Should cataracts wait until they are “ripe” before surgery?
A long time ago, cataract surgery technology was not yet mature, the surgical incision was large, and infection control during the perioperative period was not standardized, so there were many possible complications after surgery, such as long-term corneal edema, large astigmatism caused by surgery, and even endophthalmitis, which led to blindness. Therefore, we should wait until the cataract is mature and very heavy before performing surgery, at which time the benefits of surgery outweigh the disadvantages; while when the cataract is not mature, the patient more or less retains a certain amount of vision, considering the relatively high chance of complications, surgery at this time may turn out to be more harmful than beneficial. At that time, cataract surgery was still in the category of sight restoration surgery. With the development and maturity of cataract surgery technology, the chance of post-operative complications and infections has been significantly reduced, and people are more interested in the quality of vision while solving cataract, that is, whether they can see clearly and comfortably. Cataract surgery has risen from the category of restoration of vision to that of refractive surgery. The older the cataract, the higher the chance of intraoperative complications and the longer the postoperative recovery period. Therefore, the latest view on cataract surgery is that surgery should be performed as soon as you feel that it is affecting your life and causing inconvenience. Surgery at this time is safer and has a faster recovery than waiting until maturity.