In the world, approximately 1.3 billion people suffer from some type of vision deficiency, and cataracts is one of the main causes, according to the World Health Organization. These consist of the opacification of the natural lens of the eye, called the crystalline lens. This time, Dr. José Santos, ophthalmologist at Clinica Ricardo Palma will give us more information on the subject.

Causes

The main cause is age. Over the years, the proteins that make up the lens, which are normally transparent, become denatured, causing the lens to become cloudy. However, there are other causes not related to age, such as:

• Trauma
• Diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, among others
• Use of drugs such as corticosteroids
• Family genetics

Symptoms

Among the main symptoms are:

• Blurry vision
• Colors look dull
• Photophobia
• Double vision etc.

Treatment

When cataracts cause a significant decrease in vision, producing limitations in the person’s activities, the immediate treatment is surgery. This consists of extracting the natural lens of the eye and replacing it with an artificial intraocular lens, through a 2 mm cut in the cornea. Thus, recovering the transparency of the ocular media, improving visual acuity and the patient’s quality of life.

Recommendations before and after surgery

Before surgery, the patient must perform:

• Blood test
• Cardiological surgical risk
• Study of the eye (calculation of the intraocular lens, study of eye pressure, of the retina, macula and optic nerve)

After surgery, the following care should be taken:

• Frequent evaluation
• Avoid physical exertion
• Avoid carrying weight
• Avoid rubbing your eyes
• Wearing dark glasses and anti-inflammatory antibiotic drops

Dr. José Santos
Ophthalmologist at Clínica Ricardo Palma