There are currently about 5 million cataract patients in China, and this number is increasing at a rate of 400,000 per year. 50% of the elderly over 60 years of age suffer from cataracts of varying degrees.
Although people are not unfamiliar with this common blinding eye disease, there are still various misconceptions about it.
Misconception 1: Cataract is a disease of the elderly Cataract is a common eye disease that affects vision because the lens of the eye turns from transparent to opaque, preventing light from entering the eye. The lens is located between the iris and the vitreous humor of the eye. Under normal circumstances, the lens is transparent, and when light passes through the cornea, it must be refracted by the lens in order to present the image clearly on the retina, just as the lens of a camera causes light to gather on the negative. Initially, clouding of the lens has little effect on vision, but as the degree of clouding increases, it can significantly affect vision and even lead to blindness.
Age-related cataracts, also known as senile cataracts, most often occur in middle-aged and older adults over the age of 50. It is estimated that about 50% of people over the age of 60 suffer from cataracts.
In addition to age, genetic factors, excessive UV exposure, excessive alcohol consumption and smoking, hypertension, diabetes, high myopia, trauma and certain inflammatory diseases in the eye are all associated with cataracts. Especially, patients with diabetes or high myopia will have cataracts earlier than the general population. In addition, congenital cataracts may also occur in newborns, infants and children.
Therefore, once blurred vision and vision loss occur in daily life, we should not take it lightly and should go to the hospital in time for further examination by an ophthalmologist.
Myth 2: Taking medicine can cure it So far, there is no medicine in the world that can cure cataracts. Some medications can slow down the development of cataracts, but they do not cure the root cause.
Surgery is currently the only effective way to treat cataracts. Once diagnosed with cataract, patients must go to a regular hospital and ask an ophthalmologist for professional treatment advice.
Misconception 3: You can only operate when you are “ripe” Many patients have the misconception that they must wait until the cataract has reached the mature stage or even the overripe stage, that is, they must wait until they are completely blind before they can operate.
Doctors point out that this view is not desirable. With the popularization of modern cataract microsurgery technology and the continuous improvement of surgical techniques, vision loss is no longer the only indication for cataract surgery. Generally speaking, as long as cataract affects the patient’s daily life and work, surgery can be considered.
In some patients, although the results of vision examination are still acceptable, if there is obvious discomfort such as photophobia and glare, or if the quality of vision has been affected, surgery should be performed as soon as possible. If you wait until the mature or overripe stage before surgery, not only will it be more difficult to operate and prone to complications, but it may also cause secondary glaucoma or secondary uveitis due to lens overripe expansion.
Myth 4: Recurrence after surgery Doctors told reporters that some patients reported that their vision was good when they first had surgery, but after a few months their vision gradually decreased again, which they often consider as a manifestation of cataract recurrence.
The so-called cataract recurrence is actually the clouding of the preserved capsule, which is called “posterior cataract” in medical science. With the improvement of IOL design and surgical techniques, the incidence of posterior cataract is only 2% to 5%. Once a posterior lens occurs, there is no need to worry and stress too much, as there is usually no need to operate again, as long as the patient undergoes laser treatment in the outpatient clinic to cut open the cloudy posterior capsule, and in just a few seconds, vision can be restored.
Myth 5: IOLs need to be replaced An IOL is an optical lens used to replace a patient’s already cloudy lens.
So far, IOL implantation has a history of more than 60 years, and its performance is extremely stable and can be tolerated by the eye tissue for a long time, which is equivalent to “small glasses” in the eye. Because of its biocompatibility, the IOL material has proven to be safe in the eye. A successfully implanted IOL does not need to be replaced for life and can be used for the rest of your life.
The doctor especially reminds that IOLs are divided into various types according to their functions. When choosing, patients should not just look at the price and go for the expensive ones, but choose according to the doctor’s advice, and the best one is the one that suits them best.
Myth 6: Normal vision can be restored after surgery Whether patients can restore normal vision after cataract surgery depends on the underlying condition of each person’s eye before surgery. If there are no other eye diseases besides cataract, normal vision can be restored after surgery. However, if there are also eye diseases such as glaucoma, high myopia, keratoconus, retinal detachment, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and ocular trauma, the post-surgical vision will be significantly affected.
For cataract patients with nearsightedness or farsightedness who wish to “take off” their glasses after cataract surgery, they can choose to have a multifocal IOL implanted, and most patients can complete their daily life and work without glasses after surgery.