Refractive

Cataract
  What?
   Causes?
   Symptoms
   Diagnosis
   Treatment
   Surgery
   Surgical techniques
   Video films
   Future

Corneagreffe

   
 

Treatment

So far, a local or general medication to treat cataract hasn't been found. Only surgery can improve the situation.
At this moment the cataract-operation combined with a lens-implant is the most applied surgical operation in humans and also appears to be the most success-full one. In more than 97% the former sight is regained and more than 99% of eyes show a clear improvement after the treatment

  
      
  Till 2000 more than 20.000.000 cataract operations with lens-implant were performed in the USA and it is expected that from 2000 on there will be 1.800.000 ones yearly.

The right moment to decide for the operation is best agreed on with the ophthalmologist since this is different for every patient. In general the treatment is best started when the sight has become so bad that it influences reading, watching TV, driving, precision-work, etc.

In most cases the patient decides when he will be operated. Only in cases of very serious cataract, implying danger of acute rising eye-pressure and heavy pain and perpetual loss of sight, cataract surgery is urgent.

There is no age limit and even patients over age 100 can be helped. People should also know that cataract is always evolving and so will always increase.

Erbium Laser is sometimes used in the treatment of cataract.