CATARACT SURGERY IS NOW QUICK AND PRECISE

KRISHNA (name changed), 70, a farmer in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, was having trouble with vision in one of his eyes.

- SINDUJA JANE

He also kept on putting off his eye screening for a long time. However, one fine day he had to be rushed to the hospital with severe eye redness and pain. On examining him, doctors found that his cataract - the cloudy layer on the natural lens of the eye, or crystalline lens-had ruptured. As a result, he lost the vision in his right eye. Like him, despite the availability of advanced cataract surgery treatment facilities, many patients delay eye surgery owing to lack of awareness and personal reasons, say doctors.

In India, 55% of all blindness is attributed to cataracts. Unlike developed countries like the US, where cataracts mostly affect people over 70 years, Indians as young as 50 are developing cataracts. This is largely due to factors such as exposure to ultraviolet rays, excessive heat, and poor nutrition, according to Dr Amar Agarwal, chairman of Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital.

"We have advanced techniques for cataract surgery today, a long way from what it was 40 years ago. Back then, patients had to spend days in the hospital, recovery was slow, and there was significant pain. The incision used to be 12mm, but with the latest techniques and tools, it has been reduced to less than 2mm. Patients can be discharged within hours and can resume their activities within days," said Dr Mohan Rajan, CMD of Rajan Eye Care Hospital. Doctors say that small incisions with almost no scarring have revolutionised the landscape of cataract surgery procedure today.

Ultrasound and laser-assisted