A Patient's Guide To Cataracts And Cataract Surgery

By Dr Gerard Chuah

Like a camera, the image captured by the optical nerves is “focused” on the back of the eye by a cornea. Cataract is defined by haziness in the lens of the eye resulting in blurry vision. The time to consider cataract surgery will depend on your individual needs.

This book provides us with insights on patients’ guide to cataract and the treatments involved. “A Patient's Guide to Cataracts and Cataract Surgery” is written by Dr Gerard Chuah, a leading eye surgeon in Asia and also the Medical Director of the Asian Diabetic and Retinal Disease Center and his team of doctors.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Faris Digital Solutions Pte Ltd
• Release date: Jan 12, 2015
• ISBN: 9789814645034

Book preview

Chapter 1

What is a Cataract?

by Dr Gerard Chuah

When the layman talks about cataracts, he often thinks that it is a cloudy layer that forms in front of their eyes. This is incorrect.

Anatomy of the Eye (figure 1)

To understand what a cataract is, it is important to know how the eye functions.

The eyeball is round and it has a protective tough white outer coat called the sclera.

The sclera is covered by a relatively transparent, thin membrane called the conjunctiva.

The conjunctiva lines the inside of the eyelids and the outer surface of the eye.

The cornea is the transparent clear structure in the front part of the eye that allows light to enter the eye.

The iris, which is the colored structure behind the cornea and in front of the lens, controls the amount of light entering the eye.

The pupil is the opening in the center of the iris and the size of the pupil is controlled by the contraction or relaxation of the muscles of the iris.

The lens of the eye is like the lens of a camera—it focuses light onto the retina at the back of the eye.

The retina of the eye is like the film of a camera——it is the light sensitive layer at the back of the eye that is responsible for vision.

The optic nerve is the structure of the eye where all the nerve fibers of the retina collect together to carry images to the brain.

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The optic disc is the place where all the nerve fibers of the retina gather before leaving the