Quality Cataract Surgery in Milan is Performed at the Blue Eye Affiliated Eye Centers.
Cataract is a common eye disease characterized by a progressive loss of transparency of the lens, or of that lens which is located within our eye, behind the iris, and that contributes to focusing on images on the retinal plane. In most cases, it is an age-related pathology as it typically arises after the age of 60, but in some cases it may already be present at birth (congenital cataract) or present at an earlier time caused by trauma or by the use of some medications.
The most common symptoms that signal the presence of cataracts range from altered perception of colors, which lose intensity, to worsening night vision or double vision.
How Does Cataract Surgery Take Place in Milan?
There are no drug therapies that prevent or cure cataracts and the only way to restore good vision is to resort to surgery. Cataract surgery is a procedure that can be addressed as soon as the patient and the doctor find that the vision has deteriorated so much that it interferes with the patient’s quality of life.
It is a Day Surgery operation, that is, without hospitalization; it is performed under local anesthesia with only a few drops of eye drops and the patient, while remaining awake during the operation, does not feel any pain.
PHACOEMULSIFICATION FOR CATARACT
The most modern and today’s universally used technique for the removal of cataracts is called phacoemulsification and consists of the aspiration of the central part of the lens (nucleus) by means of an ultrasound probe and the cleaning of the residual portion (cortical).
Subsequently, an artificial crystalline lens (intraocular lens) is implanted which has the purpose of replacing the biological functionality possessed by the natural crystalline lens. This technique guarantees immediate visual recovery and a significant reduction in complications. The intervention is very quick depending on the procedure used and after a few hours, the patient can return home.
FEMTO LASER-ASSISTED SURGERY
Cataract surgery in Milan has undergone significant technological evolutions. The introduction of the Femtosecond Laser (or Femto Laser) has literally revolutionized this type of surgery which is also referred to as femto cataract.
Thanks to the laser, the main phases of the surgery are programmed by the surgeon on the computer and carried out by the laser in a few seconds, without the use of scalpels and forceps.
All the steps are monitored in real time through a sophisticated equipment, called optical coherence tomography (OCT), which performs a three-dimensional control of the structures to be operated by guiding the action of the laser.
However, not all eyes are compatible with this technique, only the ophthalmologist, through specific examinations, can evaluate and establish the most suitable operating method.
Do You Want to See Well After Cataract Surgery?
IMPLANTATION OF INTRAOCULAR LENSES (IOLs)
In cataract surgery, the removal of the lens by means of an ultrasound probe or Femto Laser is followed by the implantation of toric monofocal lenses or multifocal lenses for cataracts.
The implantation of a monofocal lens almost completely corrects the patient’s historical visual defect, although it will be necessary to continue to wear glasses to read.
Thanks to the toric intraocular lenses, it is possible to almost totally cancel the astigmatic defect. The implantation of a multifocal toric lens, if necessary, can reduce or completely eliminate the need for glasses.
The high level of precision achieved by diagnostic instruments now makes it possible to measure and record the anatomical and functional characteristics of each eye, providing the complete mapping of the visual system on which to build a personalized intervention.
In this way, the choice of the lens to be implanted becomes a refractive procedure allowing, in many cases, to strongly reduce or eliminate the dependence on the use of bifocal or reading glasses after the surgery.
Cataract Surgery Will Allow You to See Better.
Depending on the Intraocular Lens Chosen by You and Your Surgeon, You Can Reduce the Use of Glasses.
Recovery After Cataract Surgery in Milan
- the patient is discharged without a bandage approximately 1 hour after surgery
- there is a slight discomfort as if shampoo had entered the eye for 4-5 hours
- begin to see better after 4-5 hours
- the next day the patient sees well and doesn’t have any level of discomfort
Watching television, using the computer and driving is possible as early as the day following cataract surgery. It is always advisable to ask your ophthalmologist during check-up after the day of surgery. It is advisable not to lift weights for a week.
Cataract Surgery: What Are the Complications?
Although it is now a routine surgery, tested, and safe operation (it is the most performed surgery in all countries of the world), the removal of cataracts is in all respects a surgical operation and therefore not risk-free and with possible complications.
The first problem that can occur is that of developing endophthalmitis, a severe inflammation of the eyeball caused by an infection. However, it is a very rare occurrence and easily treatable if we intervene promptly. Prevention through the instillation of antibiotic eye drops during the days advised and in the manner indicated by the surgeon immediately after surgery almost completely avoids the possibility of an infection.
A second possible complication is that of ocular hemorrhage, more easily verifiable if the patient regularly takes anticoagulant drugs. The hemorrhage can involve the vitreous of the eye (vitreous hemorrhage) or the anterior chamber of the eye, as a consequence of the rupture of the vessels of the iris or the ciliary body. It is essential that the patient warns the doctor in advance if he is being treated with anticoagulants.
Finally, during the operation, it is possible to incur the so-called “rupture of the posterior capsule” that covers the cataract (from 2% to about 5% of the total number of cataract operations). The posterior capsule, on which the compromised lens rests (and subsequently the artificial one), breaks and causes the displacement of cataract fragments into the “vitreous chamber”. The surgeon will then have to remove these microscopic fragments during the operation. This is a path with longer recovery times, but the patient can still get a good recovery of his vision.
These complications, along with minor transient problems such as occasional eye redness, burning, tearing and the sensation of foreign corpuscles in the eye, typically develop in the first 10 to 15 days following surgery.
Much later (months or even years after cataract surgery) is the development of a complication called “secondary cataract”. This is due to the fact that the capsule on which the artificial lens has been placed becomes opaque. The solution is undergoing a posterior capsulotomy by means of a laser beam which cuts into the opaque capsule and causes it to open in the center. The result is the complete restoration of the visual function obtained after the first intervention.
Where to Have Cataract Surgery in Milan and Vimercate
Thousands of patients have turned to our cataract surgery centers in recent years. They come from Milan, but also from Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Lecco, Lodi, Mantua, Monza, Pavia, Sondrio, and Varese. In addition, more and more patients also come from the Canton of Ticino. The information interview at our centers is always free.