CAN PEOPLE WITH SYSTEMIC DISEASES HAVE CATARACT SURGERY?

The risk of developing cataracts (a common disease that causes vision loss) increases as patients reach the age of 50 or older. At this stage, in addition to vision problems, some elderly people also have to deal with systemic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. This raises a big question for many patients: "Does the underlying disease affect cataract surgery?" This article will help patients better understand the impact of systemic diseases on cataract surgery, as well as the necessary precautions to ensure the surgery is safe and effective.

Cataract surgery methods

Cataract is a common disease that causes vision loss in the elderly and is the leading cause of blindness in the world. In Vietnam, each year, about 150,000 people with cataracts need to be screened and surgically intervened promptly to improve vision and protect eye health. Currently, cataracts can be treated quickly and gently by Phaco or Laser Cataract artificial lens replacement methods.

Traditional Phaco surgery is performed by a microsurgical knife and manual manipulations of the doctor with the support of machines. The mechanism of Phaco surgery is to use high-frequency ultrasound waves to crush the cataract and suck it out, then replace it with an artificial lens to restore vision to the patient. This method has many advantages such as a small incision of only 2 - 3 mm, a quick surgery time of only 15 minutes, almost no pain, no bleeding, no need to suture the incision, improved vision within 4 - 6 hours after surgery and reasonable cost.

The modern surgical method Laser Cataract is known as the most advanced cataract treatment solution today. Although it has a similar mechanism to Phaco surgery, Laser Cataract surgery is significantly improved thanks to the application of Femtosecond Laser technology to replace some manual operations of the surgeon (creating an incision, creating a tear in the capsule and splitting the cloudy lens). Therefore, this method helps to preserve corneal endothelial cells better, the incision is more precise in terms of incision width and tear line, reduces the risk of postoperative infection, combines astigmatism treatment and reduces the risk of secondary astigmatism, helping patients undergo surgery smoothly and recover vision quickly.

Can people with systemic diseases have cataract surgery?

According to Dr. Vu Anh Tuan - Professional Director of Japan International Eye Hospital - Leading expert in the field of Cataract treatment in Vietnam, people with cataracts are mainly the elderly - this is a group that often comes with many systemic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease... Thanks to the development of modern medical technology, current cataract treatment methods all have a high success rate of up to 98% and do not affect the above systemic diseases.

Patients can absolutely undergo cataract surgery, provided that their systemic diseases have been controlled in a stable state before entering the operating room, specifically as follows:

• For diabetic patients, blood sugar levels reach 70 mmol/L when fasting.
• For patients with high blood pressure, antihypertensive drugs can be used, so that the blood pressure index reaches a maximum of 130 - 140 mmHg and a minimum of 85 - 90 mmHg.
• For patients who have had stents placed or have cardiovascular disease that requires anticoagulants, according to the recommendations of the Association of Refractive and Cataract Surgery, cataract surgery methods are in the low-risk group, patients do not even need to take anticoagulants before surgery, because the surgical mechanism does not affect blood vessels and does not cause bleeding. However, to ensure the safest surgery, ophthalmologists often recommend that patients take anticoagulants about 24 hours before surgery, and can continue taking the medication normally after the end of treatment.

What should patients pay attention to before cataract surgery?

• Patients should avoid wearing contact lenses at least 3 days before cataract surgery. Wearing contact lenses can irritate the eyes, affecting the time of surgery. Patients can use glasses instead of contact lenses to support vision.
• Patients should avoid using alcoholic beverages (wine, beer) at least 1 day before cataract surgery. These drinks can increase the risk of dry eyes and interact with some medications prescribed during artificial lens replacement surgery.
• Regarding clothing, patients should wear comfortable clothes and avoid wearing tank tops.
• Do not wear furry clothes, avoid wearing high heels. Regarding cosmetic issues, patients should avoid makeup, do not use perfume or spray deodorants, do not use hair spray.

• Patients need to pay attention to their eye condition and overall health. If you detect any unusual symptoms in the body, or your eyes are red and swollen and have a lot of discharge, talk to your ophthalmologist to check your health condition and treat any arising diseases (if any) before entering cataract surgery.

• Patients need to discuss with their doctor about any medications they are taking. Some medications can increase the risk of bleeding during surgery or affect the patient's quality of vision after surgery.

• Patients need to understand the eye care precautions and common phenomena after cataract surgery, as well as discuss any questions with their ophthalmologist before entering surgery.

Cataract Surgery at Japan International Eye Hospital

Invested and managed by Paris Miki Holdings Group, Japan International Eye Hospital offers a high-quality cataract examination and treatment experience:

• A team of leading surgeons in Vietnam, trained domestically and internationally, with nearly 30 years of experience in diagnosing and treating cataracts.
• The leading medical equipment system in Southeast Asia, ensuring accurate examination results and supporting a smooth surgery process.
• High-quality and diverse artificial lenses, carefully selected from leading brands in the world.

Currently, the price of cataract surgery at the Japan International Eye Hospital is applied as follows:

• Cost of Phaco surgery - monofocal nucleus: from 16,000,000 VND to 32,000,000 VND/eye.
• Cost of Phaco surgery - multifocal nucleus: from 28,000,000 VND to 52,000,000 VND/eye.
• Cost of Cataract Laser surgery - monofocal nucleus: from 38,000,000 VND to 54,000,000 VND/eye.
• Cost of Cataract Laser surgery - multifocal nucleus: from 50,000,000 VND to 74,000,000 VND/eye.
• Patients will receive a gift package including 4 months of free post-operative check-ups, eye protection glasses and one-time post-operative medication.

Cataract surgery is essential to maintain good vision quality and prevent the risk of blindness for patients. Current cataract surgery methods are highly safe and provide optimal treatment results, even for patients with systemic diseases. If you are planning to have cataract surgery but are concerned about your current health condition, please consult a medical professional for advice and detailed instructions.