Wed 26 Sep 2007
Cataract surgery is the removal of the lens of the eye (also called “crystalline”) that has developed an opacification, which is referred to as a cataract. Metabolic changes of the crystalline lens fibers over the time lead to the development of the cataract and loss of transparency. Following surgical removal of the natural lens, an artificial intraocular lens implant is inserted (eye surgeons say that the lens is “implanted”). Cataract surgery is generally performed by an ophthalmologist (eye surgeon) at an ambulatory (rather than inpatient) setting, in a surgical center or hospital, using local anesthesia (either topical, peribulbar, or retrobulbar). Well over 90% of operations are successful in restoring useful vision, with a low complication rate. Day care, high volume, minimally invasive , small incision, phacoemulsification (Cataract surgery) with quick post-op recovery has become the standard of care in cataract surgery all over the world.
The most common condition related to aging is cataract. More than quarter of all Indians aged 65 and older have a cataract. A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens. When the lens becomes cloudy, the light is blocked and scattered, and therefore the image that appears is blurred. As a cataract develops, it becomes harder for a person to see. The lens is that part of the eye which helps to focus light on the retina. The retina is the eye’s sensitive layer that sends visual signals to the brain. To produce a sharp image, the lens must remain clear. Cataract surgery successfully restores vision in an overwhelming majority of cases. Find out what cataract surgery involves, including what to expect afterward and rare complications. During cataract surgery, an eye doctor (ophthalmologist) removes the clouded lens from your eye and, generally, replaces the lens with an artificial lens. Cataract surgery is very successful in restoring vision — more than 95 percent of people who have a cataract removed have no complications and enjoy improved vision. If vision is still quite good, you may not need cataract surgery for many years, if ever. In younger people or people with diabetes, however, cataracts may progress rapidly, making the need for surgery more immediate. An older person who isn’t very active may have less need for sharp vision than does a younger person who needs to drive a car and earn a living. Some people with only minor vision loss from a cataract might want surgery because of problems with glare or double vision. Sometimes a cataract should be removed even if it doesn’t cause major problems with vision — for example, if it’s interfering with the treatment of another eye problem, such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy or retinal detachment. If you have cataracts in both eyes and decide to have surgery, your ophthalmologist typically schedules two separate surgeries. This allows time for the first eye to heal before the second eye surgery takes place.
