(HealthNewsDigest.com) – A diagnosis of cataracts isn’t something anyone wants to hear, but it’s a fact that more and more people are experiencing, especially as they get older. Cataracts are an eye condition where cloudy patches affect the lens of the eyes so that your vision changes from being clear to misty or blurred.
Mild cataracts can be treated with stronger minus lens prescription or brighter work spaces. But, eventually, as the condition worsens, surgery may be warranted. There are three types of surgery though, and a multitude of lenses that can help you. Which path should you go down?
Phacoemulsification
Phacoemulsification is a very common way to deal with cataracts. The surgery is simple, requires only minimal sedation, and no eye patch or stitches are needed afterwards. Numbing eyedrops or an injection is used. Post-op, the patient leaves the office and can resume normal activities within a week or two, but should follow up with the doctor to make sure there are no adverse side-effects.
Extracapsular Surgery
This procedure is used for advanced cataracts where the lens has become so dense that it cannot be dissolved with the phacoemulsification process. The technique requires a surgeon to make a larger incision so that the cataracts can be removed in a single piece, as opposed to multiple pieces.
An artificial lens is then placed in the same capsular bag as with the phacoemulsification process. Unlike the emulsification procedure, sutures are needed to close up the wound, an eye patch is often necessary, and visual recovery is much slower.
Intracapsular Surgery
The intracapsular surgery is a technique that requires an even larger cut, resulting in an even larger wound, than the extracapsular technique. This is where the surgeon removes the entire lens of the eye, and the surrounding capsule together. The technique requires that the doctor move the intraocular lens to in a different location in front of the iris. It’s not used often today, because of the complexity and risk of the surgery. However, it can still be used in cases of significant trauma. Usually, cataracts are caught before this type of surgery is necessary.
Intraocular Lenses
When cataract surgery is performed, the patient’s lens is physically removed. This requires that a new lens be put in its place. This is where intra-ocular lenses come into play. Intraocular lenses, or IOLs, have been used since the 1960s, but the first ones approved by the FDA didn’t appear until 1981. In the beginning, only surgeons made the choice for the implants, often keeping the patient in the dark about what was being done.
Today, care is patient-driven. They use resources like the Laser Eye Surgery Hub to find doctors willing to perform laser-based therapies for vision correction, open Google or Bing to find doctors who will perform the type of cataract surgery they want, and special search engine portals to locate doctors that will let them choose the type of lens that is implanted during the surgery.
Most people do all their research online before they even talk to a doctor. They usually find one of three lenses suits their needs.
Premium Lenses
One of the most common types of lenses on the market. They are monofocal lenses, which means they offer vision at one distance only. While they are better than a cataract-ridden lens, they are not accommodative, and thus you will need glasses to read, use a computer, or see any objects at an arm’s length. Usually, the type of lens used is one that gives excellent distant vision.
Toric Lenses
Toric lenses are designed to correct an astigmatism. While they are also considered premium lenses, they are single-focused in purpose. You pay a lot more for these types of lenses because of that. In 1998, the Staar Surgical Intraocular lens was the first toric lens approved for use in the U.S. But, these lenses eventually made their way to the UK, and all over the world.
Most surgeons who are trying to treat astigmatism post-cataract surgery will use astigmatic keratotomy, which involves making incisions into the cornea to help correct the incorrect shape.
Monovision
Monovision lenses produce the effect of one eye (usually your dominant eye) controlling total binocular vision. In other words, a lens implant in one eye will have a fixed focal point. When you look with both eyes, you will tend to “see through one eye.” It can be disorienting if you’re not used to monovision.
Some patients describe a decrease in depth perception because of this, while others do not.
Aspheric Lenses
Aspheric lenses are spherical, which means the front surface of the lens is uniformly curved. Aspheric lenses are advertised as a way to help increase contrast, the ability to see well in rain, snow, fog, and twilight as well as nighttime darkness.
Alexis Miller is an optician’s assistant. Alex likes to stay on top of current eye care treatments and breakthroughs. His articles are mainly found on eye care and lifestyle websites.
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