons with cataracts find that their vision improves by using eyeglasses, magnifying lenses or stronger lighting, the only real way to cure cataracts is by surgery. If cataracts affect both eyes, each eye operation is scheduled and performed separately

The common surgical procedures are :

• Extra-capsular cataract extraction. In this procedure, the lens is either broken up using ultrasound waves (a process called phacoemulsification, or phaco), then extracted through a tiny hollow tube, or it is removed in one piece. The normal lens capsule surrounding the lens is left intact.
• Intra-capsular cataract extraction. In this technique, both the lens and the lens capsule are removed. This technique is now performed only in very rare cases.

Once the lens is removed, it may be replaced by one of three options :

• An intraocular lens (an artificial lens placed in the eye during cataract surgery);
• A contact lens; or
• Special cataract glasses with very powerful magnification.

Currently, about 99 percent or more of patients use an intraocular lens.

The lens which is placed in the eye is of a fixed power. The power of the lens for a particular eye is calculated with the help of an eye ultrasound. After surgery, routine distance activities can be carried out without glasses. For reading, glasses would be required.

You may opt to choose for lenses which provide you vision for distance and near. in such cases dependency on glasses are reduced.

It is easier and safer to operate on an immature cataract. As the cataract matures, it tends to become harder requiring more energy to do the same job. Beyond a certain limit, excess energy may cause harm to the eye.

The Blood Pressure (BP) and Blood Sugar should be in control. E.C.G and a medical check-up may be required in some cases.

Cataract surgery has now become a refractive surgery and the goal is not just to to remove the opacified cataractous lens but also to reduce dependency on glasses.

A routine Cataract surgery can only correct the spherical component of the eye leaving behind the cylinder power which has to be later corrected by additional prescription glasses. With advancements in surgical techniques and IOL (artificial lens) designs, today both spherical and cylinder components of eye can easily be corrected with highest precision

The cylinder component in Cataract Surgery can be corrected by following ways Toric Lenses with Verion Digital Axis Marking: Toric lenses are special lenses which have both cylinder and spherical component build in one lens. Since cylinder axis varies in individual eyes, the lens has to be aligned to specific axis of the individual. In such cases even a minor deviation from the original axis can cause significant disturbance in final visual outcomes.

Now with the introduction of Verion Digital Axis Marking system, these toric lenses can be aligned with outmost precision, upto 1 degree.

Toric Lenses with Manual Marking: As discussed above, the final visual outcome in a toric lens depends on how precisely it is aligned to the original cylindrical axis of eye. Since the manual markings cannot be as precise as digital markings, the manual system may give slightly inferior results compared to the digital system

Modern cataract surgery takes just a few minutes to administer and the recovery period is also minimal. In the first week after surgery, it generally is recommended that the patient keep his or her eye covered at all times, either with eyeglasses or an eye shield, to protect it from being bumped or rubbed. A small amount of pressure can easily open the incision, and protecting the eye prevents this. The patient is also asked to refrain from

• Bending with the head below the waist,
• Lifting more than 10 pounds, and
• Straining (on the toilet, for example) to the point of holding one’s breath.

A few weeks after the surgery, the patient may be prescribed glasses for near work. The artificial lenses last a lifetime and complications due to the lens are rare and are easily corrected.

Call your eye-doctor whenever you have trouble seeing clearly. If you are older than 40, schedule an eye examination with your doctor every two years, even if you have not noticed any change in your vision

What to anticipate after the operation?
You may go home with an eye pad and shield, or just a shield. The pad can be removed after the first hour. The shield should be worn at night for the first week. Your vision will normally be much better by Day 2. Sometimes there can be some blurring or misting in the eye, but this should improve over the course of the day. If you feel your vision is becoming more blurred, contact your hospital immediately.

The majority of patients with cataracts are elderly and usually retired from work. Cataracts can, however, also occur in much younger patients. Every person recovers differently and has different needs. Cataract surgery normally has a very quick recovery and the majority of individuals can normally get back to work almost immediately. Jobs that are more physically demanding and involve exposure to liquids or dust might require a more graduated return to full activities, but are best discussed with your surgeon.

Yes. These are called multifocal intra-ocular lenses or extended range sense sand give good vision without glasses for distance and reading. However in certain eye condition, a need for using a little spectacle correction may be felt for very fine work

Yes.

Today, cataract surgery is not simply about removing the cataract from eye and replacing it with an IOL (Intra Ocular Lenses). A lot depends on a near perfect IOL power calculation. The vision can therefore be customized to suit your requirement i.e. distance dominant, near dominant or intermediate. There are two ways to calculate the IOL power