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Cataracts are the progressive clouding of the eye lens. In 90% of cases, it is a result of the aging of the body, although it can also be a congenital defect. We have good news for people who have cataracts. Modern medicine can restore visual acuity and free the sick from glasses. How is cataract treated?

Cataract( cataract ) is an attacking disease mainly after the age of 60, but it also happens to younger ones - then the most common causes are eye injuries, work in harmful conditions, eye contact with chemicals, eye inflammation, chronic diseases (e.g. diabetes) and taking certain medications. Cataracts cannot be prevented, but that does not mean that we will all get sick. The disease is different for almost everyone - sometimes it takes several months, sometimes many years. As a result, vision deteriorates (it can attack both lenses at the same time). Cataracts are easy to recognize. At the beginning, the doctor puts on more corrective lenses and asks us to read specific rows of numbers and letters. If, after many attempts, it is not possible to choose the lenses in which we can see sharply, she must take a close look at the lens.

Cataract - causes

The lens resembles a disk - it is convex on both sides. Thanks to this structure, it can focus light rays exactly on the retina, and it depends on whether we can see sharply. When we are young, the lens is transparent and flexible, so we can see perfectly well both far and close. But after forty, it loses its flexibility, and in order to read something, we have to move the printing away from our eyes. Then the glasses solve the problem.

However, if the cause of the deterioration in vision is a cataract, the glasses do not help. And when the lens is completely cloudy, we can only tell day from night, light from shadow. Fortunately, artificial lenses can even deal with such cases.

Cataract - symptoms

  • the image becomes blurry and the blurry vision is not eliminated by stronger and stronger glass
  • light colors appear darker
  • you see better at dusk and overcast sky; in bright daylight you have the so-called glare
  • sometimes it is impossible to see at night or in a dark room
Important

How much does the implantation of an artificial lens cost?

Artificial lens implantation (ordinary,improving distant vision) is reimbursed by the National He alth Fund. It is performed in hospitals with ophthalmic departments or on an outpatient basis.

In private clinics and ophthalmological offices, one eye surgery costs about PLN 2.5-6 thousand. zloty. Modern lenses are very expensive (one eye - about PLN 3600), and the National He alth Fund does not refund such treatments.

Cataract - indications for surgery

Many people believe that a cataract is some kind of coating that covers the eyeball. If she took it off, her vision would return to normal. Unfortunately, this is not the case. To improve the quality of vision, you need to remove the cloudy lens and implant an artificial one.

Demand research that will rule out the onset of macular degeneration - replacing your lens with an artificial one can rapidly accelerate the development of AMD and even lead to blindness.

It is best to get rid of cataracts as soon as possible. In the past people waited with the operation until the cataract "matured", that is, it becomes completely cloudy. Now the procedure is performed at every stage of the disease. It is simple, effective, and causes rare complications. It can be performed in everyone: children several weeks old (when the cataract is congenital) and 100-year-olds.

If the ophthalmologist finds a cataract, do not delay the procedure. It can transform into an overripe cataract, the untreated complications of which may lead to irreversible loss of vision.

Cataract - operation methods

There are two methods of cataract removal: intracapsular and extracapsular. The first is a historical method, which consists in removing the cloudy lens together with the bag in which it is located. The removed lens is replaced by eyeglass lenses, usually very strong, about +10 diopters. Currently, the standard is to replace the cloudy lens with an artificial lens, not only with glasses.

Today, the most common method is the extracapsular - you leave the bag and insert an artificial lens into it. Here it is possible to use the most modern technique: phacoemulsification (using a liquid or ultrasound to break a cloudy lens and then remove it), an OZiL head (which enables the removal of even very hard cataracts) or the so-called micro-cuts (1.5 mm cut, which allows for quick healing of the wound).

Artificial lenses are very well tolerated by the patient's body, complications occur exceptionally, e.g. the back wall of the bag becomes cloudy, which is cut with a special laser.

Modern lenses are equipped with UV filters, they also have better parameters allowing for good vision. However, after the surgery, we will need glasses - but one pair: for distance or for reading.

The selection is madebefore the operation, when the doctor calculates the power of the artificial lens. The exception is the use of a pseudo-accomodative or accommodative lens - in this case the glasses will not be needed.

Eye care after cataract surgery

Right after the surgery you can move around normally, shake your head without fear that the lens will fall out. For several days, however, you must not touch or wet the eye, so as not to infect it.

The appearance of pain, redness of the eye, swelling, and troublesome photophobia should prompt the patient to see an ophthalmologist to check the cause of such symptoms.

The patient reports for the next visit after 3 weeks and for the next one - after 6 weeks, when you can choose the right glasses, if needed.

You should put eye drops with an antibiotic into the operated eye.

Usually, the drops are given every 2 hours for the first 3 days, and 4 times a day the next week. If the patient has previously taken anti-glaucoma drops or artificial tears, they should be used according to the schedule agreed with the doctor.

After the procedure (for about a month), intensive physical exercise and work that requires lifting is not recommended. It is also inadvisable to ride a bike or motorbike, run or play volleyball. You can walk, bend down, and carry items up to 3-4 kg.

  • Cataract: how to treat it? Cataract surgery
  • Cataract - which lenses to choose? Types of lenses for cataracts

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Eye diseases and vision disorders