Cataract Surgery
What is Cataract?
Cataract is caused by the clouding of the natural lens of the eye and usually develops as a result of old age, but may occur in infants and young children too.
This results in blurred vision, glare, and sensitivity to bright lights.
As the disease progresses, it leads to painless, progressive decrease in vision which can also result in a poor quality of life, interfering with day-to-day activities like driving and reading.
Who Is At Risk of Cataract?
- People above 60 years of age
- Prolonged use of steroids
- Overexposure to ultraviolet rays
- People with Diabetes
- Eye injuries
Diagnosis
To determine whether you have a cataract, your doctor will review your medical history and symptoms, and perform an eye examination. Several tests may be conducted:
Visual Acuity Test
Measures how well you can read letters using an eye chart. Each eye is tested separately to check for vision clarity or impairment.
Slit-Lamp Examination
A microscope with a focused beam of light is used to examine the cornea, iris, lens, and surrounding structures in detail.
Retinal Exam
Eye drops are used to dilate pupils, allowing the doctor to examine the retina and detect cataract-related changes.
Cataract Treatment
There is no medication for treating cataract. The only effective treatment is surgery. With advanced technology, cataract surgery is now safe, painless, and does not require injections.
Surgery is commonly performed using a Phacoemulsification machine with intra-ocular lens implantation. The incision is very small (2.2–2.8 mm), usually without stitches.
Patients are discharged the same day and can resume normal activities from the next day with minimal precautions.
Dr. Karan Bhatia is an expert cataract surgeon experienced in modern surgical techniques.
When Should You Go for Surgery?
Earlier, patients waited for the cataract to fully mature, but this is no longer recommended.
Surgery can be done when cataract begins to affect daily activities, causes blurred vision, glare, or halos around lights.