Cataract is an opacity or clouding of the normally crystalline lens of the eye, usually caused by the natural aging process, metabolic diseases, eye injury or even by the prolonged use of some drugs. It transforms the crystalline, which is very important to help us focus objects which are both far and near ourselves, into a cloudy lens that makes it difficult or impossible for the light to reach the retina. Cataract is the most important cause of the low quality of vision in older people. It is a morbidity agent that makes everyday home and office tasks difficult, causes accidents and, not rarely, affects people psychologically.
As it happens in all areas of medicine, cataract surgery has gained a lot from the evolution of knowledge and technology. Brazil is a country of advanced medicine, and Brazilian ophthalmologists are able to offer their patients a secure surgery which is executed in few minutes and only requires local anesthesia. It’s becoming a very popular procedure, which can be done even in small medical centers around the country. It only requires a small incision for the penetration of the ultrasound tip that removes the cataract. After this removal, a small intraocular lens is implanted: it will serve as a definite and permanent substitute for the eye’s natural lens, which had become cloudy.
Visual rehabilitation after cataract surgery
The main objective of cataract surgery is the visual rehabilitation of the patient. It is possible to free the patient of glasses, because nearsightedness can frequently be corrected, and farsightedness can always be corrected. The quality of the intraocular lens is very important, not only for the visual rehabilitation, but also for the functional recovery of the patient. These lenses can be rigid (requiring, therefore, a larger incision) or flexible (they can be folded). Most of them are spherical, allowing spherical aberrations to happen. Aspherical lenses have been available since April 2005 - they provide a much better quality of vision.
The majority of the lenses used in Brazil are monofocal and spherical, forcing the patient to use glasses to correct nearsightedness. Multifocal lenses provide good quality for both near and farsighted vision. Patients with macular degeneration, who are sensible to ultraviolet light, can also benefit from lenses with special filters. It is the surgeon’s job to consider the type of cataract, the eye’s healthiness and the patient’s visual needs, and only then to recommend the lens that will bring greater chances of visual rehabilitation and functional recovery.
Personalized Cataract Surgery – a new concept
Eyeglasses can be periodically changed, but intraocular lenses become part of the person’s organism. Until recently, our attention was drawn exclusively to the visual acuity. Nowadays, we also consider the patient’s functional recovery, a much broader concept which also includes visual recovery, quality of vision and the person’s visual needs. Despite the fact that, as we said earlier, cataract surgery has great results, these can be a lot better if we personalize the choice of the lens in each surgical intervention, considering, for example, the patient’s needs at work or during his leisure hours.intra-ocular blood pressure.
After personalized surgery with the use of multifocal, aspherical lenses it is possible to:
Correct visual distortions caused by refraction defects, myopia or hyperopia, freeing the patient from eyeglasses. Patients with significant astigmatism may require aditional correction.
Cataract surgery gives the doctor the opportunity to correct refraction defects, freeing the patient from glasses for farsightedness and eventually for nearsightedness. Improve quality of vision. It becomes 31% better during the day and 53% better at night, according to the Contrast Sensitivity Test. The aspherical lenses simulate the vision of a young person, contrary to the conventional lenses, which simulate the vision of an older person. Better quality of vision is directly linked to better quality of life. Better quality of vision greatly reduces the chance of accidents, especially in traffic. Patients who are operated with this new technique are able to visualize an object half a second earlier that patients operated with the regular technique, while driving at 88km/hour. This ½ second might be enough to avoid or minimize an accident, saving lives. The most important reason of hospitalization in older people are falls caused by deficient vision. This new technique improves in 53% the vision in low light conditions, lowering the chance of accidents at home. Visual recovery strongly determines each patient’s quality of life. The careful planning and execution of the surgery, along with the correct choice of intraocular lens, provides better and faster recovery.
We believe that every effort made by both the doctor and the patient, to ensure a better recovery will be rewarded by the better quality of vision gained after the surgery.
If you need more information on this new technique, for your own professional use, to benefit your patients, or to recommend us to a colleague, we offer weekly seminars. In these seminars we use high definition 3D films to make complex concepts easily understandable, explaining these concepts and their advantages. We can also offer lectures in other locations, such as schools and hospitals.
Diagnosis and Treatment in the Hospital
de Olhos de Minas Gerais
Innumerable patients have already benefited from
the available treatment and can, today, relish in
the comfort of a vision with quality. If interested
in setting an appointment – contact us: +55
(31) 3289.2030 or secretaria@holhos.com.br.
Correct visual distortions caused by refraction defects, myopia or hyperopia, freeing the patient from eyeglasses. Patients with significant astigmatism may require aditional correction.
Cataract surgery gives the doctor the opportunity to correct refraction defects, freeing the patient from glasses for farsightedness and eventually for nearsightedness.