Cataract Surgery

What is cataract?

A cataract is the clouding of the natural lens of the eye behind the pupil, which loses its transparency and becomes cloudy. In other words, vision is distorted, as if looking through a fogged glass. Cataract, a slight clouding and hardening of the lens of the eye, begins due to age at an average age of 55-60 years.

The lens of the eye consists mainly of water and protein. It owes its transparency to the special structures of the proteins it contains, which ensure complete light transmission. As the water and protein structure changes with age, transparency begins to decrease in certain areas of the lens. As the lens ages and becomes less transparent, light transmission decreases over time, resulting in cataracts. Cataracts usually occur slowly.

What are the symptoms?

  • Sensitivity to light, glare
  • Double vision
  • Difficulty in reading
  • Inability to see in detail at dusk and in fog
  • Deterioration of night vision and scattering of lights
  • Fading and yellowing of colors
  • Frequent changing of eyeglass lenses
  • Interference with car headlights and strain while driving

 

What are the risk factors for cataracts?

Although cataract is usually associated with aging, high myopia, diabetes, some metabolic diseases, another disease due to long-term use of systemic cortisone, it can also occur for these reasons. In addition, long-term exposure to ultraviolet rays (sunlight), a family history of cataracts starting at an early age, or eye trauma can cause cataracts to occur at an earlier age. In addition, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, hypertension, obesity, and cholesterol-lowering drugs of the statin group may accelerate the formation of cataracts.

Cataract cannot be treated with medications or glasses, but only with surgery.

Nowadays, cataract can be successfully treated by surgery. During this operation, which is completely seamless thanks to advanced technology, the device can be inserted through a tiny entrance of about 2.8 mm. The natural lens of the cataract is removed from the eye with the help of ultrasound energy and a transparent artificial lens is anatomically inserted in the same place instead.

Cataract surgery can be performed without needles, anesthesia or pain, and the patient can usually go home the same day. It is a daily procedure that is usually performed under regional anesthesia, i.e., drip anesthesia. In rare cases, general anesthesia may also be required, in which the eye area is anesthetized by injection.

Transferring the patient to the operating room, preoperative preparation, performing the surgery, and returning the patient to bed take less than 1 hour. After surgery, the dressing is applied to the eye and the patient is asked to rest, then eye drops are prescribed and the patient is discharged.

 

The experience of the doctor and the quality of the lens placed in the eye are very important for the success of the surgery. Our clinic oculists are indeed experienced in field of cataract surgery.

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