Introduction
Cataract, a common eye disorder can affect your daily routine work. The blurred vision makes daily activities a challenging task. With technological advancement and new developments in medical science, it has become possible to get cataract treatment easily. These days different types of lenses are available that can make your life easy. In this article, we discuss the different types of cataract lenses and how to select the best for your eye.
What is cataract surgery?
In cataract, our lens gets opaque making our vision unclear and blurred. To overcome the situation the original lens of the eye is replaced by an artificial intraocular lens (IOL) that helps us see clearly. IOL comes in different types, each having its unique benefits.
Types of IOLs
Standard IOL
These are mono-focal lenses that focus on distance vision only. The lens provides crystal clear vision for distance, just as in virgin eyes. However, for near-vision activities such as reading the newspaper, or working on a computer, laptop, or mobile patients rely on glasses or contact lenses.
Premium IOL
Premium IOLs offers a wide range of benefits and are classified further into:
- Toric lens: These lenses address astigmatism concerns caused by a different curvature of the cornea or lens of your eye along with cataract. One of the lens surfaces resembles a “cap” from a torus, while the other usually appears spherical.
- Accommodation lens: The lens is termed so as it has flexible “arms” known as haptic. These haptics use eye muscle movements to shift attention from far to near. Thus, it offers multiple focal benefits to the cataract patient.
- Light Adjustable Lens (LAL): They are the only intraocular lens (IOL) that allows customization of your eyesight following cataract surgery. Adjustability elevates cataract surgery by providing a lens tailored specifically to your eyes.
- Multifocal contact lens: These lenses combine multiple prescriptions in one lens. There are usually three prescriptions, that is near, intermediate, and distant objects. The lens allows all the prescriptions and eases the patient’s life. Furthermore, this setup assists persons with presbyopia in correcting age-related vision issues in which the eye cannot focus on nearby objects.
- Expanded Depth of Focus IOLs (EDOF): These lenses can focus at intermediate and distance and not near vision. EDOF IOLs are an advanced form of multifocal IOLs as they give a continuous range of focus, preventing picture overlap and removing the halo effect.
What are the Latest Treatments for Cataract?
Some of the latest treatments for cataract surgery are as follows:
- Phacoemulsification: It is the most common treatment for cataract removal. It includes inserting an ultrasonic instrument into the eye through a tiny incision. The vibrations break up the eye’s lens, allowing it to be removed via suction. An artificial lens is then placed in the eye.
- Robotic Cataract Surgery: It is a faster and hassle-free technology for cataract treatment. The surgical steps are assisted by femtosecond laser incisions which are precise and reproducible. It is highly accurate and gives excellent outcomes, free from human error.
Conclusion
Cataract surgery is a very common eye surgery. With technological advancements, the procedure has become more effective as better and better lenses are being used. MM Joshi Eye Institute, Hubli is one of the leading eye care centres in Karnataka and offers a wide range of treatments for cataract. The hospital is equipped with the latest equipment and a team of expert doctors who can assist you with the best cataract treatment.
FAQs
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What causes cataract?
The different factors that contribute to the development of cataract are ageing, diabetes, exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays, and smoking. The disease develops painlessly and slowly over time.
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How is cataract treated?
The best treatment for cataract is surgery. The clouded or foggy lens is replaced by the artificial intraocular lens (IOL) that gives you clear vision. The surgery is usually very successful in restoring your vision.
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What are the symptoms of cataract?
The main symptom of the cataract is blurry vision. In addition, there are some underlying symptoms too , namely halo, glare, difficulty to see in dim light and reading. The patient also finds it challenging to complete their daily activities once the disease progresses.
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When should I see an eye doctor?
You should consult a doctor when your vision becomes clouded or unclear, and you’re squinting more frequently to focus on objects. It can also present as double vision in one or both eyes. Also vision in low light is severely degraded.
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Can cataracts be cured?
There is only one cure for cataract i.e. surgery. The surgery for the cataract is almost always successful and the patient can restore their clear vision.
Author
MMJ Eye Institute