When natural lens becomes hazy, we call the condition as Cataract. It occurs normally after 50 years of age but may also occur quite earlier.
And after crossing 90, almost 98% develop cataract, a price to pay for being in the nervous nineties!
aging process but when seen in children it can be due to a host of other diseases of the eye for example uveitis, general diseases like the diabetes, heredity, injury, radiation, infections and the rest. There is an inevitable loss of vision, which may be hypermetropic or myopic, depending upon the type of cataract. It causes significant decrease and malaise in viewing any light source. The diagonosis can be confirmed by an eye specialist. Glasses can provide support in the early stages. Later on the maturing of the cataract and even in some early cases of cataract the vision is hampered to a degree irreparable even by the glasses. Cataract surgery by an expert eye specialist is the only option then. Other things like glaucoma, uveitis, retinal management, expected outcome of operation, common and worst possible complications, safe time period to wait for surgery, expenditure, rest and precautions after surgery etc. can also be However in general cases a cataract surgery is done if the specs fail to deliver. It is a very important question, particularly in Northern India because people in this region have a strong feeling that cataract is more successful in winters. In some cases the cataract becomes fully matured arising out of this wrong feeling and there is a total loss of vision thus. Glaucoma can also develop due to long wait and cataract maturity thereafter. If it happens it becomes very painful for the patient. Delay in Cataract surgery also causes hardening & stiffening of the cataract, which only complicates the surgery for the surgeon. Through this small incision foldable intra-ocular lens is inserted by forceps or injectors. This is done by few drops of anaesthesia. No injection or bandage is required. And the patient gets a clear vision immediately after the cataract surgery. Office work, albeit in a clean environment, can be done just after a day. Field work can be done after a week. The advantage of Phaco is clear: Quick & good vision without anaesthetic injections, bandage and troublesome bedrest. Extra-capsular cataract extraction (ECCE): It is still being done at majority of centers. However it is fraught with higher rates of induced astigmatism. Intra capsular cataract extraction is a very old technique and is associated with a very poor quality of vision and increased complications. It is now constrained mostly to free camps because of low cost, obsolete technology and fast surgery. Lens is extremely important because it alone makes the eyes a 'near-natural' one. Without IOL patient has to see through the external agency of glasses which are relatively much heavier and cumbersome for the sensitive eyes. In catarcat surgery IOL is a must unless there is no other way out of it. IOL is placed inside the eyes, mostly in the same capsular bag where the natural lens is placed. Hence it does not get affected by dust, smoke or water splashes. Unlike natural lenses IOL's are of fixed power. They give good vision only up to a fixed IOL can be Soft IOL(Foldable) or Hard IOL(Non-foldable). One is recommended to prefer Foldable lens as it can be inserted through a small incision by injection or folding forceps. Hard or rigid IOL can go through full size incision which decreases the advantages of modern phaco-surgery. Multifocal IOL is every much expedient for housewives and field workers. They can do almost all their job without specs! And even if the specs are needed, the dependance upon specs is reduced considerably. Indian or Imported IOL: Nowadys Indian IOL is very reliable but they still need better finish, stricter quality check with proper sterilization and packing. Modern technology is almost always much safe than their older counterparts. Toeing similar lines, high grade skill in Cataract surgery imparts more safety. Complications like drug reaction, infection, loss of vison and in rare cases even the loss of life cannot be rule out during these operations. Infection is the most common out of all of them, which can be prevented by an ounce of prevention. Sometimes despite extremely good preparation, IOL cannot be implanted and vision can remain as poor at other times despite a very good surgery and IOL implant. This is so because of other deseases affecting the cornea, retina or the nerve. Diabetic patients are always advised to nurture realistic expectations only. Frequently Asked Question What is Cataract?
It may happen to any age- right from birth to old age. That way it can afflict a child as well as a graying man. Still we found more cataract cases after the age of 60 years (it has nothing to do with senile degradation though!) And after crossing 90, almost 98% develop cataract, a price to pay for being in the nervous nineties! Cataract in the latter cases is just another disease in the aging process but when seen in children it can be due to a host of other diseases of the eye for example uveitis, general diseases like the diabetes, heredity, injury, radiation, infections and the rest. What are the symptoms? The most important symptom of the cataract is a decrease in vision/sight for distance &/or near objects. Other symptoms can be reduced vision in bright or low light, decreased contrast, glare, altered color appreciation, seeing multiple images of a single object, abrupt transitions in the status of power of the glasses, or sometimes pain, redness and watering. In advanced cases there is a complete loss of sight and the pupil attains a pearly white hue. However, none of these symptoms are seen exclusively in cataract and it is their collective affliction, so to say. What should I do? The primordial task for a cataract patient after experiencing any of these symptoms is to consult an eye surgeon (ophthalmologist) giving details of ones symptoms and getting one's eyes thoroughly examined. Seek answers to the following ophthalmic queries:
Once is decided that the patient has cataract the treatment is essentially surgical the only question that arises is when? The decision is patients- whenever the patient feels his vision has decreased to a level where he finds it difficult to carry on his routine daily activities he can get operated (no longer is it required for cataract to become mature). |
It may happen to any age- right from birth to old age. That way it can afflict a child as well as a graying man. Still we found more cataract cases after the age of 50 years . 
Cataract in the latter cases is just another disease in the 
