Healthy eye vision is vital for performing day-to-day activities without any trouble. But there are certain problems or medical conditions that can cause blurry vision leading to vision-related issues. One such medical condition that increases the glare from the lights and causes blurry vision and causes difficulty in performing daily activities is a cataract. To rectify the lens-related problem caused by cataracts, the doctor may recommend cataract surgery. Phacoemulsification is one such type of cataract surgery. This article gives detail about Phacoemulsification.
What is Phacoemulsification?
Cataract surgery is generally performed to restore vision laws due to cataract problems. Cataract causes cloudy lens and makes the vision blurry. Hence in cataract surgery, the clouded lens is replaced by an artificial lens. Among various types of cataract surgery, phacoemulsification surgery uses ultrasonic devices which help in breaking up the cloudy lens and thereby improve the eye vision. Once the cataract surrounding the eye lenses is removed then an artificial lens is placed into the empty lens area.
Cataract surgery details:
Cataract surgery is generally very safe and very effective surgeries. With more advanced technologies the surgeries have helped in restoring eye vision successfully. Cataract surgery r journaling is performed by an expert ophthalmologist or eye surgeon. The price of cataract surgery varies from region to region, for example, cataract surgery in Gurgaon could cost approximately 20,000 INR to 60,000 INR. It can go high based on the medical condition of the patient.
The phacoemulsification procedure
Earlier cataract surgery employed larger incisions and where a painful procedure hence in 1960 Charles Kelman came up with a new way of removing the clouded lens of cataracts. It was found that the cataract could be broken down using ultrasound waves and this led to the evolution of phacoemulsification.
During the process of phacoemulsification, the surgeon administers anesthesia behind the eyeball area and then applies pressure to stop any bleeding. The surgeon then, with the help of a microscope looks and makes an incision of about 3mm near the side of the cornea. Then a viscoelastic fluid is injected into 2 intraocular tissues to reduce pressure and shock. Then a microscopic circular incision is made in the membrane that is surrounding the cataract. With the help of a water stream, the cataract is detached from the cortex. Now the surgeon inserts a small needle into the cornea which is also known as phaco tip. The ultrasound waves are emitted from these Phaco tips which emulsify the cataract which is then sucked through a suction. After this, the surgeon removes the cortex of the lens and the interocular lens is inserted and the wasp viscoelastic fluid is removed. Thus, now the cloudy lens is removed with an artificial lens. This entire procedure takes nearly 20 minutes to complete. Stitches are used to close the tiny incision near the cornea after the procedure. Once the patient’s vital signs are good the patient is sent back home enter this procedure does not require an overnight stay in a hospital.
In another procedure which is known as the extracapsular cataract extraction procedure, there is a need to make a larger incision when compared to phacoemulsification. Surgical tools are inserted via this larger incision to remove the cloudy lens.
Advantages:
Phacoemulsification has numerous advantages over other cataract surgeries some of these advantages are as follows:
- Phacoemulsification requires smaller incisions and thus requires less recovery time.
- This procedure can be performed very quickly than other cataract surgeries.
- Phacoemulsification procedure provides lens stability than other procedures
- Finding a surgeon who is an expert in phacoemulsification is much easier than other cataract surgery experts. There are numerous phacoemulsification experts in India who are capable of performing safe and secure cataract surgeries. Phacoemulsification cataract surgery in Gurgaon has a basic price of 37,000 INR. The price of the surgery can vary from one region to another and its average price in India is 26,000 INR.
Risk factors after the surgery:
Complications after the cataract surgery especially the Phacoemulsification procedure are very rare. Though some patients experience spontaneous bleeding from the surgical area, inflammation, double vision, floaters, and flashing problems after a few weeks of the surgery. Search symptoms should be notified to the surgeon immediately. The problems like floaters must not be neglected because they may indicate a medical condition on a very serious complication known as retinal detachment. There are also chances of infection in the eyeball which may require treatment with antibiotics. Hence it is necessary to take rest after the surgery and notify the any of the side effects or signs to the surgeon immediately. Moreover, it is highly essential to get cataract surgery done by an expert surgeon.
Takeaway:
In early days cataract was considered to be every challenging medical condition affecting vision problems. Slowly with the evolving technology and advancement in medical science have helped in overcoming cataract related issues. Phacoemulsification is one such advanced cataract surgery that uses ultrasound waves to emulsify (detach) the cataract and help in overcoming blurry vision. This surgery is considered to be one of the safest and most effective cataract surgery. Generally, there are no complications or side effects of the surgery but in case the patient is experiencing problems like bleeding, or floater, and flashing sensation then it is necessary that the patient notifies the surgeon as soon as possible to ensure that there are no other medical conditions associated with it.