Cataract is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. It may occur congenitally (seen at birth) or may be acquired especially at old age. The main feature of the condition is cloudiness of the eye resulting in a reduction in visual acuity. Among newborns, its presence is associated with chemical or physical trauma of the fetus. There are a number of important things on cataract surgery San Antonio residents need to know if suffering from the condition.
There are several conditions that may mimic cataract making it vital for one to be thoroughly examined by an eye specialist before the diagnosis can be ascertained. The entire eye is examined for the presence of infections and other inflammatory conditions such as glaucoma. Once these have been ruled out, the client has to be evaluated for their suitability as a candidate for surgery.
A candidate that meets the set criteria is first taken through the preparation process. This entails both psychological counseling and physical preparation. The most commonly used (and effective) surgical technique is what is known as phacoemulsification. To minimize discomfort as surgery is taking place, local anesthesia is used. What this means is that one remains awake as the process takes place.
Once the anesthesia takes effect, an incision is made on the anterior part of the eyeball (the cornea) just in front of the lens. The incision is used for the removal of the lens and replacement with a new one. On most occasions, the lens is found hardened by disease and has to be broken down using an ultrasound probe into smaller pieces.
Depending on how advanced the condition is, the lens may be removed in its entirety or it may be cleaned and returned to its position. If replacement is to be done, an artificial intraocular lens is used. Artificial lenses are made of materials such as plastic, silicone and acrylic. They placement requires that prescription glasses be prescribed as well because they have no ability to undergo accommodation changes.
There are very few risks associated with this kind of operation. In general 98% of the surgeries are uneventful. Possible short term complications include excessive bleeding, swelling of the eye and infections. Complications are likely to affect eyes that had pre-existing problems. It is for this reason that through screening should be done before one undergoes surgery. Antibiotics and steroid eye drops should also be given routinely to all persons undergoing the operations.
The surgery itself is straightforward. On average, one hour or less is needed to complete one operation. For patients in whom both of their eyes have been affected by the condition. Two operations are usually conducted within a few weeks. This provides time for the first eye to heal. You will notice marked improvement as soon as you leave the operating room and even more improvement will set in a several weeks.
The condition has been shown to recur in a small group of patients. This is primarily due to a condition termed posterior capsule opacification, PCO. During the recurrence, only the posterior part of the lens is affected. Another surgical procedure known as capsulotomy is required in such cases to restore normalcy. It is simpler than the initial surgical operation and lasts about five minutes.
There are several conditions that may mimic cataract making it vital for one to be thoroughly examined by an eye specialist before the diagnosis can be ascertained. The entire eye is examined for the presence of infections and other inflammatory conditions such as glaucoma. Once these have been ruled out, the client has to be evaluated for their suitability as a candidate for surgery.
A candidate that meets the set criteria is first taken through the preparation process. This entails both psychological counseling and physical preparation. The most commonly used (and effective) surgical technique is what is known as phacoemulsification. To minimize discomfort as surgery is taking place, local anesthesia is used. What this means is that one remains awake as the process takes place.
Once the anesthesia takes effect, an incision is made on the anterior part of the eyeball (the cornea) just in front of the lens. The incision is used for the removal of the lens and replacement with a new one. On most occasions, the lens is found hardened by disease and has to be broken down using an ultrasound probe into smaller pieces.
Depending on how advanced the condition is, the lens may be removed in its entirety or it may be cleaned and returned to its position. If replacement is to be done, an artificial intraocular lens is used. Artificial lenses are made of materials such as plastic, silicone and acrylic. They placement requires that prescription glasses be prescribed as well because they have no ability to undergo accommodation changes.
There are very few risks associated with this kind of operation. In general 98% of the surgeries are uneventful. Possible short term complications include excessive bleeding, swelling of the eye and infections. Complications are likely to affect eyes that had pre-existing problems. It is for this reason that through screening should be done before one undergoes surgery. Antibiotics and steroid eye drops should also be given routinely to all persons undergoing the operations.
The surgery itself is straightforward. On average, one hour or less is needed to complete one operation. For patients in whom both of their eyes have been affected by the condition. Two operations are usually conducted within a few weeks. This provides time for the first eye to heal. You will notice marked improvement as soon as you leave the operating room and even more improvement will set in a several weeks.
The condition has been shown to recur in a small group of patients. This is primarily due to a condition termed posterior capsule opacification, PCO. During the recurrence, only the posterior part of the lens is affected. Another surgical procedure known as capsulotomy is required in such cases to restore normalcy. It is simpler than the initial surgical operation and lasts about five minutes.
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