This week talk about how cataracts happen a bit of the history of cataract surgery and how they are different for each individual.
Why do cataracts happen?
Increasing wisdom and maturity lead to deposits of crystallin proteins in your own natural lens that you were born with, leading to cloudiness. The lens enlarges and becomes opaque and yellowish-brown, and left untreated, can turn completely white. This can diminish color perception (especially of blue wavelengths) leading to yellowing/browning of vision, cause dimness/ cloudiness/blurriness, reduce night vision and cause glare.
When do cataracts start to appear?
Every patient is different, but cataracts usually start in the late 50s or 60s.
When should cataract surgery be done?
The time to do cataract surgery is when you want to see better! If you feel your vision is adequate, it is ok to wait. There is generally no harm in waiting, but cataracts do progress over time.
How is cataract surgery done and what is it really?
Cataract surgery is performed in an operating room, after numbing medicine and relaxing medicine. An eyelid opener is place. Your doctor will make small openings in the eye, through which a small ultrasound vacuum cleaner removes the cataract and replaces it with a new clear lens implant (made out of plastic or silicone), that lasts forever.
When did cataract surgery start?
Cataract surgery was first performed by Sushruta in 800 BC in India. Even as recently as 50 years ago, cataract surgery entailed a week-long hospital stay with sandbags and bedpans, followed by a slow recovery. In the last 70 years, numerous advances (lens implants, ultrasound removal, laser, small incisions) have converged to make cataract surgery a modern, safe, effective, and convenient procedure.
Why is cataract surgery only done in one eye at a time?
Generally, doctors do one eye at a time in the US because insurance doesn’t cover both eyes being done at the same time. In occasional circumstances (need for general anesthesia, pure cash pay situations), both eyes can be done at the same time.
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