If intending to undergo cataract surgery St Louis residents need to know a number of things about this procedure beforehand. This surgery is a procedure performed to remove the natural eye lens if it is damaged and replacing it with an artificial one. The condition is caused by an opacification of eye lenses due to metabolic changes within the lens fibres. The effect is loss of transparency in the lens and consequently visual impairment.
The procedure takes about 15 to 30 minutes. It is done in the outpatient and a local anaesthetic is good enough because there is very little discomfort. In fact, some centres just numb the eye using topical anaesthesia and is just as effective. The success rate is about 90%.
Currently there are two types of surgeries performed for this condition. These are phacoemulsification (phaco) and the conventional extracapsular extraction (ECCE). The traditional technique known as Intracapsular cataract extraction (or simply ICCE) has over time been replaced by this new practices. In ICCE, both the lens and capsule were removed in their entirety and then replaced but this was found to result in numerous complications. Cryoextraction is a modification of ICCE that involved freezing of the affected lens before removing it. Today it is only used in cases of subluxed lenses.
In phaco, lens replacement is done using foldable lenses. The lens nucleus is first fragmented into small pieces then emulsified and aspirated. The ECCE technique, on the other hand, involves removal of the lens in one piece but leaving the capsule intact to support the implant. Non-foldable lenses are used. Phaco is usually preferred over ICCE because it uses very small incisions that do not require suturing.
The lenses implanted may either be monofocal or multifocal. The multifocal are the more recent of the two. As opposed to the monofocal, they provide vision at more than one distance because of their accommodative ability. They do not require one to wear glasses or contact lenses as was the case previously.
There are several complications of cataract surgery St Louis residents should know about. They include bleeding inside the eye, increased pressure (glaucoma), retinal detachment and swelling of the retina among others. Some people have also reported partial or complete loss of vision.
The procedure takes about 15 to 30 minutes. It is done in the outpatient and a local anaesthetic is good enough because there is very little discomfort. In fact, some centres just numb the eye using topical anaesthesia and is just as effective. The success rate is about 90%.
Currently there are two types of surgeries performed for this condition. These are phacoemulsification (phaco) and the conventional extracapsular extraction (ECCE). The traditional technique known as Intracapsular cataract extraction (or simply ICCE) has over time been replaced by this new practices. In ICCE, both the lens and capsule were removed in their entirety and then replaced but this was found to result in numerous complications. Cryoextraction is a modification of ICCE that involved freezing of the affected lens before removing it. Today it is only used in cases of subluxed lenses.
In phaco, lens replacement is done using foldable lenses. The lens nucleus is first fragmented into small pieces then emulsified and aspirated. The ECCE technique, on the other hand, involves removal of the lens in one piece but leaving the capsule intact to support the implant. Non-foldable lenses are used. Phaco is usually preferred over ICCE because it uses very small incisions that do not require suturing.
The lenses implanted may either be monofocal or multifocal. The multifocal are the more recent of the two. As opposed to the monofocal, they provide vision at more than one distance because of their accommodative ability. They do not require one to wear glasses or contact lenses as was the case previously.
There are several complications of cataract surgery St Louis residents should know about. They include bleeding inside the eye, increased pressure (glaucoma), retinal detachment and swelling of the retina among others. Some people have also reported partial or complete loss of vision.
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