subject: Lens Implant That Could Cure Cataract [print this page] Cataract is a common eye disease which has affected lives of many people, especially elder citizens. They would also appear in younger individuals as well, which are usually caused by drugs, poor diet, environment and disease or congenital issues. The symptom related is that the natural lens of eyes comes to be yellow or opaque, resulting in patients incapability to see clearly, because the light or images could not reach the retina. To help patients out from this dilemma, researches have been done to find ways to cure cataract.
The original way to cure cataract is to implant lens in front of the iris. That is the colored part of the eye, so that the light or images would be reflected on the retina. However, it was reported that such an implant could damage the inner most layer of the cornea, the endothelium, which would probably contribute to serious eye problems. Therefore, the second generation of lens implants came into being. To avoid the similar problems, the lens then was put behind the iris. And then, the lens was kept far away from the cornea.
Then, with the advancement of technology concerned, there is a great achievement in cataract treatment. The surgeon would remove the cataract and then insert the implant directly through the cornea. It seems to replace a new lens for the patients. Other merits are that one would recover from the surgery within a shorter period and he/she will need no eyeglasses to assist him/her to see clearly after the surgery. During the procedure, lenses that are going to be implanted include multi focal, UV absorbing IOLs and many other options. They are all having been further developed.
However, every coin has two sides. There still exists an affect effect, a problem that how to correct the possible astigmatism. Some surgeons propose to wear corrective eyeglasses; however, it goes against the promise once they have made to the patients. Then some surgeons advocated making incisions in the cornea to reduce or eliminate the astigmatism post surgically. It comes out to be very successful, but some patients still do not want to undergo another procedure, which is rather troublesome.
Fortunately, through tough efforts, researches finally find a way to resolve the astigmatic problem. The STAAR Toric IOL helps to achieve it. It is reported that the patients will not have to wear glasses after the new IOL lens implanted, and glare seldom appears as well.
