How is cataract surgery for patients with rheumatoid arthritis?

  Auntie Zhong was over 60 years old and underwent cataract extraction in other hospitals. After the operation, her vision recovered very well, but it did not last long. The author then inquired in detail about Auntie Zhong’s general medical history and learned that she had suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for more than 10 years and that the disease was not well controlled recently. After further detailed examination, it was found that Auntie Zhong was suffering from dry eye disease and uveitis, which are closely related to rheumatoid arthritis and are the culprits of poor vision after cataract surgery.  Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease with mainly joint lesions, which can have pathological changes in many organ systems throughout the body, and the eyes are no exception. The development of cataracts in patients with rheumatoid arthritis differs from age-related cataracts in normal individuals in that they appear earlier and progress more rapidly, and are associated with a variety of factors, such as rheumatoid-related eye inflammation and the use of hormonal drugs to control eye and systemic disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The main ocular changes caused by P. aeruginosa are dry eye, sclerositis, keratoconjunctivitis, sclerosing keratitis, corneal ulcers, cataracts, iridocyclitis, chorioretinitis, ischemic optic neuropathy, and strabismus. The ophthalmologist must take these factors into account before performing surgery on such patients.  The timing of cataract surgery and the use of medications before and after surgery are very important for patients with wind-like disease. For cataracts that have not yet significantly affected vision, surgery can be suspended; when there is uncontrolled dry eye disease or active inflammation in the eye such as uveitis, surgery should not be performed, but should wait until the inflammation is controlled by medications. Intraoperative operation should be gentle and cataract removal should be complete. Postoperative medication should be strengthened to control postoperative reactions and postoperative dry eye, and attention should also be paid to adverse drug reactions such as increased intraocular pressure.  It is worth emphasizing that rheumatoid arthritis is the root cause of the disease, and controlling the condition of rheumatoid arthritis is a prerequisite for the treatment of related eye diseases. In addition, some drugs for rheumatoid arthritis are toxic to the retina and can affect the recovery of vision after cataract surgery. Therefore, for some patients whose fundus does not yet show abnormalities, frequent eye examinations are very necessary. Once early drug-related retinopathy is detected, ophthalmologic treatment is recommended along with the help of a wind-like guan specialist to adjust the treatment drug regimen in order to maximize the protection of the patient’s vision from further damage.  In conclusion, cataract removal in patients with achromatopsia requires not only skillful surgical skills, but also attention to the control of achromatopsia; preoperative and postoperative attention should be paid to the administration of necessary medications to create a good and stable condition for the operated eye. This is the only way to perfectly cure the cataract in patients with achromatopsia.