Cataracts and their surgical methods Cataracts are a common eye disease in which the clear lens of the eye becomes cloudy. The initial clouding is mild or small and does not affect vision, but gradually worsens to the point where it significantly affects vision or even blindness. At present, there is no specific medicine for cataracts, and it has been proven that the only effective treatment for cataracts is surgery.
Cataract surgery: (1) Intracapsular cataract extraction: This surgery was once the most common way to remove cataracts. The procedure is relatively simple and can be performed by using a carbon dioxide condenser, or surgical forceps to force out the cataract and capsule together. The pupil is also clear in the postoperative area and no posterior cataract occurs. This procedure requires a large surgical incision, and after the lens is delivered, it has a greater impact on the intraocular tissues, especially on the vitreous. It may cause vitreous detachment, pupillary block secondary to glaucoma, macular cystoid edema, retinal detachment, etc. Because the lens capsule is removed together with the surgery, the posterior chamber IOL cannot be implanted at the same time, so it is not used at present.
(2) Extracapsular cataract extraction: It is a common method of modern cataract surgery and is performed under a microscope. The incision is smaller than that of intracapsular extraction, and the cloudy lens nucleus is discharged and the cortex is aspirated, but the posterior lens capsule is left behind. The basic approach is a three-step procedure: an appropriate incision is made in the cornea or sclera, the anterior lens capsule is cut open, the lens core is expelled, and the lens cortex is aspirated. The posterior capsule is preserved and a posterior chamber IOL can be implanted at the same time, allowing immediate restoration of visual function after surgery. Therefore, extracapsular extraction of cataract has become the routine surgical procedure for cataract nowadays.
(3) Endophthalmitis ultrasound emulsification: This is a new type of cataract surgery developed at home and abroad in recent years. Using an ultrasonic emulsification instrument, the lens nucleus is crushed through a 3-5 mm corneal or scleral incision with ultrasound to make it celiac, and then aspirated together with the cortex. The advantages are small incision, less tissue damage, good maintenance of anterior chamber, short operation time, fast recovery of vision, stable refractive status, and small corneal astigmatism. Cataract ultrasound emulsification surgery is becoming more and more mature and ultrasound emulsification is becoming more and more advanced, and is currently the main method of cataract surgery.