Cataract Surgery: Cost and Overview

Why is your eye lens cloudy?

The human eye lens, also known as the crystalline lens, is made up of three parts: the lens capsule, the lens epithelium, and the lens fibres, which regulate the amount of light that enters the eye. Transparency, thickness, and flexibility issues with the eye lens can impair focusing and cause your vision to become hazy and cloudy.

Many people have clouded or blurred vision, and some have faded color, difficulty seeing in bright lights, difficulty seeing at night, and double vision. All of these are symptoms of cataracts, which are cloudy areas in the eye lens that cause a decrease in vision and can lead to permanent blindness and visual impairment.

Toxins, radiation, ultraviolet light, and diseases such as diabetes and hypertension can all accelerate the denaturing of proteins in the eye lens, which is the most common cause of cataracts. Some medications, such as corticosteroids, as well as smoking and drinking, can aggravate the condition of the eye lenses. Blunt trauma to the eyes can also cause lens fibers to swell, thicken, and whiten, resulting in blurred vision. Genetics and gene disorders are the most common causes of early childhood cataracts.

Nuclear sclerosis or condensation on the lens nucleus and the deposition of brown pigment within the lens are the most common types of cataracts, followed by cortical or opaque of the lens cortex and posterior subcapsular or cloudy at the back of the lens adjacent to the capsule in which the lens sits. These symptoms can be partial or total, stationary or progressive.

How to treat cataracts?

Cataracts can be slowed by protecting your eyes from sunlight and ultraviolet rays, quitting smoking, and taking care of any other health issues, particularly diabetes, which causes other vision problems. However, cataract surgery is the only treatment option for cataracts.

Since ancient Egypt, cataracts have been treated surgically by removing the hazy and cloudy original crystalline lens. Current major procedures on cataract surgery include Phacoemulsification, which uses an ultrasonic handpiece to emulsify malfunctioning eye lenses, Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (MSICS), which uses self-sealing scleral tunnel wounds to express out entire eye lenses, and Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery, which uses a femtosecond laser to make an incision.

The crystalline lens will then be replaced with a foldable artificial intraocular lens made of polymethyl methacrylate. There are now multifocal intraocular lenses that allow patients to see objects at multiple distances without the need for eyeglasses or contact lenses. As a result, these options are more expensive than traditional mono-focal lenses.

What needs to be done for cataract surgery?

An ophthalmologist must perform an eye examination before cataract surgery to determine the degree of vision loss and the presence of other sight-threatening diseases such as age-related macular degeneration or glaucoma that cannot be cured with cataract surgery. If the patient is a candidate for surgery, eyedrops may be prescribed to prevent infection and reduce swelling during and after the procedure.

On the day of surgery, the eyes will be numbed with eye drops or with an injection around the eye. The surgeon used a special microscope in aid of making tiny incisions using a blade or laser to reach the lenses. The incision is being done to remove the cataract, and then put the intraocular lens into place. The shield will be placed to protect your eyes as the incision is self-sealing and will heal itself over time.

After the operation, the ophthalmologist would require to use eye drops frequently. Direct contact with water or soap is prohibited, also rub or pressing on your eyes. Some may ask to wear sunglass or shields in the daytime, and a protective eye shield when sleeping to protect your eyesight. The patient also needs some recovery time before safely returning to exercise, driving, or doing other activities.

Some patients may suffer from cloudly or blurry vision after years of cataract surgeries, which is medically called posterior capsular opacification or PCO caused by the membrane that holds the lenses called the posterior capsule becoming cloudly. However, this symptom can be treated with a posterior capsulotomy using a laser to create an opening in the cloudy capsule and restore clear vision. 

Cataract Surgery at Phyathai 1 International

Eye Center at Phyathai 1 International is available with cataract surgery by a professional  ophthalmologist using an ultrasound device which reduces suture and recovery time, making cataract removal and insertion of the intraocular lens can be done within hours and without a hospital stay. Eye Center at Phyathai 1 International is also capable of other minor and major eye surgery including retinal surgery, glaucoma surgery, eye muscle surgery, and tear duct surgery. All are done by experts with the support of the most advanced technologies.

For treatment of cataracts, or other problems with eyes and vision, please consult with our specialist Eye Center, open daily from 7 am to 7 pm. To ensure the fastest procedure time, We recommend taking a reservation  by phone at number (+66)2-201-4600 ext.3659-60 or by E-mail at [email protected].