INVC NEWS
New Delhi ,
Cataract is a condition of clouding of natural lens inside the eye and it results in a decline in vision. Usually, this condition develops with age slowly and may affect single or both eyes. The symptoms are like blurry vision, trouble looking at bright lights, 
halos around light, trouble seeing during night-time and faded colors, which eventually trouble in recognizing faces, reading and driving. After the decline of vision, it may also cause increase risk of falling. Cataract stand as responsible for 33% visual impairment and half of the blindness cases in the world.
There are many factors that cause Cataract. The primary cause is age and as the age grows, the risk of cataract also keeps increasing. Some other causes are trauma, skin diseases, radiation, certain medications, post-operative conditions, genetics, inadequate vitamin C. apart from these causes, genetics also play a vital role in causing the cataracts in eyes.
While there is no way to prevent cataracts, there are things you can do to slow their formation. Modifiable factors that increase the risk of cataract include smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, and excessive alcohol intake. You may also slow the formation of cataracts by protecting your eyes from direct sunlight.
In the beginning stages of cataracts, vision may be slightly improved using forms of visual correction. However, in the later stages, surgery may be required. Fortunately, surgery has proven to be extremely successful in the removal of cataracts. During cataract surgery, your physician will replace your natural lens with an IOL.
According to the latest assessment, cataract is responsible for 51% of world blindness, which represents about 20 million people. Cataract remains the leading cause of curable blindness. As people in the world live longer, the number of people with cataract is growing. Cataract is also an important cause of low vision in both developed and developing countries.
Laser Assisted Cataract Surgery
Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed surgical procedure all over the world and is extremely safe and successful to treat cataract which is a condition of clouding of the natural lens inside the eye. Traditional cataract surgery requires a series of delicate & skilful moves to ensure optimal outcomes. It requires placement of precise incisions, making a circular opening over the lens & breaking the cataract into multiple pieces which is then removed using ultrasound energy. However, advancements in healthcare technology have led to the evolution of the latest Laser Refractive Cataract Surgery (LRCS) technology replacing the first three essential manual steps of cataract surgery. Performing these delicate, intricate steps with laser technology is probably the most critical advantage as it is central to the outcome of the rest of the surgery. The use of Laser guided surgery provides faster recovery from surgery, better visual outcomes with reduced need for glasses post-surgery and also improves safety by reducing incidence of intraoperative complications & post-surgery infection. With the laser precise safe incisions can also be made on the cornea to neutralize any pre existent astigmatism & less requirement for glasses postoperatively.
Laser Refractive Cataract Surgery is performed with the use of femtosecond laser. This technology enables surgeons to remove cataracts easily and with good tissue preservation. This laser cataract system offers sophisticated laser pattern scanning technology; the surgeon is able to reduce the lens nucleus to small tiny pieces, facilitating thereby the subsequent removal of the lens nucleus. In this new technology, the advanced femtosecond laser replaces or assists in use of a handheld surgical tool for the most important steps performed in cataract surgery namely, corneal incisions, anterior capsulotomy and cataract fragmentation/softening.
Through all the above measures Laser Refractive Cataract Surgery ensures absolute precision, accuracy, repeatability & safety with better visual outcomes for the patient.
Dr Ramamurthy, Chairman & Chief Cataract & Refractive Surgeon, The Eye Foundation, added “Over the years I have witnessed the change in technology, specially lasers making a mark in surgical results and ease in operating complicated cataract cases. Every time, the precision, repeatability and safety of the robotic technology is what impresses me.”
According to patient, Mrs. Shanti Gowda, age 67 years, a resident of Kolar witnessed the gift of clear vision with minimal invasion through Laser Assisted Cataract Surgery for her second eye and said “My 24-year-old granddaughter was very worried in Bangalore about my age and the surgery, but I had less trouble compared to my first eye cataract surgery which was operated some 8 years back.”
Another patient, where laser femtosecond laser technology is used to deliver results in complicated conditions, Mrs. Toulre Miyala, 72yrs/female a teacher by occupation, a resident of Ivory Coast lost her vision in right eye 1 year ago and had a severe drop in vision in her left eye due to advanced cataract. She was a retired teacher and was unable to read, and do her daily activities making her entirely dependent on her daughter for all her day to day activities. She was also suffering from depression. In the search for a treatment of her eye condition she arrived to Bengaluru and visited The Eye Foundation hospital at Bellandur. After a thorough assessment of her eyes the doctors performed: –
1. Laser cataract surgery in the left eye with foldable intraocular lens giving her a dramatic improvement in vision to 6/6 in her left eye the very next day. The laser technology provided comfort and precision during surgery with a quick recovery to enable a wonderful experience.
2. The right eye had a dense corneal scar with no lens in the eye and needed to undergo a Femtosecond laser-assisted corneal transplantation combined with a specially designed scleral fixation of the intraocular lens done expertly by the corneal & Vitreoretinal surgeon without having any sutures restoring the vision in right eye. This procedure is challenging and was possible due to the vast surgical experience of the Eye foundation team at Bengaluru.
The post-surgery patient is able to resume her day to day activities and is motivated enough to start teaching again and live her life independently.
