Here is an overview of the most frequently asked questions you are interested in.
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Cataract is an eye disorder clouding the normally clear lens of the eye. This clouding prevents light from passing through the retina, and the patient feels like he or she is looking through a frosty or fogged-up window. The incidence of cataracts increases with age, and it mostly affects patients aged 60 to 75. The most common cause of cataract is aging of the lens due to changes in its composition and size. Symptoms include blurred, worsened and distorted vision, both near and far, and sensitivity to light.
Depending on the type and intensity of a cataract you may notice any of the following symptoms:
Cataract diagnosis can be proved only by a comprehensive eye examination.
Please, bring your public health insurance card, list of medicines you take and eye glasses you wear. You do not need a recommendation from your ophthalmologist but if you have it, please bring it.
The pre-operative examination takes about 1.5 hours. During the examination, we will find out your anamnesis, ongoing condition, dioptric defects, intraocular pressure, and we provide an examination of your eyes and eye background by “dilation of the pupil using eye drops”. At the end of the examination the doctor shall explain the course of the surgery in detail and recommend you the most suitable surgery method and the type of intraocular lenses. Please, bring your eye glasses for the examination, as well as the list of medicines you take. You do not need a recommendation from your ophthalmologist. After the examination, you will not be able to drive for several hours.
The result depends on the type of intraocular lens that will be implanted during surgery. The choice of type of intraocular lenses is very individual. It always depends on the wishes of the patient, it means how he or she wants to see after surgery. Monofocal lenses provide sharp vision for only one distance. Multifocal lenses allow the patient to see without eye glasses at near and far distance. Trifocal lenses are more or less improved multifocal lenses which also enable high-quality vision at middle distance (e.g. when working on a computer). And if it is important for you to see very well in dark than it is recommended to choose aspherical lenses. The patient can get rid not only of cataract but also astigmatism which is treated by the so-called toric lenses. Your doctor will help you to choose the right type of a lens during your pre-operative examination.
The surgery in the course of which an ophthalmologist replaces the clouded lens with an artificial one is performed on the outpatient’s basis. It means that you come to the clinic in the morning on the day of your surgery and you leave it the same day. Together with the comprehensive pre-operative preparation the patient spends approximately 2-3 hours here. The procedure itself takes only 15 minutes and it is completely painless as the doctor puts the anaesthetic drops into the eye. The surgery is performed only on one eye and the other one is usually treated in 14 days.
The post-operative examination is recommended within 3 days either at the Eye Centre Prague or at your ophthalmologist. It depends which option suits you better and it depends on the doctor consultation.
The operated eye is covered with a sterile patch till the next day. After removing the patch the patient can see normally.
If you choose only monofocal lenses you will need eye glasses for one distance (depending on your choice before surgery). We can prescribe you eye glasses at the Eye Centre Prague or your ophthalmologist can do it about a month after the surgery when the vision is fixed and dioptres do not vary anymore.
