Cataract
Do you suffer from blurred or less sharp vision? Or do you see everything worse in the evening than before? Does your prescription suddenly change? Does the light bother you more, making you reach for your sunglasses faster? Then there is a good chance that you have cataracts. This develops gradually and eventually everyone will have to deal with it as we get older. Some people experience complaints sooner than others. Cataracts are a condition that you have probably heard of. Fortunately, it can be remedied thanks to an operation. In this operation, your natural eye lens is replaced by an artificial lens.
What is cataract
What exactly is a cataract? A frequently asked question that we would like to answer for you. With a cataract, the lens of the eye becomes cloudy. The clouding of the lens is caused by the aging process when proteins in your natural lens clump together. As a result, light no longer passes through the lens properly, which makes your vision worse. Compare it to a glass of water. At first, it is transparent. But if you drop a drop of milk into it every day, it becomes increasingly cloudy. You can see through it less well. This is also the case with the natural lens of the eye. The speed at which cataracts develop is different for everyone. Just like the age at which you start to notice the presence of cataracts.
Different types of cataracts
Our natural eye lens is made up of multiple layers: the lens capsule, the cortex and the nucleus. There are different types of cataracts, each with their own characteristics and symptoms.
- Capsular: clouding of the lens capsule;
- Subcapsular: clouding just below the lens capsule;
- Cortical: clouding of the cortex;
- Nuclear: clouding of the nucleus;
- Combinations of the above forms are possible.
Cataract symptoms
Cataracts bring certain symptoms with them. Depending on the place in the lens where the clouding occurs, the complaints can differ. One person sees blurry, while another suffers from light radiation.
If you experience one or more of the symptoms below, there is a chance that (beginning) cataracts are present.
- Blurred vision, unsharp image;
- Reduced perception of colours – greyer image;
- Double vision or shadow images in one eye;
- Light glare or glare;
- Changing prescription;
- Seeing less contrast;
- More light required when reading.
Cataract treatment
Cataracts can be easily treated with surgery. This surgery is also called cataract extraction or lens implantation treatment. This eye surgery is performed very often, both in hospitals and eye clinics. Approximately 280,000 cataract operations are performed in the Netherlands each year. Difference between cataract surgery in a hospital and ReplaceLens treatment at FYEO
In the hospital, cataract surgery is aimed at removing your cloudy lens and replacing it with a standard artificial lens. In this case, you will usually still need glasses or contact lenses after the treatment. At FYEO, we perform the ReplaceLens treatment. This is comparable to cataract surgery, except that we can correct vision at multiple distances. Both near and far. After this, you will be free from glasses or contact lenses for the rest of your life. If cataracts are present, both eyes are treated at the same time at FYEO. In the hospital, sometimes one eye is treated first and the other eye 4 to 6 weeks later. In this case, you will have to go to the hospital twice for your treatment.
By the way, you do not have to have cataract symptoms to be eligible for lens implant treatment at FYEO. The goal of our treatments is to live a life without glasses. After this treatment, there are no more parts of the eye that can affect the strength. So you are free of your glasses or contact lenses for the rest of your life. Why wait?
Monofocal (Single vision) vs. Multiple vision
Monofocal lens (Single vision) (standard hospital lens)
This lens ensures that the cataract is gone, but does not free you from glasses or contact lenses. This treatment is reimbursed by health insurance in most cases. In order to see clearly in both the distance and up close, you still need glasses or lenses. Multiple vision lens (FYEO)
When you opt for a lens implant treatment at FYEO, also known as the ReplaceLens treatment, we ensure that you can see clearly and without glasses or contact lenses for the rest of your life and we help you get rid of cataracts. The ophthalmologist replaces your natural eye lens with an advanced artificial lens that allows you to see clearly at multiple distances. So reading a book, looking at a computer screen, watching TV, but also driving a car are all examples that are then possible again without aids. The results can be predicted very accurately, because an extensive preliminary examination precedes it. The lens is therefore really tailored to your eyes.
Summarized:
| Hopital | FYEO |
|---|---|
| Cataract is already present to proceed with treatment | If there is no cataract present yet, treatment can often be done. Cataracts will not develop in the future and you will have the convenience of your new lens sooner. |
| Always done manually | Can also be performed laser-controlled |
| Only a lens with one strength (monofocal) is covered by the reimbursement. After your treatment, glasses are still needed to be able to see clearly at all distances. | A multiple vision lens is implanted. This allows you to see clearly at multiple distances, making glasses unnecessary. |
| One eye treated at a time (in some cases). | Both eyes are treated at the same time. |
The surgery
Your eyes will be numbed with drops. Then an eyelid spreader will be placed on the eye. This ensures that your eyes remain open during the treatment.
When the treatment starts, you will see a light that you keep looking at. In addition, you will constantly feel some water running over your eyes.
Your natural, cloudy lens is removed from the lens bag during the operation and an artificial lens is replaced in its place. In this operation you can choose between a standard monofocal lens (single vision), or a multiple vision lens.
With a multi vision lens you are also immediately freed from your glasses or contact lenses. With this lens we can permanently solve myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia and cataracts. This allows you to see clearly at all distances that you use in daily life. Win-win! Good to know: you do not experience any pain during the lens implantation treatment. At most you will feel a little pressure on the eye.
Recovery after cataract surgery
The recovery after a ReplaceLens treatment is different for each person. Your brain has to get used to the new way of seeing. This process of getting used to it takes an average of 3 to 6 months. How long this takes for you also depends on how critically you look.
During this period, you can usually function normally. Make sure you have good lighting when reading and give your eyes time to adjust. Keep in mind that the viewing distance is different from what you are used to at first. In principle, you will not experience any after-pain after the treatment and you can often drive again after 2 to 3 days. Would you like to read more about recovery, the rules of life after cataract surgery and an overview of when you can resume which activities?
Cataract surgery reimbursement
Why are you not fully reimbursed for cataract treatment, as in the hospital?
Treatments at FYEO and in the hospital are not the same. At FYEO, you are not only treated for cataracts, but a ReplaceLens is also implanted. These multiple vision premium lenses ensure that you are no longer dependent on your glasses or lenses after the treatment. If cataracts are actually diagnosed, you are eligible for reimbursement of part of the costs. The amount of the reimbursement depends on your health insurer.
Posterior capsule opacification (PCO)
Cataracts should not be confused with posterior capsule opacification (PCO). During a lens implant treatment, the new artificial lens is placed in the existing natural lens bag. Over time, deposits can form on this bag, this is called after-cataract.
Would you like more information?
We understand if you would like more information. After all, it is your eyes that matter! Every treatment starts with a preliminary examination and consultation with an ophthalmologist. This examination is essential to map out your eye situation exactly, so you will always receive treatment advice completely tailored to your needs. No preliminary examination, no treatment. The ophthalmologist you see during the consultation is also the ophthalmologist who will ultimately treat you, should you opt for treatment. The preliminary examination is always free and without obligation.
Request a preliminary examination
Your preliminary examination is always free and without obligation and includes eye tests and a consultation with the eye specialist.
- Personalized treatment advice tailored to you
- The ophthalmologist from the consultation is the treating ophthalmologist
- All-inclusive price