Cataract surgery
Age-related cataracts are easy to treat.
Working in the Netherlands, Dr. Stolwijk has performed approximately 25,000 cataract operations over the past 25 years. Initially, approximately 15,000 in the Lievensberg/Bravis Hospital in Bergen op Zoom, where he worked until 2014. Since 2014, he has performed another approximately 10,000 cataract operations in Etten Leur and Bergen op Zoom in his own clinic: Stolmed Eye Clinics. The operations almost always do not take much longer than approximately 10 minutes and the patients can see much better the next day.
Since 2006, he has had extensive experience in the use of special premium IOLs. He has successfully placed thousands of them since 2006.
Dr. Stolwijks still performs dozens of cataract operations every month in the clinic in the Netherlands. If possible, he can perform the desired cataract operation for you there. If applicable, it is possible to operate both eyes directly after each other: he has gained extensive experience with this in the last 5 years.
Incidentally: the necessary pre-measurements and follow-up checks will then simply take place in the My Eye Care Algarve clinic in Carvoeiro. Only for the operation you will have to be in the Netherlands for 1 day.
Cataract surgery, when the rest of the eye is healthy, can restore almost complete vision. Cataract surgery is perhaps the most commonly performed surgery in the world. The operation is still easy to undergo, even at a very old age. By the way, surgery is the only way to really do something about senile cataracts.
Before the operation
A number of tests will be performed on you in the period leading up to the day of the operation. In general, attempts are made to ensure that patients are as dependent on glasses as possible after cataract surgery. Before the operation, a lens measurement is therefore taken. This measurement is necessary to calculate the power of the implant lens to be chosen, so that the remaining spectacle power after the operation for distance is as low as possible. However, the ophthalmologist can never guarantee 100% that the eye will always be able to see clearly without glasses, even after a perfectly performed operation. An ultrasound scan of your eyes will also be made to determine the strength of the artificial lens.
The treating physician or his staff will request or check the following information prior to the operation:
- Abnormalities of the heart, lungs, kidneys
- Presence of diabetes mellitus
- Hard of hearing and/or language problems; Physical limitations, in particular those that can make lying flat during the operation or post-operative care (including eye drops) difficult
- Anxiety, panic or psychiatric disorders
- Use of medicines and allergies
If possible, take a family member or acquaintance with you to guide you. Once all examinations have been carried out, the ophthalmologist will place you on the waiting list. You will receive a telephone message from us approximately 2 weeks before the operation.
The operation
The operation itself takes about 15-30 minutes. The operation is usually performed with local drop anesthesia. If the ophthalmologist decides otherwise, an injection of anesthesia can be performed. During the operation, the ophthalmologist removes the cloudy lens from the eye and replaces it with a clear plastic implant lens.
After the operation
After the operation you will be given protective goggles, you must leave the bandage in place, you can continue to wear these afterwards. . You can remove these the next day. The ophthalmologist or an experienced employee will check you on the first day after the operation or call you. It is best to avoid all major physical exertion. The ophthalmologist will prescribe drops. Be careful with the eye. Do not rub it, even if you are tempted to do so. It is best to wear protective goggles during the day (sunglasses are also allowed). You must wear the plastic eye shield for 1 to 2 weeks at night. You can carry out your normal daily activities as usual. However, avoid heavy work, sports (swimming) and the sauna for the first month. There is no objection to reading, needlework or watching TV. After the operation, your vision is usually still blurred due to the lack of good (adapted to the new lenses) glasses.
Speciale implantlenzen
There are special implant lenses designed to make people less dependent on glasses after cataract surgery. The aim of toric artificial lenses is to reduce or even completely eliminate the cylinder power of any glasses after surgery. There are also Multifocal implant lenses, which, just like glasses with multifocal lenses, improve both distance and near vision. Because these special lenses do not fall under normal insured care, you must pay extra for them.
For more information: >> go to special implant lenses
Risks of cataract surgery
- In general, the risk of complications is small during and after cataract surgery. Bleeding or infection can permanently reduce vision. The chance of this is approximately 1 to 2 cases per 1000 operations.
- 1-2 per 100 operations is technically more difficult than expected. In some cases the patient does not notice this and the eye recovers as well as usual. In some cases, recovery will require more time or more medication, but the final vision will still be very good. Very occasionally a second operation is required on the eye that has already been operated on.
- Increased eye pressure may occur (which can sometimes cause pain), or swelling of the yellow part of the retina (which can reduce visual acuity). They can almost always be treated well with drops or medication.
- After cataract surgery, the risk of retinal detachment increases. Symptoms of a retinal detachment may include flashes of light, the appearance of moving spots, and increasing loss of visual field. If you experience these symptoms, you should contact your ophthalmologist or his or her observer. These symptoms will not always actually indicate a retinal detachment.
Aftercataracts
After cataract surgery, new clouding of the capsule in which the artificial lens is located (not in the artificial lens itself) may occur over time. It may seem as if the cataract is returning, but this is not the case. This phenomenon is very normal and is called secondary cataract and it usually only develops months to years after the cataract surgery. Secondary cataract can be treated using the YAG laser. An opening is made in the secondary cataract. This treatment is painless and takes a few minutes. Both eyes can be treated one after the other. Usually, nothing is noticed other than a ticking sound and flashes of light.
