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HEALTHY EYES: CATARACTS’ TREATMENT
The biochemical process involved in cataract development results from enzyme activities. The enzyme count in your body drops as you get older, especially if less live foods such as sprouts are eaten. It\'s suggested that you should consume adequate quantities of raw vegetables, fruits, and grains to prevent cataracts.
The only traditionally accepted treatment for correction is the eventual removal of the cataract-covered lens by means of one of three types of extraction: intracapsular, extracapsular, and phacoemulsification. Surrounding the mass of the cloudy lens there is a thin layer called the capsule. In intracapsular extraction the cataract is taken out along with the capsule. In extracapsular surgery, the posterior capsule is left in place while the cataract is removed. In phacoemulsification, the posterior capsule is let intact while an ultrasonic needle emulsifies and sucks out the cataract.
About three months after any of these operations, corrective lenses - either eyeglasses or contacts - are fitted to the eyes. Or, lens removal may be combined with implantation of an artificial lens so as to avoid the need for wearing externally fitted aids. The artificial lens is theoretically intended to give patients normal vision.
Ninety-five percent of all cataracts are operable. Certain complications are common to all types of cataract surgery, but the chance of their occurring varies according to which operation is used. Most eye surgeons are using the extracapsular type of extraction because it seems to reduce the incidence of such complications as retinal detachment, infection, and swelling of the macular (as we defined it, the area of most distinct vision of the retina).
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GENERAL HEALTH
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