Cataracts and Cataract Surgery
By April | December 4, 2007
Did you know that over 60 million people around the world have cataract. It’s the number one cause of blindness, luckily however, it is completely treatable with cataract surgery.
What is Cataract?
They eye’s lens over time can become cloudy and opaque. When people become older, the protein levels in the eye start to decrease meaning there is no way to prevent cataract from forming. Normally they form due to age however head injuries and some diseases can cause this problem.
Cataract comes in 3 different forms, each of which affects you eye in a different way. At the center of the lens is the nucleus and the most common of the cataracts affects this region. Cortical cataract and subcapsular cataract are more common in people who suffer from diabetes.
Symptoms of Cataract
The most obvious symptom of cataract is blurred or cloudy vision. Problems with nearsightedness can become worse and images can turn distorted. More subtle symptoms include: requiring more light than normal when reading, problems seeing at night, sensitivity to light, colors fading and double vision. These symptoms occur because the cloudiness on the lens interferes with light refracting properly.
Who is at risk?
No-one is immune to developing cataract and chances of developing this condition will only increase with age. If there are people in your family who have developed cataracts then you have an increased chance too.
Some medication including steroids can increase you chances along with eye surgery and eye injury. Diabetics will are also at increased risk.
Early Detection and Treatment
The best way to detect problems is by having regular eye examinations. Blurred vision can be caused by a number of different things so it’s important to be properly checked out.
In the past if a patient had cataract they would have to endure painful surgery to rectify the problem. Thankfully cataract surgery has come a long way and simply involves replacing the cloudy lens with an intraocular lens (IOL). Success rate is extremely high.
It is only recommended that you undergo treatment when it interferes with your quality of life. Early stages of cataract can normally be dealt with by prescription eyeglasses. An ophthalmologist can determine the stage at which cataract surgery is necessary.
Unfortunately if you do have cataract there may be other factors involved which means surgery cannot restore vision. Only ophthalmologist can determine this.
Compared to many other types of surgery, cataract surgery goes very smoothly. 95% of patients experience no complications whatsoever. Local anaesthesia, tiny instruments and a microscope are normally all that’s needed to perform successful cataract surgery.
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Is LASIK Surgery Right for You? Part 2
By April | November 4, 2007
For many people, LASIK Surgery is well worth the expense in order to improve their quality of life. It’s not for everyone however so have a read at this article to decide for yourself.
Different Types of LASIK Surgery
The two main types of corrective surgery are Standard and Custom. With both types the procedures for preparation and pot-operation are similar. The difference relates to the customization of the laser.
Standard LASIK
Before the procedure can begin, the eye surgeon will meet with you to re-test your eyes for any problems or diseases. When it has been decided that your eyes are suitable for the operation, a date will be arranged.
On the day of the operation, your eye doctor may have another look at your eyes just to make sure that nothing has changed since your last meeting. Three types of eye drops are then administered. The designed to anesthetize your eyes, protect them from post-operative inflammation and prevent infection.
You will then recline in a chair and lave a laser positioned overhead. So that the flap can be removed, your eye needs to be stabilized. Your eye will be prevented from blinking by placing it in a restrainer. Suction is administered to the eyeball and the microkeratome makes one swift slice across the top of the cornea. The resulting flap (which should still be hinged to the eye) is pulled away with tiny tweezers.
The laser is then set to emit pulses to remove excess tissue, this process literally only takes seconds to perform. The flap is then re-positioned and a saline solution is applied to clear the eye from debris.
Custom LASIK Surgery
In standard LASIK, the computer inside the laser determines the number and location of laser pulses based solely on the patient’s prescription. Custom LASIK involves the surgeon creating a three-dimensional image of the eye. This image is fed into the computer of the laser so the eye is receiving treatment which is unique to them.
Risks and Complications
As with anything in life, there are risks. If your eye has been under-treated all that is involved to correct this is more surgery. If you have been over-treated then there is nothing you can do other than wear corrective glasses. Loss of vision or compromised vision, especially at night, are other risks. Dry eye syndrome can develop. And vision that has been surgically corrected may decline over time. Another risk is using a ophthalmologist who is not experienced.
Tips on Selecting a LASIK Surgery Surgeon
Ask people you trust for testimonials and don’t just so with the first surgeon you meet. Talk to as many consultants as you can.
On you initial consultation make sure you prepare a list of questions you can and take a note of the answers. You will want to know what level of care you will receive before, during and after the treatment. And of course what costs are involved.
Don’t assume that all surgeons are equal. Although cost will influence your decision, don’t let it be the only factor you take into account. Your eyes are far too important for that.
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Is LASIK Surgery Right for You? Part 1
By April | October 29, 2007
Everywhere you go there seems to be adverts for LASIK surgery. For those who wear glasses or contact lenses the idea of being freed from the hassle and maintenance of either can make surgery very tempting indeed. However, as good as the procedure may seem, LASIK surgery may not be for everyone.
What is LASIK Surgery?
The acronym LASIK means laser in-situ keratomy, eye surgery and involves the use of a powerful laser called an Excimer. Excimers are designed to work on the delicate eye area. The laser can quickly re-shape the cornea (for treating nearsightedness) or the hyperopia (for treating farsightedness).
When the cornea is reshaped what happens is that tissue underneath is removed. In order to get at this tissue, a tiny flap must be pulled back from the cornea’s surface. The laser or microkeratome blade can be used to create this flap.
Laser pulses zap as much excess tissue as the ophthalmologist determines after reviewing a very detailed image of the cornea called a corneal topography. This process can take only a matter of minutes and the patient won’t feel a thing. Vision can be corrected so swiftly that they are able to drive home aftwards.
Deciding on LASIK Surgery
The primary consideration when deciding if LASIK is for you is to look at the costs involved. Many health plans don’t cover this procedure as they believe it to be purely cosmetic.
The costs for this surgery can vary significantly, but generally the costs of using a reliable and knowledgeable ophthalmologist will run several thousand dollars – per eye! So cost is no small matter.
Cost isn’t the only consideration however. Only healthy eyes and eyes that have stopped changing can be operated on. There are also other situations that can automatically prevent you for having the surgery.
When you go for your first consultation a number of tests will be performed to detect eye problems or diseases which could cause problems with the surgery. Due to hormonal considerations, LASIK eye surgery cannot take place when a woman is pregnant or when either a man or a woman has a reduced immune system as this condition could put at risk the eye’s recovery.
Basically, if you can afford the treatment and your eyes are healthy then surgery may be a good route to go down. Success rates are high plus the procedure is painless so there are really very few reasons not to consider it.
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