Cataracts
Cataracts result in loss of transparency of the natural clear lens which results in patients finding it increasingly difficult to see. The first sign may be an increased reliance upon reading glasses. These can be removed through a simple quick operation. A choice exists of types of intraocular lenses available to replace the cataract with new types of intraocular lenses.
Intraocular Lens Procedures
An intraocular surgical procedure is used to treat patients who are either not suitable for laser surgery because their refractive error is too great or they have a corneal problem. The two principal types of intraocular procedure include phakic IOL implantation or clear lens extraction.
- Phakic IOLs gain their name on the basis that a person retains their own lens within the eye and these lenses are additional. They can be thought of as implantable contact lenses.
- Clear Lens Extraction is particularly suitable for people over the age of 40 where their natural lens is becoming less flexible and unable to change shape and focus. The procedure is reserved for patients with large refractive errors who are not suitable for laser refractive surgery
Cataract results
In 2007 alone Cathedral Eye Clinic has currently carried out more than 900 cataract operations. The results of these surgeries are constantly being audited with the aim to ensure that results are of the highest standard possible and where possible to fine tune and constantly improve these results.
Postoperative overall visual results of cataract surgery carried out by The Cathedral Eye Clinic demonstrated that greater than 90% of patients resulted in a best corrected vision of 6/12 or better. This compares well with similar studies carried out in the UK with the final visual acuity in some patients very much related to the degree of co-morbidity.
The first column represents the visual results published from the most commonly reported national UK study of cataract results called the National cataract survey published by Desai in the BJO, this represents the visual results from 15787 patients. The second column represents the visual results from 400 consecutive cataract patients treated in 2007 by the Cathedral Eye Clinic in conjunction with 352 medical consulting.
Best Corrected Visual Acuity Post surgery:
UK NCS
Cathedral Eye Clinic / 352
All patients 86% >/= 6/12
92.5%>/=6/12
Desai; P, Minassian DC & Reidy A. National cataract surgery survey 1997−8: a report of the results of the clinical outcomes. Br J Ophthalmol 1999; 83: 1336−1340.
