CATARACT SURGERY
A cataract is a clouding of the eye's normally clear lens, leading to a progressive blurring or dimming of vision. It is the world's leading cause of blindness and among the most common conditions related to aging by age 65, you have a 50 percent chance of developing a cataract and by age 75, it jumps to 70 percent.
Cataracts can also result from injury, chronic eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and ailments such as diabetes, or past use of corticosteroid medications or radiation treatments. Some researchers believe that lifestyle habits such as smoking and not wearing sunglasses to protect eyes against ultraviolet light are also risk factors.
Cataracts occur when proteins in the lens begin to clump together, forming a cloudy area. As these clumps grow, they interfere with vision by distorting or blocking the passage of light. Many cataracts begin to form in your 40s or 50s, but don't affect vision until years later.
Cataracts can occur in infants, usually the result of an infection during pregnancy such as toxoplasmosis, rubella, syphilis or herpes simplex. In children, a cataract can also result from metabolic disease.
ACRYSOF® ReSTOR® IOL Lens
What is it? The ACRYSOF® ReSTOR® Apodized Diffractive Optic Posterior IOL is an artificial lens implanted in the eye to restore vision after a clouded natural lens (cataract) is removed.
The lens of the IOL is convex on both sides (biconvex) and made of a soft plastic that can be folded prior to insertion, allowing placement through an incision smaller than the optic diameter of the lens. After surgical insertion into the eye, the lens gently unfolds to restore vision. The supporting arms (haptics) provide for proper positioning of the IOL within the eye.
How does it work? The ACRYSOF® ReSTOR® IOL is intended to be positioned in the posterior chamber of the eye, replacing the natural lens. This position allows the IOL to correct the visual impairment of aphakia (absence of the natural lens). The ACRYSOF® ReSTOR® IOL has a biconvex optic that is shaped using a special process called apodized diffraction to provide increased depth of focus.
When is it used? The ACRYSOF® ReSTOR® IOL is used in adult patients with and without presbyopia, who desire near, intermediate and distance vision with increased independence from glasses following cataract surgery.
What will it accomplish? The ACRYSOF® ReSTOR® IOL has been shown in a clinical study to provide good near, intermediate and distance vision with increased independence from glasses in patients who have undergone cataract surgery.
When should it not be used? There are no known contraindications.
Additional information: Summary of Safety and Effectiveness and labeling will be available at: http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/pdf4/p040020.html
Other:
- Illustration of cataract surgery surgical incision:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/presentations/100079_3.htm - Illustration of eye with cataract:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/presentations/100079_2.htm - Before and After Illustrations of and eye with cataract:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/presentations/100079_5.htm - NIH Webpage, Cataract: What you Should Know:
http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/cataract/cataract_facts.asp
Better Than Ever
Cataract surgery has undergone tremendous technological advances since the days of your parents and grandparents. This year, millions of patients will choose to have both their vision and their lifestyles restored, thanks to this life-changing medical procedure.
The good news is that you've encountered cataracts at a time when intraocular lens technology has taken a giant leap forward. No longer is the objective simply to restore your distance vision with a monofocal IOl. Today, the goal is to enhance your vision with an IOL that may provide you with a full range of vision, thus minimizing your dependence on glasses, including reading glasses or bifocals.
Once you understand what a cataract is, how it will be removed, and how your vision may be improved with the ACRVSOF® ReSTOR® IOL, your concern about your diagnosis could actually turn into excitement.
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How Cataracts Develop
A cataract is a clouding of the natural lens inside your eye. This lens, located behind the iris (or colored part of the eye) works just like the lens of a camera-focusing tight images on the retina, which sends the images to your brain.
The human lens, made mostly of protein and water, can become clouded - so clouded it keeps light and images from reaching the retina. Eye injury, certain diseases, or even some medications can cause the clouding. But, in over 90% of cases, clouding is caused by the aging process. A cataract is not a "film" over the eye, and neither diet nor lasers will make it go away. The best way to treat a cataract is to remove the old, clouded lens and provide a replacement.
RETINA
A cataract can be the reason sharp images become blurred, bright colors become dull, or seeing at night is more difficult. It may also be why the reading glasses or bifocals that used to help you read, or do other simple tasks, no longer seem to help. Unfortunately, cataracts can't be prevented, but removing the cataract and replacing it with an artificial lens can restore your vision and in many ways, significantly improve your quality of life. The time to have your cataracts removed is when the quality of your vision begins to put limits on your activities and enjoyment of life.
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When your eyes were young, your natural lens was both transparent and flexible. Because of this, your vision was most likely stable until you reached your forties. Around that time, you may have noticed that you had to hold a menu or a book farther and farther away to read it. Many people end up wearing a pair of reading glasses or bifocals to compensate for this aging of the eye. This condition is called "presbyopia" and eventually affects everyone, including I those who are nearsighted, farsighted, have cataracts, or had perfect vision most of their life.
Intraocular lenses were first introduced in 1949 and are available today in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and lens materials. ACRVSOF® IOLs are made of the first foldable material developed exclusively for use in the eye. With more than 21 million lenses implanted, the ACRVSOF® lens is the most commonly used IOL in the world, since they became available in 1994. Its popularity is largely due to their ability to provide excellent visual results and a high level of patient satisfaction.
At last! An Opportunity For Visual Freedom
For most cataract patients, life without reading glasses or bifocals is something they either experienced before presbyopia or they just dreamed about for most of their lives. But today, the ACRYSOF® ReSTOR® IOl is turning those dreams into reality with its revolutionary lens technology, which is designed to allow patients to see clearly at all distances without bifocals or reading glasses. The ACRYSOF® ReSTOR® IOl is now available and delivers a high level of glasses-free vision for cataract patients.
Until recently, most patients had their vision improved with a monofocal IOL. Although the quality of their distant vision was excellent, most patients needed reading glasses to see near objects.
AcRYSOF@ ReSTOR@ IOl provides a full range of vision, decreasing the dependency on reading glasses or bifocals.
In the clinical study, 80% of patients receiving the ACRYSOF@ ReSTOR® IOl reported that they never wear glasses for any activities. With the ACRYSOF® ReSTOR® IOL they can read a book, work on the computer, and drive a car - day or night - and play golf or tennis with an increased freedom from glasses. In fact, patients were so pleased with their vision, nearly 94% of patients said they would have the ACRYSOF" ReSTOR"IOl implanted again, if given the choice.
The Safest And Most Successful Procedure Performed Today
Cataract surgery is performed on an outpatient basis and usually requires just a few hours of your time from start to finish. Your eye will be treated with anesthetic prior to the procedure so you'll feel little, if any, discomfort. First, a tiny incision will be made in the eye allowing your surgeon to use a small instrument (about the size of a pen tip) to break up or wash away the cloudy cataract. Once the cataract is removed, the ACRYSOF® ReSTOR® IOl will be inserted through the same tiny incision and set into its permanent position.
What To Expect After The Procedure
After the procedure, you'll rest for a short while before you go home. Your doctor will typically examine your eye within 24 hours. You'll need to use prescription eye drops to guard against infection and help your eye heal. For a few days, you may need to wear a protective shield, especially at night, to prevent you from rubbing your eye. Everyone heals somewhat differently, but most patients see well enough to return to most of their routine activities the day after surgery. Once both eyes have been treated, you will fully appreciate the AcRYSOF® ReSTOR® IOL and realize that your cataract was one thing you could definitely live without.
Ask Your Doctor If The ACRYSOF® ReSTOR® IOl is Right For You As with any surgical procedure there are inherent risks, and your results cannot be guaranteed. Your doctor will provide you with more detailed information about the potential risks and benefits to help decide whether cataract surgery and the ACRYSQF® ReSTOR® IOL is right for you.