The topic of “surgery is the only way to treat cataracts” is an old one for cataract surgeons. However, in view of the fact that there are patients who keep pulling out all kinds of potions to treat cataracts in the clinic, I think it is very necessary to popularize this knowledge to the patients again, especially at the time when various media advertisements are flying around and the patients themselves lack the ability to distinguish.
I. What is cataract?
Cataract is a clouding of the lens of the human eye, and is the most common eye disease among the elderly. If we compare the eye to a camera, then cataract is equivalent to a “worn lens”, resulting in blurred pictures. The only way to treat this “worn lens” (cataract) is to replace it with a new lens; similarly, the only way to treat a cataract is to surgically remove the cloudy cataract and replace it with a clear and transparent artificial lens.
So far, no drug has been proven by evidence-based medicine to be able to truly treat cataracts.
How to perform cataract surgery?
Many elderly people are very dependent on eye drops for cataract treatment. Part of the reason comes from the unknown and fearful psychology of cataract surgery, which is also a human condition.
At present, cataract surgery has entered the minimally invasive era, and the most commonly used, safest and most mature surgical method is cataract ultrasound emulsification combined with IOL implantation. The entire surgery process is painless, the surgical incision is less than 3mm, the healing process is fast, and the patient can obtain satisfactory vision at an early stage without fear.