SNEC

The most common and advanced cataract surgery technique at the Singapore National Eye Center (SNEC), 91.5 percent of cataract surgeries are performed by phacoemulsification. In medicine, new concepts and technology constantly surfaces and the SNEC has been instrumental in bringing advanced microsurgical techniques and lens implant technology to the nation and the region.
For almost two decades now, SNEC has been treating cases of poor eyesight in local patients as well as from overseas. Cases range from cataract to LASIK surgeries to potentially blinding conditions such as cornea and retinal diseases.
The high quality and volume of SNEC's services has seen the institution become the leading eye-center in the Asia-Pasific region and beyond.

LASIK

One major challenge faced by surgeon in cataract surgery is to achieve accurate refractive results in the patients who have had previous LASIK or other corrective surgeries. These procedures change the shape of their corneas and may pose inconsistent results during eyeball masurement when calculating their IOL power. However, with sophisticated new machinery and calculations formulas, the results after cataract surgery for these patients are proving to be very accurate.

ASTIGMATISM

Astigmatism for example, can be corrected in cataract surgery with use of a "toric" IOL or by performing Limbal Relaxing Incisions during the cataract surgery. These incisions are placed near the outer border of the cornea to modify and correct back the shape of the cornea, hence correcting astigmatism.

CATARACT PATIENTS

As cataract patients are becoming more involved and demanding with their choices, the trend of cataract surgery would be to provide vision for all activities without glasses. To achieve this, an accurate measurement of the eye ball before surgery is crucial. This requires the use of state-of-the-art machinery by experienced techinicians so as to obtain accurate results used in choosing the right IOLs power to use during cataract surgery.

"WAVEFRONT" IOLs

On the other hand, the "wavefron" IOLs can help reduce or omit aberrations of images that we sometimes see, especially in the dark when our pupils are larger. "Yellow'" or blue-blocking IOLs help block out the blue light that is believed to harm our macula and causes degenerative changes (all IOLs have ultraviolet tint anyway, to protect eyes against the sun's rays). "Toric" IOLs, like Toric contact lenses, are used in cases with a significant amount of astigmatism, so as to correct the astigmatism during the cataract surgery. The concept has been around for some time, but it is only current the designs that have shown better predictability and stability of resuts.

IOLs DEVELOPMENT

Prior to development of IOLs, cataract patients were forced to wear thick glasses or contact lenses after surgery; they were essentially blind without their glasses. However there has been remarkable improvement in the designs of these IOLs over the years. Currently, most IOLs used in phacoemulsification are made of either silicone or acrylic. These materials make the IOLs pliable. Hence they can be folded or rolled to be placed into the eye.
In addition, there is also an array of IOLs ranging from "multifocal" to "wavefront", "yellow", "toric" and many more. The new "multifocal" and accomodating IOLs offer the possibility of seeing well at more than one distance and solving more vision problems than ever. Earlier designs had problems with glare but the current ones semms to work much better and are popular.

CATARACT SURGERY

(compiled from: www.flyfreefor health.com)

A cataract is a condition in which the crystalline lens of the eye becomes opaque, preventing sufficient light rays from entering the eye, hence impairing vision. Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in the world and they develop fo a number of reasons:
1. Prolonged exposure to UV light,
2. long-term use of certain medications,
3. hypertension
4. old age
5. secondary effect of diseases such as diabetes, to mention a few.
6. In the young, cataracts can be present at birth or can develop as a result of injury.
The most common and advanced cataract surgery technique is phacoemulsification (performed as a day/ambulatory surgery). In phacoemulsification, a handled instrument driven by ultrasound is used to emulsify and aspirate the cataract lens out of the eye through an incision as tiny as 1.8 mm. The instrument has metallis tip, which vibrates at a very high speed. The device that drives this vibration is housed in a machine that controls the flow of fluid into the eye.
The entire system is important in keeping the eye stable and fluidics correct to allow the surgeon to operate safely and efficiently. The surgery is complete with less discomfort, a more rapid rehabilitation of vision and with the possibility the patient will no longer have to rely on spectacles.
Once the cataract-damaged lens has been removed, an artificial intraocular lens (IOL) is implanted. This implant measures about 12.5 mm in length; it is inert and stay in the eye forever.