How To Regain Eyesight

After-Cataract (Secondary Cataract)
 
When the clouded natural lens is removed and a synthetic lens implanted, it's impossible for cataracts to "come back." Sometimes, however, the natural lens capsule, part of which remains in the eye to hold the implanted lens in place, becomes clouded or thickened. This posterior capsule opacity - which can develop months or years after your surgery - is also called an after-cataract or secondary cataract. It is quite common and affects younger patients more often than older patients. 
 

How To Regain Eyesight

Fortunately, the problem can be quickly and safely repaired with a five-minute outpatient procedure called YAG laser capsulotomy. Your eye surgeon will use an yttrium aluminum garnet (FAG) laser to make a small hole in the back of the lens capsule, allowing light through. The procedure is painless, requiring no incision or sutures.
 
When to Call Your Doctor 

Get in touch with your doctor right away or follow his or her emergency instructions if you are concerned about symptoms that are more severe or last longer than expected. These may include inflammation (pain, redness, swelling), haziness, marked decrease in vision, nausea, vomiting, excessive coughing, light flashes, or multiple floaters. 

The Future of Cataract Treatment 

As baby boomers approach their mid-sixties, the volume of cataract surgery is skyrocketing, as is the demand for even greater safety, convenience, and visual acuity. Accordingly, researchers throughout the world are investigating, testing, or introducing lens materials, surgical techniques, and prevention methods that could revolutionize the treatment of not only cataracts but also other eye conditions, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and presbyopia. Here is just a sample of cataract-related scientific work in various stages of development:
 
Cataract Prevention Strategies

• Formulation of chemical compounds to prevent or halt cataract development, which might also stop the progression of muscular dystrophy, traumatic brain injury, and Type 2 diabetes
• The use of topical antioxidants to remove heavy metal ions from the eye, with promising results, especially in the treatment of diabetic cataracts
• Genetic research that could lead to gene therapy for cataracts and other eye disorders 

Prevention of After-Cataracts (Posterior Capsule Opacification)

• Improvements in IOL design and materials, such as development of a polyethylene glycol coating that would prevent formation of opacities on the capsule
• Refinements in phacoemulsification techniques

Intraocular Lens (IOL) Improvements

• Development of an implantable lens gel 
• Development of IOLs whose focusing strength can be adjusted after cataract surgery by applying the appropriate wavelength of light to change the lens's shape

Also Being Studied

• Development of IOL injection devices, combined with new ultrasonic probes, for use in incisions as small as one millimeter
• Refinements in IOL power calculation
• Prevention of infection and inflammation by implanting a drug-delivery device in the eye 
• A two-stage cataract procedure, consisting of standard cataract surgery followed by refractive surgery using a special laser to precisely adjust the shape of the cornea 
• Presbyopic corneal inlays, for improved near vision while retaining distance vision 

Ophthalmic researchers and optical scientists envision exciting possibilities for safe, noninvasive ways to prevent and correct vision damage in people of all ages. Some of the developments described above are many years away from practical application. Others are just becoming available for use by experienced and highly skilled eye surgeons.
 

One thing is certain: Cataract surgery and lens replacement have made huge strides in just the past few years. The procedure is safer and faster, and the results more satisfying, than anyone could have imagined in the days when, after cataract surgery, patients had to wear thick, heavy eyeglasses to have any vision at all. If you have cataract surgery today, and your surgeon has kept abreast of improved techniques and materials, you can thank the pioneering work of scientists and eye specialists for restored clarity of vision, independence, and quality of life that you will appreciate as never before. To find out more, you can check out How To Regain Eyesight.

How To Improve Eyesight Without Surgery

Dilating the Pupils
 
For certain additional tests - to examine your general eye health and the retina, optic nerve, and blood vessels - the doctor will need to dilate your pupils using eye drops. These drops take about twenty minutes to fully open the pupils, giving the doctor a much wider view of the inside of your eyes than would be possible with constricted pupils.

After dilation, your vision might be blurred and highly sensitive to light for several hours. You won't want to walk out into bright sunlight with your eyes uncovered. If you don't have sunglasses, most eye doctors will give you disposable sunglasses to wear on the way home. Since there's no way of knowing how long it will take your eyes to return to normal, the best course is to arrange for someone to drive you home.
 
Ophthalmoscopic Examination
 
An ophthalmoscope is a specialized device through which your doctor can inspect the blood vessels and the optic nerve at the back of the eye. He or she will also examine the retina for detachment and tears, and the small areas on the retina responsible for sharp vision (the fovea) and central vision (the macula).

Slit-Lamp Examination
 
A slit lamp, or biomicroscope, allows the doctor to see signs of infection or disease at the front of the eye, including problems in the eyelids, cornea, conjunctiva (the thin, transparent membrane that protects the front of the eye), and iris. Using a higher-powered lens, he or she can also see to the back of the eye, detecting macular degeneration and other problems. During a slit-lamp exam, your head will be comfortably stabilized on the lamp's chin rest.

As its name suggests, the slit lamp shines slits of light into the eye. The size of the slit is adjustable, so the doctor can see very small sections of the eye at very high magnification. The lens nucleus is clearly visible, as are the lens position, the other layers of the lens, and the degree of brunescence (browning of the lens), which is responsible for some cataract patients' inability to distinguish blues and purples.
 
Visual Field Measurement
 
The simplest way to test your field of vision - how far you can see to the left and right out of the corners of your eyes - is for you to focus on the doctor's face while he or she moves a finger slowly to the side and asks you to signal when you can no longer see it. An instrument called a perimeter, which emits flashes of light, can be used to reveal blind spots. You simply stare at an image and tell the doctor when you see a flash.

Tonometry-lntraocular Pressure (lOP) Measurement
 
As part of a routine eye exam, your eye doctor will probably use a tonometer to screen your eyes for glaucoma. A noncontact tonorneter is generally used for screening. It expels a puff of air toward the eye and measures the resulting small, instantaneous indentation. The size of the indentation indicates the intraocular pressure (IOP) inside the eye. Other types of tonometers are placed directly on the cornea after the eye is numbed with eye drops.
 
Potential Acuity Testing
 
If you have cataracts, the doctor may perform potential acuity testing, a measure of what your vision would be like if the cataracts were removed. Potential acuity testing is especially useful in determining how much of your vision loss is due to cataracts. One way of testing potential acuity is with a pinhole acuity meter, which projects an eye chart directly onto the retina, bypassing the cataract.
 

Contrast Sensitivity Testing
 
If cataracts make it hard for you to differentiate shades of gray, you have low contrast sensitivity. Your eye doctor might measure this by using a low-contrast visual-acuity chart, or possibly a chart with different contrast levels on symbols of the same size. To find out more, you can check out How To Improve Eyesight Without Surgery.

How To Improve Ur Eyesight

Choosing Your Eye Doctor
 
In the United States, comprehensive eye exams can be performed by ophthalmologists and optometrists. What's the difference between these specialists? 

An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor (M.D.), like an orthopedic surgeon, neurosurgeon, or plastic surgeon, who has completed medical school, an internship, and an ophthalmology residency to learn the medicine and surgery of the eyes, eyelids, and ocular system. Cataract and refractive surgeons are ophthalmologists who further specialize in surgical correction of vision and focusing problems.
 

An optometrist, also called an optometric doctor (O.D.), specializes in primary eye care including vision correction and medical conditions of the eye. Optometrists can prescribe glasses, contact lenses, and medications, but they do not perform surgery. If an optometrist diagnoses cataracts or eye disease, he or she will refer the patient to an ophthalmologist for treatment. Many optometrists work closely with ophthalmologists to comanage the preoperative and postoperative care of cataract-surgery patients.
 
An optician fits and dispenses eyeglasses and, in some states, contact lenses, Outside the United States, some countries license ophthalmic opticians to perform eye exams.
 
Who Performs Cataract Surgery? 

The surgical treatment of cataracts should be done by an ophthalmologist - one who is well qualified, experienced, and respected by colleagues and patients. You can find out about a doctor's credentials from his or her office, the local medical society, a hospital where the doctor is on staff, or the HMO, if applicable. Several sources on the Internet give you access to national and state sources of physician information.

Ask your optometrist or primary-care physician to recommend an ophthalmologist. If you have cataracts, consider seeking an ophthalmologist who specializes in treating cataracts. If you're leaning toward a particular doctor, arrange to talk with a few of his or her patients. Since cataract surgery is so common, you should have no trouble finding people who have had the procedure.
 
Scheduling Your Eye Exam 

Even if your vision is perfect, you should have a baseline eye exam at age forty, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Your eye doctor can detect even small changes in your vision and eye health by comparing later eye-exam results to the baseline exam.
 
Don't wait until you're forty if you have diabetes or high blood pressure, if you are taking steroids, if you have a family history of eye disorders, or if you're having problems with your eyes. Schedule your baseline exam right away.
 
After doing your baseline exam, the doctor will let you know when you should come back. The American Academy of Ophthalmology's recommended eye-exam schedule is:

• every two to four years until you're sixty-five
• every one or two years after age sixty-five 
• any time you're having problems with your eyes

Preparing for Your Eye Exam 

Before you go to your appointment, assemble your medical records. Your eye doctor will want information about:

• any past eye disorders, injuries, and operations
• past and present medical problems
• all medications you're taking, including contraceptives and other prescription drugs, over-the- counter medications, herbs, and homeopathic products, as well as food supplements such as vitamins and minerals 
• any family history of eye disease 
• your occupation and hobbies (in order to determine the potential for injury and also to understand how you use your eyes - primarily for driving or computer work, for example) 
• your primary-care doctor's name, address, and phone number 

Be sure to take your eyeglasses or contact lenses to your appointment. Take sunglasses, too, because your doctor will probably use eye drops to dilate your pupils, and the enlarged pupils will make your eyes extremely sensitive to bright light for several hours. In fact, you might want to arrange for someone to drive you home. To find out more, you can check out How To Improve Ur Eyesight.