What
is a cataract?
When
natural crystalline lens of the eye becomes cloudy, it is known
as cataract.
Symptoms
of cataract:
-
Feeling of a film covering the eye.
- Glare
from bright sunlight or poor vision when viewing oncoming automobile
headlights at night.
-
Difficulty in performing routine tasks such as reading the newspaper.
Is
operation the only remedy?
Yes,
it is. Unfortunately, once the lens of the eye has become cloudy,
there is no medical treatment or nutritional method available
till date for clearing the cataract.
It is now not necessary to wait till the cataract ripens to thick
white opacity; it can be removed when it starts to interfere with
normal daily activities such as reading the newspaper.
Can
intraocular lenses be put in children?
Gone
are the days of wearing those heavy and unsightly specs which
have so many drawbacks - difficulty in crossing the road, climbing
the stairs etc. Changing times and advanced technology have brought
a variety of intra ocular lens implants. These are natural lens.
They are UV coated; hence protect the retina from harmful effects
of UV radiation.
How
is cataract surgery performed?
Traditional
surgery involves making a large incision of 9 to 10 mm and closing
it with several stitches. This pulls the eye out of shape resulting
in distorted astigmatic vision.
Phacoemulsification
makes use of small, highly sophisticated ultrasonic machine. This
is steered into the eyes. Localised high frequency sound waves
break up the cataract into small fragments, which are then, sucked
out through the instrument's hollow tubing. A thin capsule or
shell is left in place. This maintains the natural anatomy of
the eye. The size of the incision is only 3 mm. Intraocular lens
is implanted through this opening. It is placed inside the eye
in place of the natural lens. With a foldable IOL, the incision
remains 3mm. The healing is fast.
There
are cases where the child is born with the cataract in both or
either of the eyes which will require an urgent ophthalmic check
up. If the cataracts are total, surgery has to be performed fairly
soon otherwise the light reflex may not develop causing almost
irreversible loss of vision. Whether to put an IOL implant or
not is to judged by the surgeon thorough examination of the case
and keeping in mind the overall assessment and physiological development
of the child. At present cataract surgery in children has been
made fairly safe and also IOL implants do give good sight. But
these type of cases need through follow up examinations at regular
intervals. If necessary IOLs have to exchanged at a later date.
