Cataract is a disorder of the intraocular lens of the eye. As a rule, it affects the elderly, but it also occurs in children as a so-called "child". congenital cataract. If left unoperated, it leads to visual impairment or even failure to develop normal visual function in children.
Causes of cataract formation
Cataracts are caused by calcification of the lens of the eye responsible for changing the dioptric value of the eye to see clearly at different distances (accommodation).
Cataracts also occur when - due to a puncture of the eyeball (mechanical damage) - a foreign body touches the lens.
Symptoms of cataracts
Cataracts manifest themselves as various vision abnormalities that can affect a patient's quality of life. In the early stages of cataracts, there may be symptoms such as mild blurring of vision, blurring of images, difficulty reading fine details and reduced visual acuity. Patients also often experience changes in color perception, for example, they may notice that colors become muted or yellowish. As the disease progresses, symptoms may worsen and the patient may experience difficulty driving, reading, recognizing faces and performing daily activities. In addition, people with cataracts may be sensitive to light and experience halo vision around light sources.
Who is affected by cataracts?
First and foremost, it is a condition that occurs in older people, especially those over 60. years of age, due to the body's natural aging process. However, cataracts can also develop in younger people, especially if there are risk factors, such as the presence of eye diseases including diabetes, glaucoma, retinopathy, inflammation of the eye or previous eye injuries.
It should be noted that people with diabetes are particularly susceptible to cataracts, as high blood sugar levels can affect changes in the structure and translucency of the lens of the eye. In addition, prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation can also contribute to the development of cataracts, so people who work in the sun or improperly use sunscreen are at higher risk for the condition.
In some cases, there is also a genetic propensity to develop cataracts. There are some types of cataracts that can be genetic and inherited in families. Therefore, it is important for people with families burdened by this condition to regularly monitor the condition of their eyes.
Old methods of fighting cataracts
In the past, one waited until the cataract "matured," that is, when the lens hardened (calcified) to the maximum. Patients sometimes waited a long time until they were ready for surgery. Hard lenses removed from the eyeball by pulling it out with a frozen instrument (the lens stuck to it like a tongue to a frozen rod, for example), often caused damage within the intraocular capsule. Today, thanks to the phacoemulsification method, it is possible to operate on cataracts at an early stage and thus not expose the patient to - sometimes long-term - discomfort.
In the past, there were no full-fledged implants and people were condemned to wear ugly, thick and heavy eyeglasses after surgery, some for distance and others for nearsightedness. Today's implants even provide near and far vision, restoring virtually full function to a healthy eye.
Modern methods of cataract removal
Currently, the procedure to restore normal vision involves replacing the calcified lens with an implant. While a dozen years ago such a procedure was a major ophthalmic surgery, requiring a hospital stay of several days and ending not infrequently with complications, today it is a procedure that lasts several minutes and is almost always successful and the patient goes home immediately after the procedure.
Modern devices for removing the lens from the eye are called. phacoemulsifiers. The procedure involves inserting into the eye, through micro-incisions, appropriate irrigation and aspiration tips that work much like a vacuum cleaner and suck the previously broken lens out of the bag.
A modern lens is inserted into the void, restoring full vision while correcting ew. - pre-existing - visual defects. The top-of-the-line lenses, enable vision both near and far, and correct the often accompanying spherical visual defect - astigmatism. Full vision usually returns after tens of hours or a few days. This depends on the size of the mechanical interference that occurs - the swelling of the cornea of the eye.