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Cataract Surgery & Intraocular Lenses
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Cataract surgery lifts the veil and gives Nora Shoebridge back her sunny days, her evening drives and her freedom to live independently.
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References

1  National Coalition for Vision Health http://www.visionhealth.ca/data/htm (2008)

2  Association of Canadian University Professors of Ophthalmology www.eyesite.ca/ACUPO (2008)

3  Canadian Council of the Blind  "Public Attitudes Toward Age-related Macular Degeneration Survey Report.  (2003 Survey)

4  Canadian Institute for Health Information "Surgical Volume Trends Within and Beyond Wait Time Priority Areas" (February 5, 2007)

Cataract surgery lifts the veil and gives Nora Shoebridge back her sunny days, her evening drives and her freedom to live independently.

Stairs were daunting.  Nora's vision had become so poor that standing at the top of a staircase had become a terrifying experience.  Looking down, everything appeared fuzzy and she quickly began to feel off balance.

Nora Shoebridge, in her early fifties, had cataracts in both her eyes.  They had become so bad that it was no longer safe for her to drive at night in her small Ontario town.  The glare of headlights in the darkness was painful.  Like many people with cataracts, she was suffering through a frustrating loss of her independence.

Nora was referred to an ophthalmologist who confirmed that she needed to have cataracts removed and who then discussed with her options for correcting her vision.    

In April 2007, Nora had surgery on her right eye to replace her diseased lens with an intraocular lens implant.  The day of her surgery, she was understandably nervous.  The procedure itself went very quickly and the results were almost miraculous.  After the lens was implanted and the surgeon stopped running the solution over her eyes to irrigate her cornea, she could see clearly again.  Just like that.

Cataract surgery has been commonplace for years.  Less than a generation ago, treating cataracts required patients to undergo invasive surgery and stay in the hospital for up to one week.  However, surgical techniques and intraocular lens technology have advanced steadily over the years.  New lenses help to correct vision as well as restore vision as a result of cataract surgery.  Today, thanks to technology advances developed in close collaboration with physicians, patients like Nora are treated safely with minimally invasive techniques that take less than an hour and allow them to return home the same day as their surgery.

The next morning, Nora went to work and walked up the stairs without fear for the first time in ages.  She didn't even need to hold the railing.  No longer dependent on others, she drove herself to work marveling in the beauty of a sunny day - and thankful that the brilliant sunshine no longer hurt.  When her vision was tested that second day, she scored 20/20 in her right eye - for the first time she could remember.  She couldn't wait to have her second eye repaired.

After a second procedure to repair her left eye the following month, Nora was running up and down the stairs, thrilled with the complete return of her independence.

Cataract surgery has become commonplace in Canada, with over 250,000 procedures performed each year.   In fact, it's one of the most successful surgeries with over 95 per cent of surgical patients reporting improved vision following the procedure.1

 

Technology Overview

Cataract surgery treats cataracts by removing the diseased lens and replacing it with an artificial Intraocular Lens (IOL), inserted behind the cornea.  Surgical techniques and intraocular lens technology have advanced steadily over the years.  New surgical equipment allows ophthalmologists to remove cataracts in a far less invasive manner, which include micro-scopic incisions requiring no stitches. A number of new Intraocular Lenses (IOL) gives patients greater options and a wider range of vision.  For example, in addition to restoring vision following the extraction of the cataract, lenses are available that can correct vision deficiencies such as myopia (short sightedness) at the same time.

Generally, cataract removal takes about 15 to 20 minutes to perform on an out-patient basis and patients return to normal activities within a few days. Those patients opting to have their vision corrected through the use of a new "refractive" or vision-correcting type lens actually end up with minimal dependence upon corrective eyewear as a result of cataract surgery.

fast facts

  • Epidemiologists forecast that by 2015, one out of two Canadians will be operated for cataract in both eyes.2
  • About 250,000 cataract repair surgeries are performed annually in Canada.1
  • 95% of all cataract surgeries result in improved vision.1
  • 69% of Canadians fear loss of sight more than any other physical disability.3
  • Over 52,000 patients were treated with cataract surgery in 2005-2006 than in 2001-2002.4
  • The annual cost of blindness in Canada is close to $1 billion, based on CNIB registry data, disability benefits and tax exemptions.1

 

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