WHAT TO DO WHEN CATARACTS PROGRESS TOO QUICKLY?

Cataracts are a common vision impairment where the lens begins to become opaque and gradually loses its elasticity. Typically, cataracts progress at a slow rate, and diagnosis and treatment are manageable. However, there are also some types of cataracts that progress rapidly due to external influences, causing the patient to quickly lose serious vision and be at risk of blindness if not treated timely.

When is cataract considered rapidly progressive?

There are three types of rapidly progressive cataracts including cataracts, cortical cataracts, and congenital cataracts.

• Cataracts often develop in the center of the lens.
• A cortical cataract occurs on the outside of the lens, at the cortical site.
• Congenital cataract is an eye defect that occurs before birth or at the time of birth.

Cataracts are considered to be rapidly progressive if vision loss occurs quickly and clearly over a period of several years or even months instead of 10 years, accordingly, patients need to be prescribed early treatment to prevent Prevent the risk of blindness.

Rapidly progressive forms of cataracts may appear at younger ages due to a number of causes other than old age such as illness, exposure to radiation or trauma.

Causes cataracts to progress rapidly

There are many factors that cause cataracts to progress quickly, some of the main causes include:

Diabetes: Cataracts are likely to cause vision loss more quickly if the person has diabetes, which has difficulty controlling blood sugar levels, causing enzymes to convert too much glucose into sorbitol, thereby affecting affects the transparency of the lens.

Trauma: The progression of cataracts is closely related to eye injuries, which occur when the patient undergoes eye surgery, is exposed to toxic chemicals, falls, contusions to the eyeball, or being poked in the eye by an object. This is the most common cause of cataract progression.

Radiation: Regular exposure to high levels of radiation (radio waves, microwaves, infrared, ultraviolet, gamma rays,...) can lead to impaired vision, even causing blindness. within 2 years. If the patient is exposed less frequently, with lower radiation levels, the risk of blindness may appear after 10 years.

In particular, regardless of the type of cataract (fast or slow progression), the process of visual impairment can be more severe if the patient regularly smokes or abuses corticosteroids.

How to handle cataracts that progress quickly

When discovering that you have a rapidly progressing form of cataract, the patient should not worry too much because this condition can be thoroughly treated with advanced surgical methods, helping to restore optimal vision. Currently, there are two safe and effective cataract treatment methods: Phaco surgery and Cataract Laser surgery. The above two methods both bring a gentle feeling during the surgery, short surgery time of about 15 - 20 minutes, discharge from the hospital on the same day, after only 24 hours the patient can return to normal activities.

Phaco surgery

This is a surgery that has proven its safety and effectiveness over many years in many countries around the world. Operations are performed using a microsurgical knife, combined with specialized machinery and manual manipulation by the surgeon. The surgery is performed by crushing the cloudy natural lens and sucking it out to replace it with a suitable artificial lens.

Cataract Laser Surgery

This is a breakthrough in cataract treatment thanks to the application of laser technology in surgery to replace some manual operations, helping to improve the safety and accuracy of surgery, reducing the risk of infection and secondary astigmatism, shorten recovery time. The surgery is performed similar to the mechanism of Phaco surgery, but will use Femtosecond Laser rays instead of some manual operations by the surgeon.

To determine which method is right for you, patients should go to an ophthalmology hospital for an accurate examination and diagnosis. Normally, an ophthalmologist will advise on the appropriate method based on a number of factors such as age, general health, progression of cataracts, cause of the disease, and financial capacity of the patient. patient.

Some frequently asked questions

Are cataracts safe?

Regardless of whether a patient's cataract progresses quickly or slowly, cataract surgeries are highly rated for safety and all surgeries must fully comply with ophthalmological industry standards. . The average success rate of cataract surgery is up to 98%.

Besides, some surgeries may come with complications and risks depending on the stage of the disease and the specific condition of each patient. Therefore, the ophthalmologist will predict the results and provide all the necessary information for the patient to consider before performing surgery.

How much does cataract surgery cost?

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

• Phaco surgery: Single target: 16 - 32.000.000 VND/eye; Multifocal: 28 - 52.000.000 VND/eye.
• Cataract Laser Surgery: Single target: 38 - 54.000.000 VND/eye; Multifocal: 50 - 74.000.000 VND/eye.

👉 Learn more about cataract treatment services at Japan International Eye Hospital: https://jieh.vn/en/services/cataract-surgery.

If the patient needs to find their own suitable cataract surgery solution, quickly schedule an appointment https://jieh.vn/en/make-an-appointment or call Hotline 0902 24 22 91 - 024 3715 3666 to receive advice from a team of leading experts at Japan International Eye Hospital.