About Eye Diseases Cataract

Cataract is the clouding of the crystalline lens. The crystalline lens is like the autofocusing lens of a camera. It focuses an image automatically onto the retina. When the lens becomes opaque, it is called cataract.

Do I Have Cataract?
Vision becomes blurry in people suffering from cataract. They will see glare under sunlight or strong lights. Sometimes, they will see double or several ‘ghost’ images and coloured objects may lose their original tone. Some presbyopes may find that they can read without reading glasses because their myopia has increased. They also find it difficult to see distant objects clearly. The lens becomes white when the cataract is mature and vision drops to hand motion or light perception. Hypermature cataract may lead to complications like glaucoma and uveitis, which may cause eye redness, eye pain, photophobia, headache, nausea and vomiting.


Colour loses its
original tone


Vision becomes blurry in
cataract patients


How Is Cataract Formed?
Cataracts occur mostly in senior patients aged 60 or over. Chemical changes of the lens protein as a natural degenerative process causing the lens to become opaque. Younger patients can also suffer from cataract especially those with high myopia, diabetes mellitus, eczema or other inherited degenerative diseases. Secondary cataract can also result from ocular trauma, long term use of steroids, and long-term exposure to ultraviolet light or infrared rays.


Cataract


One day after surgery


Can Cataract Be Cured by Eyedrops or Oral Medications?
There are no medications that can reverse the process of cataract formation. At present, cataract can only be treated with surgery and intraocular lens implantation.

Advanced Surgery Restores Vision and Reduces Refractive Errors
Early cataract has little effect on vision and no treatment is necessary. Changing your glasses prescription can sometimes restore vision if the cataract has induced a refractive change. When there is significant decrease of vision which affects your work or your daily life, cataract extraction should be considered. It is not necessary to wait until the cataract becomes mature. Traditionally, cataract surgery employs a large limbal incision, extraction of cataract and implantation of an intraocular lens. The wound is then closed with very fine sutures. The new minimally invasive cataract surgery uses an ultrasonic probe and femtosecond laser (if necessary) to remove cataract through a tiny corneal wound and implantation of a foldable lens. Usually no suture or only one suture is required to close the wound because the small incision is self-sealing. Surgery may be performed with topical anaesthesia or other forms of anaesthesia as indicated.


Ultrasonic
phacoemulsification


Implantation of foldable
intraocular lens


Intraocular Lens
If you have nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, the refractive error can be corrected with appropriate intraocular lens. Presbyopia-correcting lenses enable patients to see both distant and near objects clearly. Their dependency on reading glasses will be eliminated or much reduced.

Depending on pre-operative planning and post-operative refraction, you may still need glasses or contact lens to correct any residual refractive error.



Laser Capsulotomy After Cataract Surgery
The transparent capsule that supports the intraocular lens may become cloudy after 1-2 years. A simple laser capsulotomy can restore the vision in a few minutes.


Before laser capsulotomy


After laser capsulotomy



Details of Cataract Surgery

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