OPERATION CATARACT - INFORMATION FOR PATIENTS
WHAT IS "CATARACT” ?
Cataract refers to the clouding of the clear lens in the eye. Sometimes, the deterioration is visible from the outside when the pupil does not appear black, but gray. Cataract can have various causes. The most common cause is the slowing metabolism with age. In this case, we speak of the senile cataract. This usually occurs after 60 years of age. It is as if you are looking through a thin veil, which become more dense with time. At the same time, the sensitivity to glare increases, which arises from the fact that the light is increasingly scattered by the cataract.
HOW IS cataract TREATED?
Unfortunately, to date there is still no drug that has been proven to remove cataract. As soon as the initial slight clouding of the lens is compressed, surgery is the only treatment that usually guarantees success. The procedure is generally painless. In today’s age, it is one of the most common operations. Each year over 650.000 patients undergo cataract surgery in Germany .
WHEN SHOULD THE cataract BE SURGICALLY REMOVED?
The time of surgery should be determined in consultation with your eye doctor. As long as you can still maintain your daily visual tasks, there is no need to hurry. For drivers, different standards other than the subjective feeling "I actually can still see very good" must be applied. For specific job requirements, your eye doctor may recommend an operation earlier, even if you can still read the "normal writing”.
ARE COMPLICATIONS PART OF THE PROCEDURE?
Complications associated with cataract surgery are very rare. However, no medical procedure is risk free. Even the success of his treatment can not be guaranteed by any doctor.
HOW IS THE OPERATION PREPARED?
First, your eye doctor completes a thorough examination of your general health. The findings are important in the event that special precautions have to be taken during the operation. With a few exceptions, medications do not need to be discontinued before surgery. However, you should report the type of medication you are taken to the operating ophthalmologist before surgery. As part of the examination, your eye will be measured with ultrasound or light. From the measurement data, the lens power is calculated.
WHAT IS THE STEP-BY-STEP PROCEDURE OF THE SURGERY?
The surgery is usually performed under local anesthesia, which means that the eye is made insensitive to pain by an injection under the eye and by administering special eye drops. You may feel that someone is operating on the eye. Only in rare cases, general anesthesia is necessary.
First step of the operation
The doctor makes an incision of approximately 3 mm in the area between the cornea and iris.
Second step of the operation
Through the opening, an instrument is inserted into the capsular bag, which crushes the cloudy lens and, at the same time, vacuums the lens out completely.
Third step of the operation
The artificial lens is inserted in a folded state into the capsular bag and unfolds there. It now replaces the optical function of the natural lens.
Fourth step of the operation
The incision in the eye must rarely be sewn because it heals by itself.
WHEN DOES VISION IMPROVE?
Already the day after the implantation, you will notice a significant improvement in vision. The final visual acuity sets usually within three to six days after the operation. The optical parameters of your optical lens are accurately calculated before surgery. However, you may need glasses for close-ups. To support the healing process and avoid complications, you should carefully follow all instructions from your eye doctor. Take the prescribed medications accordingly and be sure not to miss your follow-up appointments.
HOW IS THE EYE STRUCTURED?
The eye is shaped like a hollow ball. On the outward side of the wall of the eye, there is a clear window, the cornea, which is protected by the lids. The ball is spanned by the iris, which divides the eye into a smaller front section and an approximately 5 times larger rear section. In the middle of the iris is an opening, the pupil.
The area in front of the pupil is called anterior chamber, the area behind the iris, the vitreous cavity. This cavity is filled with a colorless, transparent, gel-like mass - the vitreous. Behind the pupil, on the front surface of the vitreous, the lens is suspended inside the eye at a muscular bulge by fine fibers. The vitreous cavity is completely lined by the retina.
The eye is like a camera, whereby the cornea and the lens take on the part of the objective, and the retina takes on the part of the film. The light, passing through the cornea and lens, is focused onto the retina and, there, creates a picture, which is transmitted as an electrical signal via the optic nerve to the brain.
WHAT DOES AN ARTIFICIAL LENS LOOK LIKE?
The artificial lens is made of a special plastic and is only slightly heavier than the fluid in the eye chamber. Its optically effective part usually has a diameter of 5 to 7 mm. At the edge of the lens, there are two fine elastic straps, which ensure a secure fit in the eye.