Cataract- Akknatek

There are approximately 4.5 million surgeries in Europe annually and 20 million worldwide, making cataract surgery the most common among all other surgeries.

If cataract is not treated, it can lead to blindness. Cataract is the second leading cause of moderate and severe vision impairment, with 78.8 million people involved.

Cataract is an age-related disease, and the risk of cataract increases significantly with aging.

Every second person at the age of over 70 years is affected by cataract. Although starting at approximately 40, a person can develop age-related cataract.

What is cataract?

Cataract is a common eye condition caused by clouding the eye's natural lens, resulting in a gradual loss of vision. The lens behind the iris is essential for focusing light onto the retina, enabling clear vision. As cataract progresses, the lens becomes increasingly cloudy, leading to blurred or distorted vision. Cataract typically develops gradually and are primarily associated with aging, although it can result from the following factors:

Genetics
Medical conditions like diabetes or skin diseases
Smoking
Eye injury or eye surgery
Radiation treatments to the upper body
Prolonged sun exposure, especially without UV-protective sunglasses
Certain medications, such as corticosteroids, which may accelerate cataract formation

Age-related cataract usually develops slowly. Other cataracts can progress more rapidly, for example, in younger individuals or people with diabetes. However, it is not possible to predict the speed of cataract development for any individual.

Due to global population aging and increased life expectancy, the number of people affected by cataract is constantly growing. Cataract can become relevant to any person with a high probability. It is known that women are at higher risk than men of developing cataract.

Cataract significantly contribute to visual impairment in the elderly, elevating the risk of dementia, falls, and traffic accidents and profoundly affecting the quality of life while increasing mortality rates. Only timely performed cataract surgery can reduce fall-related injuries and promote healthy aging.

During cataract surgery, an intraocular artificial lens (IOL) is implanted inside the eye to replace the cloudy natural lens. There are several types of IOLs that fall into two main categories: conventional and premium IOLs. Conventional IOLs are historically still most commonly implanted; they provide only one focal distance. However, premium IOL implantation is the only way to restore the natural vision and eliminate spectacle dependence.

Cataract surgery has been advanced continuously and is currently relatively safe for a patient, but in nearly 25-30% of cases, the target refractive goal still cannot be reached. This means that visual outcomes for a patient cannot be secured. There are a number of challenges remaining to avoid refractive surprises. One of them is IOL positioning, in particular IOL tilt and decentration. These issues can lead to a range of visual disturbances, compromising the success of the surgery and patient satisfaction.

The diagnosis of IOL dislocation was complicated by the fact that the IOL position was not possible to examine until now. However, there is still a high risk of not noticing the IOL displacement because this measurement is not included in the routine postoperative examination.

For reliable surgery outcomes, the Lens Reviewer should be used to check the IOL position in the postoperative period. It measures the IOL’s position postoperatively, giving certainty that the lens was implanted accurately and excluding a lens displacement after surgery. Otherwise, the Lens Reviewer facilitates corrective measures in an early phase, arming surgeons with precise measurements.

Lens Reviewer helps to overcome the IOL positioning challenge; it is highly relevant for modern lenses requiring accurate positioning for target refractive outcomes.