Many older adults with cataracts have a misconception: “Wait until you can’t see before you have surgery!” This notion exists not only in patients but also in some health care professionals. As an ophthalmologist, I would like to tell you that this statement is wrong, it is an old concept that needs to be brought to people’s attention.
After cataract surgery, patients had to wear a pair of cataract glasses, which were bulky and heavy, and they were tired and uncomfortable.
Modern cataract surgery not only removes cataracts, but also implants IOLs so that people can not only have access to the road, but also watch TV and read newspapers, and live a normal life as normal people. The quality of life is also greatly improved.
“Wait until you can’t see before you have surgery!” The key is that there are many kinds of eye diseases that lead to blindness, not only cataract itself, but also glaucoma, retinal detachment, and fundus disease, all of which can lead to blindness. However, cataracts can be restored through surgery. However, cataracts can be restored through surgery. If cataracts are combined with these eye diseases and are not detected by the patient, it will be too late to operate until the patient is blind. In clinical clinics, we often encounter patients who do not have severe cataracts but cannot even see because they have chronic glaucoma.
From a surgical point of view, modern ultrasonic emulsification surgery is suitable for patients whose crystals are not soft or hard. If the cataract has reached maturity or brown-black nucleus, it will make it difficult to tear the capsule or ultrasonic emulsification during the surgery, resulting in failure of the surgery.
On the other hand, if the patient already knows that the cataract is combined with other eye diseases, early cataract surgery can provide better visibility of the fundus and preventative treatment of some early diseases through modern science and technology without causing irreversible consequences.
Therefore, if a cataract is diagnosed at the beginning, don’t think about waiting until you can’t see and then go to the hospital for surgery. We can go to the hospital and let the doctor monitor the development of the cataract on the one hand and exclude other eye diseases on the other hand, so that early detection and early treatment can be done. It is important to know how important vision is to modern people!