Cataract is the opacification of the lens. The crystalline lens is a structure inside the eye that allows seeing through its natural transparency. When it loses its transparency it doesn’t allow anymore the clear view of things, similarly to a dirty window put in front of the eyes.

Cataract is, nowadays, the first cause of blindness and impaired vision worldwide, according to the WHO (World Health Organization).

On large population groups the cataract incidence is about one in 6 persons after the age of 40.

The main type of cataract is age-related, which occurs more frequently in people over 50.

Signs and symptoms of cataracts can vary widely from person to person, but the most common are:

– near and far visual impairment

– glare and decreased color contrast

– myopic shift

– monocular diplopia

Once these symptoms occur, they will always progress, at a variable rate (faster or slower, depending on the type of cataract).

The transformation of the lens with age is the main cause of cataract formation.

As the lens ages, it grows thicker and becomes stiffer. New layers of cortical fiber are added to the nucleus that is becoming denser and harder. Nuclear sclerosis is accompanied by increased pigmentation. Changes in the crystalline proteins lead to the formation of opacification.

Although the pathophysiology of age-related cataracts is not fully understood, the above mentioned changes are well known to be involved in this pathology.

Other less common causes for cataracts are: eye trauma (in traumatic cataracts), various medications, chronic systemic diseases, congenital syndromes, intraocular inflammation.

The main modifiable risk factors are smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol.

A poor nutritional intake seems to be, according to several recent studies, responsible for a higher prevalence of cataracts

The diagnosis of cataract is made mainly clinically with the aid of the slit lamp. This ophthalmological instrument allows a good visualization of eye structures and the correlation of symptoms with the observed structural changes of the lens.

Any decrease in vision should be checked by an ophthalmologist.

Cataract surgery, like any other type of surgery, has risks.

Today, however, the advanced technology used has reduced and minimized them.

The most feared risk is the ocular infection (endophthalmitis) that can lead in the worst cases to the loss of the eye. Fortunately this is an extremely small risk (about 0.1-0.2%) and in our clinic all necessary measures are taken to reduce it.

Simple rules, which seem insignificant, are applied to any eye surgery in our clinic:

The use of intracamerular antibiotics

Sanitizing the operating room for each patient

Laminar flow in the operating room

The use of sterile surgical fields and gloves for each patient

Impeccable preparation of the surgeon : Nail polish, jewelry and other accessories are forbidden in the operating room, and rigorous aseptic technique is used, as recommended by international protocols

The use of sets of sterile surgical instruments dedicated to each patient according to the particularity of the case

Changing the entire surgical set-up between patients

The use of disposable phakoemulsification kits

Our patient will be treated according to the latest standards and consistent with what we now call evidence-based medicine, medicine that is applicable anywhere in the world.

We do not do as “we have seen it works for us” but as “it has been proven to work”.

That’s why removing a perfectly transparent lens (though generally, a much simpler surgical technique) just to get rid of eyeglasses is not recommended by us because of the higher risk taken by the patient comparing to other treatments used today ( ex: laser refractive surgery).