As the leading cause of blindness worldwide, cataracts commonly affect people over the age of 40 and will continue to get worse without treatment. One of the most common and successful treatments for cataracts is surgery. While surgery has always been and will continue to be the best treatment option for moderate to advanced cataracts, there have been several advances made in recent years on the surgical front. These advances have made cataract surgery less painful and less invasive than ever before. Following are three exciting surgical advances that make getting your vision back easier.
Painless Anesthesia
In the past, patients undergoing cataract surgery had to endure an uncomfortable injection given directly in the eye. The injection, used to numb the eye and prep it for surgery, was often the hardest part of the whole surgery, which usually takes less than 15 minutes. Today, however, most surgeons are using eye drops rather than injections for anesthesia. The use of painless anesthesia has made cataract surgery a more attractive option for many people, especially those with needle phobias. And, really, who doesn't fear a needle when it's coming right for your eye?
Minimally Invasive Procedures
Surgeons now prefer to use micro-incisions placed in the temporal clear cornea during cataract surgery rather than the larger incisions they used in the past. Incisions that used to measure up to 16 millimeters are now only approximately 3 millimeters in length. Smaller incisions are less invasive and heal faster than larger incisions. Smaller incisions also negate the need for stitches after surgery, which dramatically reduces discomfort and the likelihood of complications after surgery.
Lens Implants
In the past, people who had cataract surge often had to wear corrective lenses afterwards to gain some sort of normal vision. Today, however, surgeons can insert a three-piece lens implant directly through the small incision used during surgery. This implant makes it possible for patients to have close-to-perfect vision immediately after surgery. And since healing time is minimal with these new surgical procedures, most people don't have to wear a patch or go through an extensive recovery period. Patients often report an immediate improvement in their vision immediately following surgery.
As you can see, there have been many advances in the world of cataract surgery. If you are thinking about having cataract surgery, there has never been a better time to have this delicate procedure done than right now.
Share24 June 2015
After watching my mother navigate treatment for breast cancer in my early teens, I knew pretty much what to expect from my dad's diagnosis with prostate cancer. What I didn't know was how different chemotherapy and radiation can affect different people. My mother became very ill while my dad seemed to weather the treatments with few ill effects. I spent a long time researching the differences in treatments, types of chemotherapy, and how each one can react differently with the body. I created this blog to help others understand the same things, because I knew I couldn't be the only one unfamiliar with it. I hope it helps you if someone you love is facing treatment for any type of cancer.
