Diagnosing Cataracts
Taking Your History and Examining Your Eyes
You will be questioned about your medical history and any medications you may be taking. The cause of your visual loss must be considered; diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes can be a source of vision loss.
Your vision will be tested in several ways: with and without your glasses or contact lenses, with a bright light called a glare tester and with a special device called a potential acuity meter (PAM for short). In addition, your eyes will be tested for other disease problems such as glaucoma.
Dr. Buzard will examine the front of your eyes with a slit lamp and an ophthalmoscope will be used to examine the interior of your eyes. Once the exam is completed, Dr. Buzard will summarize his findings and present you with your options. In some cases, cataract formation is so advanced that it is not possible to predict final vision, but in most cases, Dr. Buzard will be able to estimate the results of surgery. If surgery is not the right answer for you, Dr. Buzard will discuss other options with you. He will also explain the risks and benefits of the choice you make.
Will Cataract Surgery Improve My Vision?
Even though cataract surgery is routinely highly successful, no one can guarantee the results of a surgery. However, more than 1.5 million cataract surgeries are performed each year, with a higher success rate than almost any other surgery. As with all surgeries, the choice of surgeon can be a deciding factor in a successful outcome. Dr. Buzard is an internationally recognized cataract surgeon and has recently written a book on his many contributions to cataract surgery, including his "Blue Line" cataract incision. No surgery is without risk, and while cataract surgery in the hands of Dr. Buzard is very safe, infection, bleeding and swelling or detachment of the retina are some of the more serious known complications. To put these risks in perspective, an infection after cataract surgery may occur in about 1 in 100,000 patients and retinal detachment may occur in 1 in 1000 patients, though this complication is often unrelated to the surgery.
The History of Cataract Surgery
The onset of cataracts is a problem
that has plagued humanity since ancient times. The earliest written
reference to cataract surgery is found in Sanskrit manuscripts dating
from the 5th century BC, attributed to the Hindu surgeon Susruta.
He practiced a type of cataract surgery known as couching or reclination, in which the opaque cataractous lens was pushed into the back of the eye. The biblical accounts of Jesus healing the blind by pressing his fingers into the eyes may well have been a reference to this ancient technique. A description of this same treatment for cataract appears in 29 AD in De Medicinae, the work of the Latin encyclopedist Celsus.
The cataract was thus removed from the visual axis, allowing the patient to see better. Of course, the vision was still quite blurred because corrective lenses were unavailable in those times. Even in modern times, in the first part of the 20th century, couching was still practiced in Egypt, India, and Tibet.
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