The anterior segment of the eye, that is, the part that goes from the most superficial layer, the transparent cornea, to the posterior part of the crystalline lens, which would be the equivalent of the lens of a camera, can be the epicenter of different eye and vision alterations, among which the most frequent by far is the cataract.
What are cataracts?
Cataracts are the opacification of these natural objective lenses of the optical system. Cataract surgery, that is, the surgical removal of the cataract, respecting the transparent capsule and the transparent membrane that surrounds it, and placing a transparent artificial lens inside the latter, by means of microsurgical techniques, is the most frequent surgical intervention nowadays, among all the surgical interventions of the human body.
Causes of cataracts
Cataracts can appear with age. As the years go by, it is more likely to suffer cataracts due to the wear and tear of sight.
Cataracts can also appear due to metabolic causes such as diabetes or congenital causes due to an infection during pregnancy.
Cataracts can also be caused by direct trauma to the eye, by intoxication or by inflammatory processes or other syndromes or pathologies.
Cataract surgery
Cataracts must be treated by a specialist in Ophthalmology. The technique used to remove the opaque lens is called phacoemulsification. This technique consists of making a small incision that will serve as an opening to remove the cataract slowly. Once removed, the surgeon will insert an intraocular lens where the lens used to be.
The results of cataract surgery are very satisfactory, patients who opt for trifocal or multifocal intraocular lenses achieve excellent vision after surgery and do not have to wear glasses for near or far vision.