Best clinics of Cataract Surgery in Turkey

Cataract: causes, treatment, Recovery & Complications

Causes of a cataract

Studies in Turkey have shown that the risk of cataracts increases with age. Indeed, it is related to lens ageing. But, other factors contribute to its appearance such as genetic, nutritional, environmental factors (Long exposure to industrial pollution and UV light) ...

The other factors of this condition are:

• Eye trauma;
• Certain ophthalmological diseases (glaucoma, myopia, and uveitis);
• General diseases (diabetes, prolonged treatment of corticosteroids, Renal failure);
• Lack of calcium;
• Magnesium deficiency.

Cataract Surgery Procedure: the only Therapeutic Strategy

Without medical treatment, the only treatment for cataracts remains surgery. The operation should be done as soon as possible before progression to blindness. It is performed under local anesthesia in a sterile operating room.

The ophthalmologist makes a small incision of the cornea. Then, he breaks the cataract into several fragments using an ultrasound instrument. Finally, he extracts the lens by a probe and replace it with an implant.

The choice of the latter is discussed according to the physical characteristics of the eye. Thus, there are several categories of implants; mono-focal, multi focal, accommodative, and toric

The lens that is used to replace the crystallin is the monofocal lens. It is the most common type of lens used in cataract surgery.

Femtosecond Laser-assisted Cataract Surgery (FLACS)

It is a major technological innovation in eye surgery. The principle of this technique is to deliver very precisely ultrashort pulses. This would allow the fragmentation of the lens in an automated way.

This is a fundamental and delicate step of pre-treatment to prepare the eye for surgery.

FLACS is nevertheless limited by its:

• Expensive cost for both the care structure and the patient;
• A longer operating time;
• A much more delicate surgery.

The Complications of the surgery during Recovery

This surgery does not lead to many complications during recovery.

A first consultation with an eye doctor in Turkey is always scheduled the day after surgery. The ophthalmologist will search for acute complications like intraocular high blood pressure and postsurgical infection. Patients should have two control consultations after one week and one month after cataract surgery. You should inform the doctor of any discomfort felt including pain or redness.

To prevent infection, the ophthalmologist may prescribe anti septic, anti-inflammatory or antibiotic eye drops. People with diabetes may experience other complications, this is why an ophthalmological check-up is essential before the surgery.

Eye drops as an alternative to Cataract Surgery

Scientists are developping a non-surgical treatments for cataracts, which is an eye drop called Lanesterol.

The next step will be to test this eye drops in humans. If the effects are favourable, it would represent a very interesting alternative to cataract surgery. The latter consists of removing the opaque lens and replace it by an implant.

Lanosterol is a a naturally occurring steroid that has a physico-chemical action to restore the opacified lens proteins. Experimental evidence remains to be demonstrated in humans. This treatment could become an alternative to surgery which is the only effective treatment until now.

Cost of Cataract Surgery in Turkey & Istanbul

The cost of cataract surgery includes the operating room fees collected by the clinic or the hospital, and the surgeon's fees. It is interesting to note that Turquie santé will provide you with the cheapest cataract surgery in Istanbul, Turkey.