Cataract

A cataract is an eye disease that manifests as a clouding of the lens inside the eye. This clouding can lead to a decline in visual acuity or quality - glare or blurriness. The natural process of aging is the main cause of cataracts. Other causes are trauma to the eye, congenital or acquired diseases of the eye and various medications.

In the first stages, the cataract may only lead to a change in eyeglass prescription. Later, there may be a decline in vision that cannot be treated with glasses. At this time, there is no way to prevent or treat cataracts with drugs, and the only treatment option is surgical removal.

Cataract surgery is the most common eye surgery currently performed. In surgery, the clouded lens is removed from the eye and replaced with a clear synthetic lens. The new lens is not visible to others, is not felt by the patient and does not harm the eye. In most cases, the surgery is performed under local anesthetic in the form of eye drops or injection, with the patient remaining awake during surgery, hearing what goes on, feeling the surgery, but feeling no pain. In most cases, patients do not need to stay overnight in the hospital. The surgery is done on an outpatient basis, and the patient goes back home when it is over. It is performed using a special probe that uses ultrasound waves to break up the lens.

The department also has sophisticated equipment to calculate the lens implanted in surgery, such that vision can be corrected and refraction adjusted to the patient's visual needs.