Do you know about femtosecond cataract?

01. What is cataract?

The main cause of cataracts is that the lens gradually becomes cloudy with age or for other reasons, leading to decreased vision, blurred vision, and even blindness in severe cases.

If we compare the eye to a camera, the lens is the automatic zoom lens. If the lens is cloudy, we cannot take clear pictures.

02. What are the symptoms of cataracts?

Gradually blurred vision

A common symptom of cataracts is progressive blurring of vision. If the normal vision of a person is through a piece of clear glass, then the vision of a cataract patient is like through a piece of "frosted glass", and everything is blurry. As time goes by, the blurriness may gradually increase until it becomes completely blurred.

Double vision

The appearance of aperture when looking at things is mainly because in the early stage of cataract, the lens has not yet become completely cloudy and some parts are still transparent. Therefore, when the light hits the lens and is refracted to the retina, double or even multiple images will appear.

Presbyopia suddenly improved

Some elderly people are very happy to find that their presbyopia symptoms are suddenly relieved and they can read and write without reading glasses. In fact, this is only a temporary phenomenon and a typical symptom of early cataracts. As the cataract gradually worsens, it becomes unclear whether you are looking far or near.

Dark shadows, dark shadows, and color recognition are reduced

When cataracts occur, some patients will find that their color recognition decreases and the world in front of them is not as vivid as before.

Day blindness or night blindness

Some cataract patients may also experience day blindness or night blindness.

Day blindness refers to vision in bright light being worse than in the evening or at night;

Night blindness is just the opposite. Vision at night or in dim light suddenly becomes worse than before.

03. What are the dangers of cataracts?

NO.1 Hazards in the initial stage

Vision gradually deteriorates and monocular diplopia, polyvision, and dark shadows in front of the eyes may occur. Severe visual impairment may affect normal life.

NO.2 Hazards during the expansion period

At this time, the patient will experience eye pain, headache, colored circles when looking at lights, and a sharp decrease in vision. If glaucoma occurs, the lens must be removed in time, otherwise blindness may occur.

NO.3 Hazards during maturity and over-maturity

Vision will be severely reduced and the patient will be unable to take care of himself. Over-maturity will also cause some serious complications, such as uveitis, induced glaucoma, etc. The patient will feel a sharp decline in vision until blindness occurs.

04. What should I do if I have cataracts?

Currently, cataracts cannot be reversed, and surgery is an effective treatment method . If you find that your vision is deteriorating, you should undergo surgery as soon as possible.

As people's living standards continue to improve, the requirements for visual quality are getting higher and higher. Cataract patients are no longer satisfied with the basic vision recovery of "being able to see" after surgery, but also require "seeing clearly and seeing well". The application of femtosecond laser-assisted system marks the beginning of a new era of bladeless and precise femtosecond surgery for cataract surgery.

05. What is femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery?

Femtosecond laser is a laser with short pulses that can release energy in one quadrillionth of a second. Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery, also known as "scalpel-free surgery," uses femtosecond lasers to replace traditional scalpels to complete key steps such as incision, capsule tearing, and nucleus chopping that are manually performed in traditional phacoemulsification, thereby avoiding manual operation errors. Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery reduces the complications of traditional phacoemulsification surgery and can help doctors perform personalized surgery based on each patient's eye condition, helping patients achieve their expectations after surgery.

06. Advantages of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery

No-scalpel surgery, high accuracy

The entire surgical process is completed by computer-digital controlled femtosecond laser with high accuracy.

Save surgery time

Femtosecond cataract surgery shortens the operation time, is faster, and provides good postoperative feedback, and patients can generally see the next day.

Improve patients' postoperative visual quality

It can give full play to the function of high-quality artificial lenses, achieve more stable and high-quality visual quality, and at the same time help patients relieve visual problems such as cataracts, presbyopia, myopia, and astigmatism.

Widely applicable to the crowd

Femtosecond laser cataract surgery is suitable for the vast majority of cataract patients.

It has unique advantages for some complex and special cataract surgeries:

1. Cataract patients who choose multifocal and astigmatic intraocular lenses;

2. Patients with cataract in the expansion stage;

3. Patients with hard nuclear cataract;

4. Patients with corneal endothelial dystrophy and low cell density;

5. Patients with high myopia;

6. Cyclops;

7. Diabetic patients;

8. Cataract patients with difficulty in capsulorhexis due to shallow anterior chamber;

9. Patients with lens subluxation such as Marfan syndrome;

10. Patients with glaucoma;

Note: Femtosecond laser cataract surgery is not suitable for everyone.

※ Patients with special anatomical structures of the eye socket, eyelid or eyeball that make it difficult for femtosecond laser to operate normally, or patients who are unable to actively cooperate with the surgery, are not suitable for this surgery;

※In addition, situations such as dilated pupils with a diameter less than 5mm or ectopic pupils also require scientific evaluation and careful selection.

The cataract surgery method and the choice of artificial lens are closely related to the patient's own eye conditions, eye needs and other factors. You should communicate with the doctor and make a comprehensive selection. The one that suits you is the best!

07. How do patients cooperate with femtosecond laser?

During femtosecond laser surgery, you need to lie on your back with your head and eyes parallel to the ground. Open your eyes as wide as possible and look upwards. Do not turn your eyes at will to ensure that the operation proceeds normally. If you encounter special circumstances such as sneezing or coughing, you need to inform the doctor in advance.

08. Postoperative precautions

1. Do not squeeze the eyeball with your hands, touch your eyes with dirty hands, or wipe your eyes with tissues within 1-2 weeks after surgery.

2. When washing your face, be careful to avoid getting water in your eyes and avoid contact with oil fumes.

3. Avoid lowering your head, exerting force, or doing strenuous exercise after surgery. If constipation occurs, it needs to be resolved in time.

4. Take good care of your eyes when going out to avoid direct stimulation from ultraviolet rays.

5. Protect your eyes and avoid eye injuries. Eye injuries can cause wound rupture or lens displacement or dislocation.

6. Use eye drops in sufficient amounts and for sufficient course of treatment as directed by your doctor, and also have regular check-ups to keep abreast of your recovery progress.

Content source:

[1] 2020 China Eye Health White Paper

[2] Expert consensus on the standard of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract extraction surgery in my country (2018)

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