Cataracts, or clouding of the lens, cause severe vision limitations or, when ignored, complete loss of vision. It attacks people of all ages - in Poland, the cataract affected almost 800,000. people! Cataract surgery is the rescue.
Fortunately, it can be cured by surgical removal of the natural, cloudylensand implantation of an artificial intraocular lens. Recently, patients can undergo a procedure that not only treatscataract , but also correctsastigmatism .
Cataract can lead to blindness
According to the research conducted by CBOS, as many as 71% of Poles are most afraid of disease and incapacity (71%), and half of them fear the loss of independence. Considering that the sense of sight is the basis of proper functioning, its loss is the greatest threat. Meanwhile, the statistics are inexorable. Almost every fifty Pole suffers from cataracts! Cataracts can lead to complete blindness. Patients initially experience only visual discomfort resulting from slight blurring of the image, reduced contrast and deterioration in color vision. This makes many people downplay the problem. With time, however, cataracts progress, causing a loss of the ability to recognize shapes and, as a result, the patient can only see very bright light or lose his eyesight completely. For such a person it means full dependence on others.
ImportantAstigmatism - common, troublesome …
And in the case of elderly people also dangerous. This is a visual impairment due to the unevenness of the outer layer of the cornea. In the affected eye, the rays hitting the retina are focused at various points, which makes the patient's vision blurred and distorted. To understand how it works, you can imagine an elderly person with astigmatism trying to cross the road. Visual disturbances cause that, even though he tries to walk straight in reality, he unconsciously deviates from the chosen direction. In such a situation, it is easy to get involved in an accident. Astigmatism can also make driving a lot more difficult.
Safe ways to remove cataracts
Fortunately, cataracts can be treated - it requires surgical intervention, but very little invasive. Surgical techniques currently used during procedures ensure the effectiveness of treatment while maintaining safety. - Ways to remove cataracts are increasingsafer and less burdensome for the patient. They can be carried out even under drip anesthesia - says Dr. Justyna Izdebska, specialist in eye diseases from the Department of Ophthalmology II, WL Medical University in Warsaw. During this procedure, the natural lens is removed and an "artificial" lens is implanted.
A novelty in cataract surgery is the use of AcrySofToric lenses, which enable simultaneous removal of astigmatism. Until now, astigmatism could only be corrected by incisions in the cornea (the so-called radial keratotomy), or by using an excimer laser (Lasik, Lasek, PRK). Currently used toric lens implants allow for simultaneous cataract removal and astigmatism correction, without the need for additional eye surgery.
You have a cataract and are waiting for surgery? Insist on testing to rule out the onset of macular degeneration. Because replacing the lens with an artificial one can rapidly accelerate the development of AMD and even lead to blindness.
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Make sure you do not have AMD before surgery for cataract
Latest lens
AcrySofToric is a one-piece, acrylic, foldable lens implanted during cataract surgery. It replaces the natural cloudy lens. It is flexible, thanks to which it adjusts to its natural size in the eye. The lens material is biocompatible with the natural tissues of the eye. This ensures adherence to the anterior and posterior lens capsule and thus prevents the lens from rotating after implantation. A special yellow dye is integrated into the material of the AcrySofToric lens, which provides filtering properties for blue light (especially dangerous for the eye) and UV light. They correspond to the natural human lens at about 30 years of age.