La cataract surgery It is one of the most significant surgical activities in ophthalmology, especially due to its direct implications for the health of vision and the quality of life of people. If we lived more than a hundred years, we would all have to have surgery Cataracts, since we are facing a process basically related to aging.
Experts Área Oftalmológica Avanzada explain in this article what cataracts are and the main factors to take into account for their treatment.
Among the usual symptoms that reveal the appearance of cataracts are blurred vision and double vision. There may also be a sign of cataracts if you have photophobia or an abnormal intolerance to light. Also if it looks better on cloudy days than on sunny days, or if it becomes increasingly difficult to drive at night. Even if, due to improved vision, the need to wear glasses disappears, there may be signs of cataracts. All this happens because the cataract causes changes in the crystalline, the eye's natural lens, which can even become a "magnifying lens."
Cataract consists of the progressive loss of transparency of the lens, which allows light to be focused and produce clear and sharp images in the retina. It is caused by the accumulation of dead cells in the lens, which becomes increasingly opaque and this causes light to scatter within the eye and cannot be focused on the retina, creating diffuse images. You can suffer from cataracts for congenital reasons, due to the existence of a hereditary lesion or an embryonic aggression, or acquired, which is the most frequent reason and the main cause of vision loss among people over 50 years of age. Still, cataracts are the most common cause of blindness treatable with surgery.
Factors to consider in cataract surgery
Currently, the only treatment for cataracts is surgery, consisting of the removal and replacement of the opaque lens with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL), equally capable of focusing the light that enters the eye through the pupil towards the retina. Cataract surgery has become a frequent and routine intervention, thanks to the progress and evolution of ophthalmology, although this does not mean that it is no longer a delicate operation.
There are several techniques for cataract surgery, in the application of which the needs of the patient must be taken into account. In this sense, the use of laser is useful in cases in which, taking advantage of cataract surgery, it is necessary to treat other pathologies of the eye, such as, for example, astigmatism. Still, the laser cataract surgery it continues to be a complement to ultrasound technology, which is the most common.
In cataract surgery, it must also be taken into account that there are several models of artificial lenses, based on monofocal or multifocal optical systems, and the different versions of each of these. The variety of lenses must be interpreted, not so much because there is no single satisfactory solution, but because each person has different optical conditions and needs. Even so, ophthalmology is advancing and optical technology is providing ever more perfect lenses. The best solution will always be the one that adapts to each need and offers the desired well-being.
Finally, there are also usually doubts about the situation of operating an eye or operate both cataract eyes at the same time, in order to take advantage of the time of intervention and recovery of sight. After a cataract operation It must be taken into account that the brain must adapt to change and the improvements in vision will be progressive until completed. Therefore, the time difference between the intervention of one eye and the intervention of the other will depend on each particular case and must always be determined by the ophthalmologist.
Expert and personalized treatments in cataract surgery
To assess the different options that arise in the treatment of cataracts, it will always be convenient to have direct contact with the specialist surgeon. Only an experienced professional will be able to resolve prior doubts and carry out an adequate assessment of each patient, to decide which will be the best option, both in lenses and in surgical intervention.
En Área Oftalmológica Avanzada as cataract surgery experts, we offer a personalized treatment for each patient, choosing the type of intraocular lens according to the particular needs and the best surgical technique. In addition, good planning of the intervention is considered essential, with an assessment of the possibility of correcting the astigmatism, with cataract surgery, and the possibility of choosing the type of anesthesia, always according to the characteristics of each person.
