What is a cataract?
A cataract is the most common disease affecting the elderly. It occurs in 70% of people older than 75 years. It is a natural consequence of the aging process and eventually leads to the blurring of the eye lens. This means that the lens has become cloudy and vision seems like looking through frosted glass.
In some cases, the initial cataract vision can be improved by glasses since the swelling of the lenses causes miopisation (minus diopter) in the eye, but with time and progression of the blurring of the lens the glasses can no longer be useful, and the only treatment option left is cataract surgery.
What is cataract surgery?
Cataract surgery is one of the safest and most frequently performed surgical procedures in the world.
In a cataract operation, the surgeon will remove the cloudy lens and put a clear, artificial lens in its place.
Do you need cataract surgery?
Decisions on undergoing Cataract surgery should be individual and should be made based on how the problem affects your quality of life.
Cataract surgery can help with:
- seeing things in focus – reading
- looking into the bright light with less glare – while driving, watching TV, working at a computer
- telling the difference between colors
- Prevention of blindness – cataracts usually get worse
- Prevention of injuries – improving vision can help prevent falls in older age.
If both eyes are affected – surgery can be done on both eyes at the same time, but you might be advised to postpone one side for 6 or more weeks.
How is it performed?
Surgical removal of the cloudy lenses is called Phacoemulsification. Phacoemulsification with the implantation of an intraocular lens is the gold standard in cataract surgery.
It is painless and takes 10-15 minutes:
- Applying eye drop anesthetic,
- A small cut 2-3mm is made in the clear, thin-film (called the cornea) that covers your eye,
- A device with a 1.8 to 2.75 mm ultrasound probe and a needle on top passes through an incision to remove a cloudy lens (cataract). This tool gives off high-energy ultrasound waves which break down the lens into small pieces. These pieces are then sucked out through the center of the needle,
- An artificial intraocular lens is placed instead of an old, natural lens into the eye.
Thanks to the minimal cut, the wound heals quickly and doesn’t require stitches, but you might have to wear a pad over your eye for the first day or so, to protect your eye
Cataract surgery does not carry any risk to human health and can also be performed on the elderly and ill patients, without complications.
Different types of lens
Several types of lens can be inserted to replace a lens with a cataract. They might not all be available where you are, or some of them might involve extra cost.
Monofocal lenses are probably the most commonly used type. These are simple lenses that work well. But they don’t change focus the way that a younger person’s real lens does. This type of lens is made for either close or distance vision, but not both. This means a patient having this type of lens for distance vision will have to wear glasses for close vision (or vice versa, depending on the patient’s wishes).
If the patient before surgery had astigmatism (diopter error of the eye, which is a result of incorrect curvature of the cornea), this patient will have to wear glasses both for distant and close vision with cylindrical glasses lenses.
By incorporating toric lenses during surgery in patients with astigmatism good distance vision will be achieved while reading glasses will still be necessary.
Monofocal lenses may be aspherical and spherical. Aspherical lenses corrected the so-called spherical aberrations and give patients sharper vision in low light conditions, particularly during the night driving, and are suitable for physically very active patients.
Accommodating lenses are designed to be flexible so that they can change focus, like the eye’s natural lens.
Most Multifocal lenses are bifocals meaning they are designed to focus on both close and distance vision. These lenses provide good distance vision and good near vision, but somewhat weaker vision at medium range distances (80-100 cm).
The latest generation of multifocal lenses is three focal lenses that provide the patients with good distance and near vision and a good vision at middle distances, which is especially important for the patients who use the computer a lot. With the help of these lenses, patients can without the need to wear glasses read newspapers and books, shave or do make-up, look at their devices, work on the computer, watch TV, drive a car, play sports, and perform all the other daily activities.
Whatever type of lens you choose, you might have to wear glasses some of the time.
What are the surgery complications?
As with all operations, complications with cataract surgery can happen too. Most are mild and can be treated, but serious problems do happen.
For example, some people have a much worse vision or none after the operation. This happens in about 1 in every 1000 people.
Here is the list of possible complications during and after surgery. Keep in mind they are rare!
During the operation:
- Heavy bleeding during the operation – can cause vision damage
- The capsule that supports the lens inside the eye can tear or break during the operation – will worsen vision comparing to before
- A piece of the lens with the cataract can break off and become lost in the eye – another operation will be needed to remove the lost piece of the lens
Early post-operation:
- Infection inside the eye – endophthalmitis will require antibiotics ASAP
- Swelling of the cornea (the film that covers the front of your eye) – usually gets better by itself, but some people need an operation to have a new cornea implanted
- Glaucoma or increased pressure in the eye – will require treatment with eye drops
- Inflammation (swelling) of the front part of the eye – uveitis – gets better by itself, but some may need eye drops
- Swelling of the retina (the light-sensitive tissue at the back of your eye) – the sight will become cloudy a couple of weeks after the operation, usually goes away by itself, but it can sometimes cause some sight loss.
Late post-operation:
- Cloudy lens capsule – reduces vision – fairly common and can be treated with a minor operation using a laser beam
- Detached retina (retina comes away from the back of your eyeball or is torn) – is rare but very serious if not treated, and an operation is needed to fix it.
What can you expect after the procedure?
You will be able to go home soon after the operation. If you’ve had a sedative you’ll need someone to stay with you for 24 hours.
Uncomfortable and itchy sensations might be present for a couple of days and sensitivity to bright light. Reading or watching TV should be immediately possible, but your vision may be blurry at first.
You will be given eye drops for several days or weeks to prevent infection and reduce any swelling.
On your follow-up appointment soon after the operation doctor will check for any problems and will give you advice about returning to daily activities – like driving.
Keep in mind to check the rules and laws where you live about how well you need to see to drive.
The Cost of Cataract surgery?
The cost of Cataract Surgery is determined by the cost of the lens itself and all equipment and supplies needed during and after the treatment including medication and anesthesia. It is also determined by the expertise of the doctor, location, and quality of the hospital. Packages may be well defined, but usually exclude complications and treatment of other conditions that might be present.
The Cost of Cataract Surgery in Dubai starts at around 12000 AED. This is the price for one eye and the mono-focal lens. For advanced lenses, the price goes up to 16000 AED or more depending on the facility and doctor.
Feel free to get in touch – discuss your medical problem, we would be more than glad to help you on your journey to a better and healthier You.
Health Oasis can provide you with correct information, and offers from different hospitals and clinics as well as making sure you have all necessary information before you make a final choicer.
Check our LIST of partners. We have well established communications, and protocols to ensure everything goes smoothly for you.
Photos used are from pixabay profiles: newarta, ID14320892, Free-Photos, ulleo, evgeniT and iamsushant.
