At present, there is no evidence to suggest that laser-assisted cataract surgery is better than the “traditional” microsurgical cataract procedure. The actual cataract removal technique is the same.
The key to getting rid of it as soon as possible is to apply heat directly to the affected lid to dilate the blocked gland opening. This will also soften the trapped material within the blocked duct, making it easier for it to be massaged out with gentle pressure. The key to doing lid heat and massage effectively is to aim for 1-2 minutes of heat and to use a cotton flannel or muslin - they are thicker than cotton wool and will hold the heat for longer. Warm tap water is fine for heating the cloth, and it should feel soothingly warm rather than very hot. You will need to rewarm your flannel under the tap to achieve 60-90 seconds of heat and make sure that you are holding it over the opening to the blocked duct or gland. Often people hold the flannel around the eye socket, but this is too far away from the affected area to be helpful.
A fast-track treatment for individuals with glaucoma who also need cataract surgery is a game changer because it dramatically reduces the time that patients will spend in surgery and recovery. Thanks to medical advances, both conditions can now be treated in the same operation, meaning that the recovery time for patients is exactly the same as for a single cataract operation. Laura Crawley and her colleagues at the Western Eye Hospital at Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust were one of the first teams in the UK to offer revolutionary laser therapy and micro-stent implants to glaucoma patients.
Costs of private cataract treatment are an important consideration for all patients when doing their research. It varies depending on whether you are privately insured or self-funding your treatment. Here is how surgeons define what private cataract surgery costs.
Since the advent of the modern micro-incisional cataract removal technique known as phacoemulsification more than 20 years ago, surgery has become safer. This means patients can have safe cataract surgery much earlier than ever before and the change in your quality of life is transformative. People live much longer today than ever before and maintaining independence is crucial to them and their families.
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Glaucoma in its commonest form is entirely asymptomatic and you cannot rely at all on noticing a change in vision or other eye symptoms to alert you to the possibility that you might have early disease. However, there are some important warning signs you should not ignore.
Cataracts are a fact of life. The human lens ages as we get older and the lens inside our eye loses transparency over time. Just as we cannot stop wrinkles from developing, we cannot stop cataracts from developing entirely. You can counteract these changes in vision if you get cataract surgery.
Many of the patients who were registered blind in 2016-2017 potentially could have avoided this devastating vision loss if an eye healthcare professional picked up their glaucoma earlier. Don't be among those who rely on at home tests only to have their glaucoma fail to be detected until it's too late.
Glaucoma, like diabetic retinopathy, has no symptoms in the early stages. The early stages are the golden opportunity to diagnose and treat the condition so that you never lose significant vision in your lifetime. Having a routine eye examination doesn’t hurt, is easy and doesn’t involve long waits for test results.
