Are cataract patients getting younger? (Feature Interview with Dr. Chi-Chin Sun, Chairman of the Board of Directors)
Video Source: Ophthalmology Community
Link: https://youtu.be/gzV7YyxjoHg
Q1: Case sharing of young cataract patients
We know that cataracts are associated with aging. In the past, it is true that many patients who underwent cataract surgery had blurred vision due to age. Recently, however, we have noticed a trend of younger people undergoing cataract surgery, which we believe may be related to the excessive use of 3C products. For example, a journalist recently came to my clinic with blurred vision, and I found that she had a serious cataract problem, so I operated on her further. She was also very happy that her eyesight was restored after the surgery, and she is much more competent in her work. On the other hand, cataracts are also associated with a number of diseases, such as diabetes and high myopia. We often find that patients with poorly controlled diabetes develop cataracts earlier. For example, I recently saw a taxi driver in his 30s who came to my clinic for diabetic retinopathy screening because he was diabetic. Upon examination, I found that although he did not have retinopathy, he had severe cataracts. As a result, he underwent early surgery. After the operation, he drove more smoothly and his career was prolonged. From this, we can see that cataract is definitely not exclusive to the elderly. For people with blurred vision, we recommend seeking the help of an ophthalmologist for early detection of the problem. If the blurred vision is caused by cataracts, early surgery may not be necessary, but it is important to have regular check-ups to determine the severity of the problem so that the best time for surgery is not missed.
Q2: People who have early cataract surgery
When people hear they have cataracts, the first question they ask is: “How can I get cataracts at such a young age? Don’t you have to be in your 70s or 80s to get cataracts?” Many people think that cataract surgery can only be performed when the cataract is mature. For those who develop cataract at a younger age, how should they face the surgery and some related problems? In fact, it is not always necessary to have surgery if you have cataract. The question we have to ask is whether cataract affects your daily life and work. For example, a grandmother in her 70s or 80s may not get around much at home. Her vision may be only 0.2 or 0.3. Even if she has cataracts, she feels that she can move around freely, her life is not affected, and she does not need to have surgery. On the contrary, if you are a taxi driver or an executive in a company and your cataracts affect your work, life, socializing, etc., then you may need to consider surgery. Therefore, if you have cataracts, the decision to have surgery should be based on whether or not the cataracts are interfering with your life. It is also important to have regular check-ups after the disease has developed, and not to wait until the cataracts have matured before having surgery, as this increases the risk of surgery, and this is a special reminder to everyone.
Q3: IOL Options for Younger Patients
Thanks to advances in technology, cataract surgery has come a long way in terms of surgical methods, materials used to implant the lens, and design. The function of the lens in the eye is to help the cornea focus the image in front of it onto the retina for photographic imaging. The focal length of the lens can be adjusted by changing the curvature of the lens so that we can see near and far. When a person reaches the age of 40 or older, the lens hardens and its ability to regulate light decreases, leading to presbyopia. Gradually, the lens becomes cloudy and does not transmit light well, making people unable to see clearly, which is often referred to as cataract. However, in the early days before the invention of the artificial lens, patients were not implanted with an artificial lens after cataract surgery, i.e., the removal of the cloudy lens, and people often had to wear a pair of heavy glasses to provide the function of the artificial lens. In recent decades, advances in technology have allowed us to correct your farsightedness, nearsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia by implanting a thin IOL after removing the lens. Therefore, the choice of IOL depends on your needs. For example, if you are a corporate executive and want to be spectacle-free after surgery, you may choose a multifocal lens that provides both distance and near vision. For example, if you have very high astigmatism and are a taxi driver and don’t want to wear astigmatism correcting glasses while driving, you may need to choose monofocal lenses to correct your astigmatism. While there are many options for lenses, it depends on your individual needs and conditions. For example, people who have retinal problems or severe glaucoma may want to opt for more expensive lenses, but they may not be right for them. In conclusion, the choice of lenses should be based not only on your needs but also on your own conditions and should be discussed in detail with your ophthalmologist before making a decision.
Q4: Introduction to the Philosophy of the Taiwan Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons
A lot has been covered above about cataracts and cataract surgery. Here I would like to introduce you to another concept called Shared Decision Making (SDM). When people know that they have cataracts, the first thing they need to do is to let their medical professionals evaluate and help them understand the severity of the cataracts and whether they need surgery or not, then they can decide what kind of surgery they want to have and how to choose an IOL, and then they need to gather more knowledge on their own to help them make the decision. Since the inception of the Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, we have been committed to improving the public’s eye health. On our recently redesigned website, we have also provided the public with information on how to make pre-surgical decisions. We hope this information will help answer any questions you may have in the future. For the future, we will continue to provide more information for the general public.
