Ophthalmology is studying the structure of the eye, its pathologies and various deviations from the norm. The doctor’s task is to diagnose a particular disease, prescribe treatment and take preventive measures for healthy people.
Cataracts, glaucoma are the most common diseases in the field of medicine such as ophthalmology. The prices of drops and other medicines are average and quite affordable for everyone. The therapeutic course will not exceed 5 thousand rubles. But luxury can be called surgical treatment of most eye diseases, for this you will have to pay in the region of 100 thousand rubles. As a rule, this is not affordable for the average person. However, this does not mean that refusing treatment is the best solution. It will be more correct to maintain minimal vision throughout life than to live the rest of years without seeing anything.
Cataract
The ophthalmology history of any elderly person almost always includes cataracts. Often, the disease occurs in the elderly and develops at a slow rate. In other cases, as a rule, it can appear as a result of a facial injury, glucocorticoid and radiation treatment, hereditary addiction, diabetes. Congenital cataract is formed in children if the mother during the pregnancy suffered the flu, herpes, rubella, measles and other infectious diseases, was in radioactive places, or used “heavy” medications. But it is worth clarifying that doctors to this day can not find out the exact causes of this disease. A case history in ophthalmology suggests that even with healthy parents, a child with cataract can be born.
The disease affects either one eye, or develops immediately in both. As a rule, if mechanical injury did not become the cause of the disease, then cataracts simultaneously occur in two lenses. It is subjected to either complete or partial damage.
Most of this disease is affected by the elderly. The first symptoms may appear after 45 years. However, to date, a sufficient number of cases have been recorded in which cataracts developed much earlier. In most 65-year-olds, the disease affected a specific area of the lens, but visual impairment was not observed.
Causes and Symptoms of Cataract
Inflammation and eye injuries, surgery on them, prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, exposure to radiation, smoking - all this provokes the appearance of cataracts. It must be clarified that the Institute of Ophthalmology established the following fact: any intense visual work (reading, watching TV, a long stay in front of a computer) does not affect the development and occurrence of the disease.
Symptoms of cataracts:
- when closing one eye in the second, a feeling of double vision;
- slight blurry image, "fog" in the eyes;
- the occurrence of myopia;
- at night, glare and flashes in the eyes ;
- too strong sensitivity to light at night;
- violation of color vision.
Cataract treatment
Only a ophthalmologist can diagnose a patient. If at least one cataract symptom is detected, you should immediately go to the hospital immediately. You need to understand that the lack of treatment will only lead to complete blindness.
With this disease, cataracts are removed surgically. Conservative treatment ultimately gives no results, it only slows down the development of the disease.
Doctors, as a rule, prescribe two types of treatment: medication and surgery. At the first, vitamins are prescribed in the form of eye drops. They must be taken constantly, without stopping, otherwise the disease will begin to progress with renewed vigor. The operation is aimed at replacing the lens with an artificial model. An ultrasonic phacoemulsification method has now become popular. He replaced the intracapsular extraction, which constantly caused complications. The ultrasound method is considered a standard procedure and is performed in any hospital under local anesthesia. Removing cataracts and replacing them with silicone or plastic brings a positive result in 95% of cases. The operation itself lasts no more than 10 minutes; after it, a person must lie in the hospital for several days, then the patient is discharged, appointing him drops.
Surgeons also perform cataract extraction. This procedure is aimed at removing the clouded part of the lens. The capsule remains intact, and a flexible and rigid lens is inserted into the eye.
Cataract Prevention
It is best to diagnose the disease early. That is why people who are less than 65 years old need to be examined every 2-4 years, and those who are over 65 years old - every 1-2 years.
The disease progresses in such a way that, in fact, there are no preventive measures against it. Doctors recommend giving up bad habits, dieting, wearing sunglasses and constantly checking your blood sugar (in order to avoid diabetes), wash your hands often so as not to bring the infection into your eyes. In addition, you can use eye drops. The case history of the ophthalmology of most people suggests that "Vicetin", "Taufon" and "Quinax" are effective.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma, like cataracts, occurs more often in older people, but cases of congenital disease have also been reported. The exact causes of the disease have not been identified. It is believed that it occurs due to unstable intraocular pressure.
Types of Glaucoma
Ophthalmology studies various pathologies of the most important sense organ. Eye diseases increasingly affect a civilized person. One of them is glaucoma. Several types of it are distinguished:
- Open angle. The most common among all. It arises due to the fact that the eye fluid flows at a low speed, this is a deviation from the norm.
- Angle angle. In this case, the outflow of liquid completely stops.
- Normative. So far, it is difficult for scientists to study this glaucoma. It is believed that with it the optic nerve is damaged even in the situation when intraocular pressure is in order.
- Congenital (infant). As a rule, it is fixed by a doctor before the onset of 5 years. It occurs due to a pathology that interferes with the outflow of fluid in the eyes.
- Pigmented. The least common form of glaucoma. A pigment is deposited in the iris, which as a result blocks the movement of intraocular fluid.
- Secondary The ophthalmological history confirms that this type arises as a “daughter” disease, that is, it is a complication of the pathology.
- Pseudoexfoliation. Pseudoexfoliation (layering in the form of flakes) is deposited on the cornea, iris.
- Neovascular. New vessels appear that interfere with the natural outflow of fluid.
- Iridocorneal syndrome. Occurs in one eye. Due to the incorrect position of the cells, the optic nerve is damaged as a result of increased pressure.
Glaucoma treatment and prevention
Unfortunately, glaucoma is not completely cured, and vision is not 100% restored. All that can be done is to slow down the development of the disease, increase the pressure in the eye to a normal state, thereby “freezing” nerve damage and the onset of blindness for a while.
Often, doctors prescribe treatment in the form of drops, less often - tablets. Operating and laser types of correction are also used.
Some countries in the world allow the use of marijuana in critical cases of the disease. According to some reports, it is able to lower eye pressure.
Universal preventive measures, as in the case of cataracts, do not exist. All that a person can do is, on the recommendation of a doctor, use drops, wash his hands more often and visit an ophthalmologist regularly. Glaucoma, the treatment and prevention of which is closely interconnected, requires a serious attitude and constant monitoring.