What is cataract?

Cataract is an eye disorder where eye lens medium or the lens capsule loses transparency and becomes opaque, which results in the impairment of visual acuity. The term “cataract” stems from Greek katarrháktes (“waterfall”) -- ancient healers believed that a turbid waterfall was flowing between the eye lens and its iris. Cataract is the most widespread cause of preventable blindness around the globe (with growing incidence numbers).

Symptoms of the disease are associated with localization of clouding in the eye lens. If clouding occurs at the periphery, the patient may be unaware that they have cataract since no changes in the eyesight are noticeable, and the disorder might be revealed only accidentally by an ophthalmologist. If eye lens opacity develops in the central regions of the eye lens or its capsule, this results in an apparent visual acuity impairment. To the patient, objects appear to be blurry, clarity of the image degrades, an intolerance of bright light develops, pseudomyopia may develop or aggravate, and the patient may want to change their glasses.

Depending on the form and stage of cataract, physicians may direct either conservative therapeutic or surgical treatment. It should be noted that numerous attempts were made to develop eye drops that would affect eye lens clouding, but failed. These eye drops may inhibit the development of cataract, but unfortunately are unable to resolve the problem radically, thus the basic method of cataract treatment is surgery.

SURGICAL TREATMENT OF CATARACT AT THE RCMC

Surgical treatment is the only method which makes it possible to eliminate cataract once and for all, and to recover one’s eyesight. The operation is painless and there are no stitches left! The operation is performed though a micropuncture only two millimeters wide. The opaque matter of the eye lens is destroyed by special equipment, is removed from the eye, and an intraocular lens (IOL) is installed. After the operation, visual acuity is restored in just a few days.

An experienced anesthesiologist examines the patient prior to the operation, and monitors their vital bodily functions throughout the operation.

The patient no longer has to wait for cataract to mature, as it was previously. The operation may be performed at any stage of cataract development, that is, even at the stage when clouding is not that severe, but the patient's quality of life begins to deteriorate. The decision on surgical treatment of cataract is always individual. It depends on the patient's feeling.

An intraocular lens (IOL) is an artificial eye lens which is implanted into the eye during a cataract removal operation.

Types of intraocular lenses

Monofocal IOLs have a single focal point and provide clear eyesight at a certain distance. This implant improves distance vision, but the majority of patients would be required to also use glasses to read, apply makeup etc.

Multifocal IOLs have several focal points and guarantee visual acuity at different distances without the need of additional spectacle correction.

Toroidal IOLs are artificial eye lenses that are intended to correct corneal astigmatism in patients affected by cataract. Monofocal toroidal IOLs guarantee good long-distance visual acuity. Multifocal thoroidal IOLs ensure excellent eyesight at various distances without the need for corrective glasses.

Implantation of modern IOLs makes it possible to ensure high visual acuity, correct astigmatism and protect internal eye structures from adverse effect of UV radiation.
At our Center, we use IOLs of the world’s leading manufacturers:
Alcon, Johnson & Johnson and Baush&Laumb.
The selection of the type and manufacturer of the artificial eye lens is made on an individual basis after an examination of the patient and consultation with a surgeon.

Operative therapy is performed at our surgical facility, with the use of advanced equipment:

1. Ophthalmologic microscope OPMI LUMERA 700 и OPMI pico made by ZEISS (Germany);
2. Ultrasonic cataract disintegration and removal modules “INFINITI” made by Alcon (USA) and White Star Signature made by Abbott Medical Optics Inc. (AMO) (USA);
3. Some of our operations are also carried out with the use of the new generation cataract phacoemulsification station Centurion® Vision System (made by Alcon, USA) which ensures enhanced safety and effectiveness of operations, and surpasses the results of systems of previous generations.
4. Today, specialists of our Center are capable of performing cataract surgery with the use of Intraoperative Navigation Systems. At our disposal are VERION™ Image Guided System (Alcon, США) and CALLISTO eye® makes (ZEISS, Германия) systems!
5. Again, we are the leader! Only at our Center all the diagnostic and operating stations are linked into a common information exchange network! This enables the consulting physician to review data obtained by various diagnostic apparatuses and to compare the results of different examinations, including examinations performed at various times.

Equipment used to determine eye parameters and high-accuracy selection of appropriate IOL

Our Center uses the most advanced equipment to perform high-accuracy examination of the patient prior to operative therapy of cataract:

• The WaveLight OB820 diagnostic device (made by Alcon, USA);
• The IOL Master 700 optical diagnostic device featuring posterior eyeball pole scanning tomography (made by Carl Zeiss, Germany).

To carry out diagnostics, selection of intraocular lenses, planning and virtual simulation of surgery procedures, our Center's medical professionals use the following two navigation systems:

• VERION™ Image Guided System (made by Alcon, USA);
• CALLISTO eye® makes (made by ZEISS, Germany).

Equipment used for the excision of the eye lens

At our Center, cataract surgery is performed on cataract phacoemulsification stations made by the world’s leading manufacturers:

• Surgery module INFINITI (made by Alcon, USA);
• Surgery module White Star Signature (made by Johnson & Johnson, USA); and
• Surgery module Centurion® Vision System (made by Alcon, USA).

Specialists of our Center will help you to have a new look on the world. Our Center means highly skilled personnel, no waiting in queues and the most advanced special-purpose equipment.

Attention! The intraocular lens (IOL) is paid for separately.

HOW TO GET SURGICAL TREATMENT OF CATARACT AT THE RCMC

1. Call the Contact Center to make an appointment with an ophthalmologist
2. Conclude a contract for the provision of paid services at the registry.
3. Pay the invoice at the cash desk of the RCMC or via ЕРИП (SSIS: Single Settlement and Information Space)
4. Come to the consultation on time.