Q&A about a cataract

What is a cataract?

Normal vision occurs when light goes through the cornea, lens and vitreous humor, and is finally focused onto the retina. A cataract occurs when the lens deteriorates and becomes foggy and cloudy with age. A cataract will block light, scatter light and prevent the image from projecting onto the retina, causing blurry vision.

Cataract treatment

So far, no eye drops can effectively cure a decrease in vision caused by a cataract, and they can only lessen its deterioration, so surgery is the only effective treatment. With the development of eye microsurgery, cataract surgery is safe and one of the surgeries with the highest success rate.

Can a cataract be treated with laser?

A cataract cannot be treated only with laser, and surgery is still necessary. Laser-assisted surgery can greatly enhance safety and stability. Femtosecond Laser Assisted Cataract Surgery means some procedures originally performed by a doctor are replaced by the precise laser, but the other procedures are still performed in the operating room.

The use of preventive antibiotics

Cataract surgery has a success rate of up to over 95%, but few people still would probably have complications, such as corneal edema, high eye pressure, inflammation, bleeding and infections. For a decade, the large-scale statistical studies show that once the surgery is completed, injecting a safe dose of antibiotics into the anterior chamber of the eye can greatly reduce the probability of endophthalmitis and also offer the patient a safe option.

Cataract prevention

Besides the eye drops prescribed by an eye doctor, in daily life, wearing UV protection sunglasses outdoors, protecting against blue light indoors and having vitamins and antioxidant foods can all slow down cataract formation!

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Prevention is better than cure. Please protect your eyes in the sun! If any senior citizen in your family has the symptoms of a cataract, I suggest they consult a professional ophthalmologist and take a detailed examination and the following treatments.