Clearing the Fog Of Cataracts…

Are there times you notice your vision is hazy… and you worry it could be cataract?

How cataract is affecting the quality of life….

 

❖     Inability to perform daily activities independently like reading, watching TV, cooking, dressing and even walking.

❖     Cannot detect ground level hazards like steps, kerbs and pavement cracks. Hence more likely to fall and sustain injuries like hip fractures etc. Again increasing chances of hospitalization.

❖     Reduced participation in social activities.

❖     Sense of isolation and loneliness.

❖     Depression and persistent sadness

❖     Loss of confidence that they will ever start their daily activities on their own.

 

Impaired vision is a scary thing. It can mean more accidents, trouble with everyday tasks, and even the loss of your precious independence.

And, yes, cataract surgery is an option. It’s got a great success rate and few complications...

 

What is Cataract ?

A cataract is clouding or opacity of the lens inside the eye. It is useful to learn about how the eye works in order to understand what a cataract is. Inside the eye, behind the coloured part (the iris) with a black hole in the middle (the pupil), is the lens.

In a normal eye, this lens is clear. It helps focus light rays onto the back of the eye (the retina), which sends messages to the brain allowing us to see. When a cataract develops, the lens becomes cloudy and prevents the light rays from passing through.

 

What are the symptoms of cataract ?

 Cataracts usually form slowly over years causing a gradual blurring of vision, which eventually is not correctable with glasses. In some people the vision can deteriorate relatively quickly. Developing a cataract can also cause glare, difficulty with night-time driving and multiple images in one eye which can affect the quality of the vision.

 

Is there a link between diabetes and cataracts?

Yes. Cataracts are more common in people who have certain diseases such as diabetes.

 

Can children have a cataract?

Yes, but this is rare.

 

What causes Cataracts ?

     Most cataracts are senile but can occur at any age. They can also be congenital or caused by steroid intake, injury, diabetes or eye inflammations. There is no prevention or medical cure for cataract. The only definitive treatment is cataract surgery.

For your surprise some early cataracts may never progress and may require no treatment if they are not causing any problem in the vision.

 

Should Cataract surgery be delayed and done only when it matures or ripens ?

Best time to get the surgery done is when you start having early visual problems.  There is no point in delaying the surgery too much as the ultrasonic system works faster and is safer on softer cataracts than the hard or mature ones.  People commonly ask us if their cataract is ‘ripe’ or ‘ready’. With modern surgical techniques, we can perform surgery at any stage when the cataract is affecting your daily life.

 

Cataracts happen to almost everyone, but cataract surgery has been established as one of the safest, most common, and most effective procedures performed today.

 

Cataract Surgery:

Phacoemulsification technique

This surgical procedure is done under local anesthesia and the incision is so small that it heals by itself.

 

Advantages of Phaco operation for Cataract:

 

●       Self sealing, micro-incision (2.2 mm)

●       Non-invasive and painless

●       Shorter overall duration of surgery

●       Less postoperative discomfort

●       Early rehabilitation

●       Perfect early restoration of vision

●       Wound healing is far better since the entire surgery is done through a very small opening.

What happens if cataract is left untreated?

Left untreated, the cataract progresses. Your lens becomes increasingly opaque. The rate at which cataracts develop varies from person to person, but the end result is always the same: once the lens is completely clouded, the result is blindness.

Furthermore, more advanced cataracts are more difficult to remove: the surgery takes longer and the risk of complications rise, so it’s important not to wait too long for surgery.

 

Risks of complicated cataracts:

Can the cataract return?

No, but you can develop a thickening or clouding of the posterior capsule membrane behind your new lens implant in the months or years following your surgery, which occurs in approximately one in 10 cataract surgery patients. This is called posterior capsular opacification and causes blurring of vision. This can be treated in an outpatient visit with a laser procedure.

Does the material of the lens last a lifetime?

Ophthalmology now has over 50 years of experience in the materials used to make the lenses. A modern intraocular lens lasts a lifetime.

 Your Vision, Your choice !!

 Your vision is essential for seeing your biggest & brightest life. And you do have intraocular lens options beyond the basic cataract removal.

 

This is what most patients felt after undergoing cataract operation:

 

The Intraocular lens options available for cataract at Vatsal Eye Care are:

 

●        Monofocal IOL - Pros :

1.       Good vision for distance without glasses.

2.       The Aspheric monofocal lens gives you better contrast especially in dim light conditions, and less glare and halos.

3.       Con: You will have to wear glasses for near work (reading and computers).

●        Toric IOL – 

1.       For correcting significant cylindrical power.

2.       Sharp Distance vision without glasses.

3.       Con: You will have to wear glasses for near work (reading and computers).

●        Multifocal IOL – 

1.       Good vision for distance and near without glasses.

2.       Con: Problem of glare and halos at night for some people. 

3.       For very fine print a reading aid may still be needed

 Multifocal lenses are usually only used if they can be implanted into both eyes and are best for people who don’t have any other eye disease.

●        Extended Depth Of Focus IOL Pro :

1.       Good vision for distance and computer vision without glasses.

2.       Lower chance of glare and halos at night

3.       Con: For near vision a reading aid may be needed

●        Trifocal IOL: Pro:

1.       Latest Multifocal IOL’s

2.       Good vision for distance, computer vision and near without glasses.

3.       Lower chance of glare and halos at night

4.       Better light transmission

5.       Con: For very fine print a reading aid may be needed.

Advantages of TriFocal Lens: Near, Intermediate as well as Distant vision

Advantages of good quality IOLs :

★      Enhances your vision with clear, complete focus.

★      See effortlessly without blurry zones.

★      Discover brighter vivid colours.

★      Reduce your need to wear glasses.

 

How will you decide which is the best lens option for you?

In medicine, like life, there is no single best answer. At Vatsal Eye Care, we will discuss with you the potential benefits of each of these lenses, and help you select the one best suited for your lifestyle and visual needs, as well as your expectations from the cataract surgery.

Lifestyle and priorities: If you’re unsure about which lenses to choose, it may help to keep a note of everything you do during the day, including the number of times you need to change your glasses. This should give you an idea of the activities that are problematic for you, so when you meet with our Consultant, you’ll have lots of useful information to help guide your decision.

You could ask yourself these questions…

●       Do you often use smartphones, tablets or computers?

●       Do you prefer to see both near and far and reduce the need for glasses?

●       Do you frequently drive at night?

●       Do you have moderate to advanced astigmatism?

●       Do you have a very active lifestyle that involves a lot of precise focusing outdoors (then you might want a clear distance vision).

●       If you travel a lot, you might prefer to not be dependent on glasses at all, preceding a bit of precision for both near and distance vision.

●       On the other hand, if you enjoy sewing or embroidery, you will want perfect near vision.

Whichever lens you choose, cataract eye surgery combined with lens replacement can be life changing. The operation is quick and painless. And the results are almost immediate.

About Dr Pritam Dedhia:  

Dr Pritam Dedhia is a famous Cataract, Lasik, Vitreoretinal Surgeon and the Director of Vatsal Eye Care & Laser Centre. He is trained from world famous institutions like Aravind Eye Hospital (Madurai), B.J. Medical College   (Ahmedabad) and worked as Consultant at Sadguru Netra Chikitsalaya (Chitrakoot). With more than 15 years of experience in the field of ophthalmology, he has treated lots of Complex cataracts, Retinal cases and has restored the vision of more than 10000 patients. His expertise lies in treating Complicated retinal detachments, Paediatric Retinal detachments, Macular hole, ARMD, Retinopathy of prematurity and Complicated Diabetic Retinopathy.

ABOUT VATSAL EYE CARE: 

Vatsal Eye Care & Laser Centre is constantly rated as the Best eye hospital in Vasai – Virar with state of art technology, highest quality and compassionate staff providing excellent eye care treatment across all specialties. They have mastery in handling difficult ophthalmology cases like Cataracts, Retina, Uvea, Macula, Glaucoma as well as Refractive surgeries like LASIK/ PRK/ RELEXSMILE.

To Know about our patient’s experience of cataract surgery click the following link: http://vatsaleyecare.com/testimonials/

Hospital appointment no (Whatssap): +918451813423

ADDRESSES : i. Vasai  Station

B-2, Panchal Nagar, Near KT Vision cinema, Navghar, Station road, Vasai West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 401202, India. 

 

ii. Vasai Gaon:

Opp Parnaka Police chowki Behind Nayak hotel, Parnaka Vasai West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 401201, India.