Why You Shouldn’t Worry About Cataract

 Do you have a cataract? If yes then never mind, if your vision is still good. In this situation, you might not need cataract surgery for many years. But not all are so lucky and many people have to undergo the knife as early as 50 years.

Answer the following questions:

Q: Can you see safely while doing your job?
Q: Do you have difficulty in reading or viewing?
Q: Is it difficult for you to climb stairs and administer medicines?
Q: Do you feel dependent due to vision-related problems?
Q: Could you recognize faces correctly?
Q: Do you feel uncomfortable in bright lights?

If the answer to all or most of the questions is yes then you need cataract surgery. But there is still a long way to go before you prepare yourself for the treatment.

Risks

If you search risks of cataract surgery, you will find that there are many risks associated with laser treatment for cataract but the information is incomplete until you know the real cause of the risks.

For example, loss of vision is a potential risk of cataract treatment but it could never be because of the surgery but due to a secondary eye problem or a serious medical condition related to any other part of the body.

Glaucoma or macular generation could interrupt your vision and reduce the improvement after surgery but you shouldn’t blame the vision-related problem to the cataract treatment. It is for your surgeon to see and cure the secondary conditions that can in any way affect your cataract treatment.

Preparation

There are certain precautions you need to take before and after the surgery. While it is easier to take pre-operation precautions because they are technical in nature like stop taking certain medicines and treating your eye with drops but the post-operative care is related to your lifestyle and it is as important as pre-operative care is. For example, you would be asked to prevent bending forward and lifting weight for at least one week after the surgery.

Results

Cataract surgery brings good news for patients. They get back the lost vision but some patients develop posterior capsule opacification (PCO). It is also called a secondary cataract and it is a very common problem. It happens when the part of the lens that supports the lens implant becomes cloudy. PCO can be treated with yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) laser capsulotomy. It is a laser treatment that opens the clouded capsule to make way for vision improvement.