By Romila BoodramGPHC’s Ophthalmologist, Dr. George NortonThe eye is an organ that detects light and sends signal along the optic nerve to the brain. Cataract is the clouding of the natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. It is the most common cause of blindness and is conventionally treated with surgery.According to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC)’s Ophthalmologist,Cheap Jerseys From China, Dr George Norton, cataract can be characterized by how it is formed.He explained that there is congenital cataract. There is also senile cataract which is what one develops because of an aging process and you can develop traumatic cataract because of an injury.Metabolic cataract however is formed because of a disease like diabetes.“You can also describe a cataract from the extent of which it exists, in that, it can be in an initial stage where there is some amount of vision or it could be a mature cataract where practically most of the vision is lost or it can be hyper-mature cataract where the patient can suffer irreversible blindness,” Norton said.What causes Cataracts? The lens inside the eye works much like a camera lens,China Jerseys Cheap, focusing light onto the retina for clear vision. It also adjusts the eyes’ focus, letting us see things clearly both up close and far away. The lens is mostly made of water and protein. The protein is arranged in a precise way that keeps the lens clear and let light pass through it.But according to Dr Norton, as we age, some of the protein may clump together and start to cloud a small area of the lens- this is cataract, and over time, it may grow larger and cloud more of the lens, making it harder to see.What is the process at GPHC?According to the GPHC Ophthalmologist, patients who need eye care are first seen by a health care provider who then refers them to the eye-specialist; this is done with a referral letter basically stating the patient’s history of the complain and the physical findings.After a triage process which is done by eye nurses, the patient would then see the eye specialist,Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys, who after recording in detail the person’s history and examination will then decide on the management of the patient which would most likely be surgery, if cataract is diagnosed.The patient would then have to undergo a general medical checkup to make sure all the parameters are intact, that is, their blood sugar level, their blood pressure level,NFL Jerseys Outlet, temperature among other things are okay. The patient is given a date to return for surgery.Surgery…An example of an artificial lens being implanted.“The surgery is done under local anesthesia meaning we do not put the patient to sleep but we take measures so that the patient will not feel excessive pain. We can do that by using eye drops, eye-ointment or injections” Dr Norton explained.He added that in most cataract surgeries, injections are generally used because not only does the injection prevent the pain but it also prevents movement of the eye.“With the eye-drops and the eye- ointment you will prevent the pain but the patient will have movement so it is more comfortable to inject the patient.”Dr Norton who has served the GPHC for over 20 years explained that cataract operation is simply removing the eye’s natural lens and replacing it with an artificial one.During surgery,Adam Joseph Duhe Dolphins Jersey, the surgeon will remove the clouded lens and replace it with a clear, plastic intraocular lens (IOL).Some surgeons,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, according to him will ask the patients to open their eyes immediately after surgery to experience the end result while some cover the eye for at least one day since it would usually be red. |