CATARACT
Q1. What is cataract?
Q2: What is the cause of developing cataract?
Q3: What happens as a person develops cataract?
Q4: What is the treatment of cataract?
Q5: My doctor has diagnosed me as having early cataract? How fast does the cataract progress?
Q6: How is cataract surgery performed? Is it painful?
Q7: What is the advantage of having cataract surgery done? Is it possible to get a glass power after the surgery?
Q8: Is the cataract surgery a permanent solution or can I develop cataract again?
Q9: Is YAG capsulotomy a painful procedure?
Q10: Is there a medicine or drop available to clear the cataract ?
Q11: Can cataract be prevented from occurring by putting some drops or having some tablets or capsules?
Q12: Why a few patients who use the drops that claim prevention of cataract do not develop cataract?
Q13: who can have cataract ?
Q14: Can you predict who will develop cataract before it develops?
Q15: who has more chances of developing cataract?
Q16: Can cataract develop in young age?
Q17: HOW FREQUENT SHOULD AN EYE CHECKUP BE DONE IN A CATARACT PATIENT?
Q18: WHEN SHOULD BE THE CATARACT OPERATED?
Q19: CAN CATARACT BE OPERATED AT ANY STAGE?
Q20: IS IT SAFE TO GET CATARACT SURGERY DONE IN AN IMMATURE CATARACT?
Q21: MOST PEOPLE WAIT FOR THE CATARACT TO MATURE. WHY?
Q22: WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGE OF AN EARLY OR IMMATURE CATARACT SURGERY?
Q23: WHAT IS LOSS OF CONTRAST OF VISION?
Q24: WILL REMOVAL OF EARLY CATARACT RESTORE CONTRAST & BRIGHTNESS OF COLOURS?
CATARACT
Q1. What is cataract?
A: Cataract not a disease but is a progressive, usually age related, opacification or loss of transparency of the lens of the eye. This loss of transparency of the lens restricts the light to pass through the eye and reach the retina leading to disturbed vision. As the condition progresses, eyesight becomes more blurred & it becomes difficult to identify the face of a person or even read a news paper, colors perception becomes dull(loss in contrast) and driving at night is a problem.
Q2: What is the cause of developing cataract?
A: The most common cause of cataract is age. As with age one develops wrinkles in the skin similarly with age one develops cataract inside the eye. These changes in side the lens occur due to denaturation of proteins, leading to deposit of pigments inside the lens and cataract formation. Although many hypothesis, such as damage of lens by ultraviolet light, toxins, radiation, have been placed but no one knows why this denaturation process occurs. Others minor causes include trauma, diabetes mellitus, use of steroids, genetics etc.
Q3: What happens as a person develops cataract?
A: Initially as the cataract starts developing inside the eye the person feel’s disturbance in normal vision. This may be in the form of Cloudy or blurry vision, reduced night vision with increase in glare from the vehicle’s headlight, seeing halo’s around light. As the cataract progresses the patient may find it difficult to read fine prints of paper, the glass power may increase in few months, it may be difficult to identify the faces of people from distance and finally a loss of vision.
Q4: What is the treatment of cataract?
A: People with early cataract can be managed easily with glasses and they can continue with their routine activities with the new glass. Other’s who have visually significant cataract, which hampers their normal routine activity; require surgical treatment of cataract which involves removal of opaque lens with an implantation of a Posterior Chamber Intra Ocular Lens. (PCIOL).
Q5: My doctor has diagnosed me as having early cataract? How fast does the cataract progress?
A: The rate of progression of a cataract is different in each individual. Usually an age related cataract progresses at a slower pace in a person who is systematically healthy. In such a case four to five monthly evaluation of the eye by a trained doctor may be good enough. People with diabetes mellitus, renal problem’s, smokers, genetic predisposed are more prone to get faster progression of cataract. In such cases two monthly evaluations by an eye doctor may be required.
Q6: How is cataract surgery performed? Is it painful?
A: At our hospital we perform cataract surgery with Advanced Phacoemulsification using 1.8mm incision to perform the whole procedure. This is performed under anesthesia is so it is totally painless. As a routine the patient comes to the hospital few hours before the surgery, the surgical time is usually 20 to 30 minutes in total, and after the surgery an eye patch is kept in the eye for two to three hours. The eye patch is removed on the same day after 3 hours and patient is given a protective glass to wear. He is allowed to watch Television from 6 hours after the surgery. Thus, the comfort level, due to our Advanced Phacoemulsification technique of cataract extraction, is immense and the patient is treated on a day care basis.
Q7: What is the advantage of having cataract surgery done? Is it possible to get a glass power after the surgery?
A; The main advantage of an uneventful cataract surgery is that the patient regains his clear and flawless vision soon after the surgery, leading to his increased confidence in the work that he/she does. The patient can drive his vehicle even in the night with an increased level of comfort; read all from distance and near and enjoy his life at it fullest. At our center, depending upon the choice of the lens that the patient has opted for, the patient may not require glasses at all, OR he/she may be required to use glasses for clear distance OR near vision. We normally advocate the patient to opt for intraocular lens suitable for the life style they plan to live after the surgery. This could be a MONOFOCAL LENS which can enable the patient to see clearly distant objects without glass and he/she may require a glass for reading or else the patient can opt for MULTIFOCAL LENS thus enabling him with a clear distant and near vision without the need for a glass.
Q8: Is the cataract surgery a permanent solution or can I develop cataract again?
A: Cataract once removed from the eye cannot develop again inside the artificially implanted lens (PCIOL). But, in some cases, after removal of the lens, a person can develop an AFTER CATARACT, also called as Posterior Capsular Opacification (PCO). This is a cloudiness that develops on the posterior capsule of the lens. At our center, this condition doesn’t require any surgery and can be managed on an OPD basis with the help of a small Laser Treatment. (YAG-Capsulotomy).
Q9: Is YAG capsulotomy a painful procedure?
A: YAG capsulotomy is done by a laser technique and it is totally painless, no injections or needles are used. The eyelid is kept in position and with the help of laser the cloudy capsule is removed.
Q10: Is there a medicine or drop available to clear the cataract ?
A: At the moment there are no medicine or drops that can stop or reverse a cataract
Q11: Can cataract be prevented from occurring by putting some drops or having some tablets or capsules
A: There is no drop or any tablet or capsule that can prevent cataract, yes a few drops ( Cinneria or drops containing Pottasium Iodide) claim to reduce cataract & prevent it from happening, they are not effective & most of the people who use it eventually develop cataract and have to undergo cataract surgery.
Q12: Why a few patients who use the drops that claim prevention of cataract do not develop cataract?
A: Not every person develops cataract, if a person is not genetically destined to develop cataract, he or she will not develop it, irrespective of putting drops. So the drops have no effect.
Q13: who can have cataract ?
A: Majority do not have cataract, it’s inly a very small percentage of people who develop cataract and its exact cause is unknown but some people are genetically destined to develop cataract.
Q14: Can you predict who will develop cataract before it develops?
A: No one can predict that who will develop cataract.
Q15: who has more chances of developing cataract ?
A: a person who has a family history of cataract (means that his or her parents or grandparents had cataract) also it’s more common in diabetics, people who have certain eye diseases like uveitis.
Q16: Can cataract develop in young age?
A: There are many varieties of cataract, age related cataracts usually start around 50 years of age, sub capsular cataracts may start around 38-40 years of age. Diabetes and fluctuations in blood sugar levels hasten the progress of cataract
Q17: HOW FREQUENT SHOULD AN EYE CHECKUP BE DONE IN A CATARACT PATIENT?
A: Usually every 4-6 months, but if you are having difficulty in vision then you need to see your eye specialist earlier than 4 months.
Q18: WHEN SHOULD BE THE CATARACT OPERATED?
A: The day you feel you can’t do your daily routine due to cataract.
Q19: CAN CATARACT BE OPERATED AT ANY STAGE?
A: Yes cataract can be operated at any stage.
Q20: IS IT SAFE TO GET CATARACT SURGERY DONE IN AN IMMATURE CATARACT?
A: Yes it is absolutely safe to get the cataract surgery done in immature cataract,with the latest micro incision phacoemulsification technique even very immature cataracts can be successfully removed .
Q21: MOST PEOPLE WAIT FOR THE CATARACT TO MATURE. WHY?
A: The older techniques of manual removal of cataract required the cataract to mature, but with latest microphacoemulsification technique you can remove any stage of cataract.
Q22: WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGE OF AN EARLY OR IMMATURE CATARACT SURGERY?
A: The patient gets back his/her full vision & the contrast of vision improves too. The newer technique is painless and restores quality vision within hours of surgery, thus you don’t have to live with compromised vision because of early cataract.
Q23: WHAT IS LOSS OF CONTRAST OF VISION?
A: Due to early cataract the colours are seen dull, there seems to be less light in a well lit room, also the fine print of a tv screen are blurred, you can only guess whats written or what is the exact colour, thus we advocate removal of an early cataract.
Q24: WILL REMOVAL OF EARLY CATARACT RESTORE CONTRAST & BRIGHTNESS OF COLOURS?
A: Yes definitely.