These surgeries are not risky, are not avoidable and are not very expensive. Clear out the cloud of some wrong perceptions about Cataract. Respect the health of your eye over assumptions.
Despite the growing incidence of cataract symptoms and troubles, many people still harbour some unaddressed questions and misnomers about cataract. Let us dispel some of them today.
So what is Cataract?
According to the National Eye Institute, it is a clouding of the lens in the eye. This cloud manifests into deterioration of the quality of your vision. Apart from aging which is the most common cause of cataract, there are other factors and triggers that may lead to cataract formation. Figure 1.
Figure 1. Effect of cataract on vision.
This is all about the lens that lies behind the iris and the pupil. The work of this lens is similar to that of a camera that has to focus light onto the retina at the back of the eye. This is where an image is recorded. It is due to the adjustment on the eye’s focus that the lens makes, that we can see everything nice and clear. But this lens, which is made up of water and protein, can lose its strength with age as the protein starts to clump together. A fog besets and cataract starts to form. This is only going to worsen with time so do not assume that the cataract is not going to grow any large or worse. It can and will make it only harder for the eyes to see.
That’s one myth or excuse to avoid or defer a treatment. There are more.
Shake them off – Get clarity
Most people also form their conjectures about recovery time and experience of surgery. A typical cataract surgery usually does not take more than fifteen minutes. The recovery time, also, hardly exceeds a week or so. The preparation for cataract surgery is simple and involves a few blood tests like sugar test and viral marker screening test, an ECG if you’re above 60 or have any other cardiac risk factors. Doctors prescribe prophylactic antibiotics a day before surgery.
Another worry that people often have is that of the hassle of replacement lenses. These lenses are made to restore a person’s vision. They come with a lot of options for range and implant preferences. Although the doctor may give his recommendation in certain cases, the final choice has to be made by the patient. Also, it is important to bear in mind, that once implanted the intraocular lens can generally not be replaced. Therefore, it is important to make a wise decision, before surgery.
Also, if you are one of those that feel that a cataract treatment is a futile exercise because the condition tends to recur, then go and visit an eye-expert today. You will soon discover that after a cloudy-lens gets replaced, cataract gets fixed and does not resurface again. It is all about the faulty lens. You correct it and there is no looking back.
This is also a good time to check out other associated reasons that matter for cataract. Researches and studies have been pointing out that smoking and diabetes affect the protein of the lens as strongly as age does. Some experts have indicated that if cataract progression gets delayed by 10 years, annual cataract surgeries could come down by 45 percent. But this is possible only when risk factors like smoking, inflammation, sunlight exposure, and diabetes are controlled.
In any case, if you have cataract and it affects you day-to-day routine activities, prompt and proper treatment is what you should be looking for.
See the Dots
Always go for an expert that has credentials, infrastructure, and the experience to deal with Cataract well: like Neoretina, an NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospital and Healthcare Providers) accredited Super-Speciality Eye Hospital. The hospital offers not just state-of-the-art equipment housed at only a handful of speciality hospitals in the country, but also a select breed of eye-care experts that bring a unique breadth and depth of eye-treatment experience. The hospital is equipped with advanced, latest phacoemulsification machines that enable the best surgical experience to patients.
Trusted by thousands of patients all over the country and abroad and astounding surgical success rate in complicated eye and retinal surgeries, a place like Neoretina can give you the confidence of looking ahead with hope and clarity.
Moreover, it offers so many choices as per the patient’s comfort level.
It offers various surgical techniques for removal of the clouded lens and putting an Intraocular Lens (IOL) in the eye. The choices include:
- Micro–Incision Cataract Surgery Phacoemulsification that entails a small clear corneal incision of 2.2 mm and a stitch-less surgery
- Small Incision Sutureless cataract surgery that involves a larger scleral incision – again a stitchless surgery for complicated cataracts where phacoemulsification is not possible or risky.
- Scleral-fixated lenses where there is inadequate or absent support for an intraocular in-the-bag IOL.
This is the time to avoid making excuses and look for someone who can provide the right outcome and comfort.
Cataract is temporary so are your doubts. Go ahead. Conquer it with clarity.
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