Everyone sooner or later develops cataracts after age 55. For this reason, cataract surgery is the most common surgical procedure performed in ophthalmology. Thousands and thousands of people have surgery every year in Spain. Thanks to extensive experience and technological development, today this delicate surgery has become a highly successful and safe procedure.
This visual problem is so common and its solution so necessary that Social Security in Spain covers this type of surgery. However, the lens they implant is the most economical since it is only monofocal. This forces the patient to use an optical correction to see up close, most people wear glasses.
At Vistaláser Oftalmología we also perform cataract surgery, with the difference that we can offer our patients multifocal and trifocal lenses that will allow them to see well at all distances, without the need for glasses or contact lenses. The difference is remarkable, especially for those who have never worn glasses or do not want to depend on them.
The operation basically consists of making small incisions in the surface of the eye. Through them we introduce the medical instruments and remove the lens that has lost its transparency. Then we replace it with a permanent artificial lens that will allow you to see clearly again for the rest of your life.
The recovery from cataract surgery is so fast that many of our patients find it incredible. Those who let time pass by because of fear or some other reason regret not having had surgery sooner.
The improvement in quality of life is overwhelming. No more blurred or foggy vision, the contrast is restored and security is improved in our day to day life, avoiding many setbacks, especially in poorly lit rooms or at night.
History of Cataract Surgery
The history of modern cataract surgery, which involves the implantation of an artificial lens to help you see clearly again, began in wartime, specifically during World War II.
Harold Ridley nombrado caballero en febrero de 2000
In those years it happened that a British army pilot forgot his protective goggles when he went into combat. During the air combat the cabin was shot by the enemy. The shrapnel hit his eyeballs and he lost his sight.
Luckily for this pilot, surgeon Harold Ridley was investigating these cases. The doctor observed that the plastic from the cabin lodged in the eyeball did not cause any reaction. So for a decade he worked on the development of plastic lenses with the goal of curing cataracts.
The first intraocular lenses for cataracts were implanted at St. Thomas Hospital in London on February 8, 1950. The doctors were not very happy with the procedure then, but time has proved them right.
Although it seems that not much time has passed, the truth is that in these decades the technology and procedures have advanced so much that it is surprising that such a delicate surgery is so effective and safe.
Now ophthalmic surgeons can transmit so much peace of mind to their patients that many of them come to the operating room as if they were going to have a simple treatment such as removing a wart or cutting their hair. Each year this surgery helps millions of people around the world to continue to enjoy clear vision.
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