Cataract
CATARACT SURGERY
Any opacity in the lens or its capsule is called a cataract. However cataract is the opacity in lens preventing clear image formation on retina. Cataracts cause half of all cases of blindness and 33% of visual impairment worldwide. According to a study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, an estimated 570,000 individuals are bilaterally blind from cataract in Pakistan. Unfortunately, the cost is the most frequently reported barrier to accessing eye care services in Pakistan.Though most cases of cataract are related to the aging process, occasionally children can be born with the condition, or a cataract may develop after eye injuries, inflammation, and some other eye diseases.
THE PROBLEM
Although cataracts can be surgically removed, but barriers such as poverty and unavailability of healthcare facilities exist that prevent patients to access surgery. As the average human age has increased due to which people in the world live longer and the increasing population in Pakistan, the number of people with cataract in our country is anticipated to grow.
Globally, cataract is the single largest cause of blindness. Cataract surgery has been shown to be one of the most cost-effective health-care interventions. Surgery and the insertion of an intraocular lens result in almost immediate visual rehabilitation.
THE SOLUTION
Hashmanis Welfare Foundation provides free cataract surgery to poor elderly persons in different cities of Pakistan. Treatment is administered in remote rural areas. Teams regularly survey remote areas identifying the need for surgery amongst impoverished elderly persons.
Hashmanis Welfare Foundation has been organizing Free Cataract Surgeries Camps all over the Pakistan since 1979 especially in the suburban areas where health facilities are either not available or are simply insufficient. Also, the population is mostly very poor and are unable to afford even the simple visits to the doctor.
In these camps our surgeons examine the patients and perform free cataract surgeries in our mobile operation theater, patients are also provided free prescribed medicines and sunglasses.
Following surveys, identified patients are invited to eye-camps or centers where cataract surgery can be rendered. In the free surgery provided, there are no stitches and patients are discharged, with free eye drops in hand, within of five hours of arriving for treatment.
Through your support and partnerships, Hashmanis Welfare Foundation will be able to reach out thousands of more people from underprivileged section of society and provide them quality eye care facilities, which they were unable to take because of numerous reasons like financial incapability, lack of knowledge or awareness, etc.
The gift of sight is a great blessing from Allah, Glory be to Him. Donors can give their Zakat, Donation and Sponsor for this noble project – one which helps restore sight to our elderly mothers and fathers.
FACTS AND FAQS ABOUT CATARACT SURGERY
The decision of cataract surgery depends on the patient’s need (visual demand) or presence of cataractous lens-induced complications.
Phacoemulsification, Manual small incision cataract surgery, and conventional extracapsular cataract extraction.
As the corneal incision size is smaller than 3mm, no suture is required and wound seals by valve action, which also provides early wound healing and early ambulation. It can substantially reduce surgically induced astigmatism and the chance of post-operative infection.
Femto cataract surgery is a Femtolaser assisted surgery for precise corneal incision, accurate capsulorhexis, and reduction in power and time of ultrasonic phaco energy to provide better visual outcome.
Cataract cannot recur once removed but, in some cases, patients may suffer with cloudy vision due to posterior capsular opacification (PCO) which can be removed by simple laser process.
On some occasions, the patients can experience halos around light or crescent-shaped shadow which cure over the period of time.
Usually, patients can continue living their normal schedule within 24hours of the surgery but, as IOL is inserted, it may take a couple of days to get accustomed to the situation and gain the desired vision.
Most cataracts develop slowly, over a length of time and affect people over the age of 50. About half of the population has a cataract by the age of 65, and nearly everyone over the age of 75 will have developed a mild cataract in one or both eyes. In rare cases, infants may have a congenital or developmental cataract.
IOLs are medical devices that are implanted inside the eye to replace the eye’s natural lens when it is removed during cataract surgery. There are two main IOLs types to consider: monofocal and multifocal intraocular lenses. Monofocal lenses correct your vision within a specified distance. Multifocal IOLs, on the other hand, may correct both distance and close-up vision. Additionally, toric lenses can be a great choice if you suffer from astigmatism.
As with any surgery, pain, infection, swelling and bleeding are possible, but very few people experience serious cataract surgery complications. In most cases, complications or side effects from the procedure can be successfully managed with medication or a follow-up procedure. To reduce your risk for problems after cataract surgery, be sure to follow the instructions by your surgeon and report any unusual occurrences immediately.
If you opt for standard cataract surgery with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation, you will need reading glasses and possibly computer glasses. There are cataract surgery options that can reduce or sometimes even eliminate your need for glasses. In particular, the premium implantable lenses such as multifocal IOL can provide excellent outcomes that enable many people to be free from spectacles for the greater part of their day.
Another option is monovision cataract surgery, by which the power of the single vision IOL is customized in each eye to expand the range of clear vision when the two eyes function in unison. In this scenario, the dominant eye provides sharper distance vision, and the non-dominant eye provides sharper near vision.
This is a misconception that is believed by some. Visual outcome depends on the quality of the surgery, not the season. In this era, phacoemulsification surgery enables smaller incision, which helps in early wound healing and ambulation. The patient can take a bath in only a few days after the surgery.
17% of the adults in Pakistan suffers from diabetics. 30% of the patients have uncontrolled diabetics that later develop into diabetic retinopathy, an irreversible blindness.
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