The first step in the operation itself is the securing of the eyelids. This is usually done with a small spring speculum, which gently holds the lids open without in any way pressing on the eye.
The removal of the cataract can be achieved in a number of ways, the aim being to clear all the opacity from the pupil of the eye. Basically, there are two methods either of which may be used: Read the rest of this entry »
At one time almost all intraocular surgery was performed under a local anaesthetic. For two reasons local anaesthesia is used much less commonly today. First, the whole science of general anaesthesia has greatly advanced and the likelihood of coughing has been considerably reduced. Second, methods of repairing the cataract wound are now better than they used to be. Coughing and sneezing after the operation consequently constitute less of a threat than formerly. Read the rest of this entry »
There is a popular misconception that cataract surgery cannot be undertaken until the cataract has reached a particular ripeness. This was the case many years ago, when the only method of removing the cataract was by the extracapsular method, which involved opening the capsular bag and washing away its contents. If the cataract was very ‘immature’, it was technically rather difficult to do this. Read the rest of this entry »
As regards lens-implant surgery the benefits are very great. To be able to have normal sight again without the need for thick spectacles or the bother of wearing contact lenses is surely the preferred treatment. Where contact lenses are used subsequent to a cataract operation, they differ from ordinary contact lenses in certain ways. The condition of an eye that has had its crystalline lens removed is known as aphakia, and aphakia almost invariably demands a contact lens that is much thicker in its centre than the lens worn by the ordinary short-sighted person. Read the rest of this entry »
A plastic lens placed in the eye where the original crystalline lens used to be seems the ideal method of correcting the vision of a patient who has undergone cataract removal. Normally the crystalline lens has an optic power of nearly 20 dioptres, equal to a strong magnifying glass, and obviously an eye of normal size requires this power to be replaced. An implanted artificial lens is one way to achieve the necessary correction. It is wrong, however, to suppose that once the operation has been performed the patient will be able to see clearly immediately. This can only occur if the implant has been expertly placed in the eye, and if the right adjustments to the optic power, using spectacles, have been made. It is sometimes necessary to perform a second, less difficult operation after a few weeks have gone by. Read the rest of this entry »
