Cataract vs Glaucoma

Before the surgery, patients with cataract have permanent foggy weather. Afterwards they can hardly believe how bright and clear everything is. About 50 000 times the cataract is operated in Switzerland annually.

This disease is a natural opacity of the lens. It grows like a tree trunk. Each year a new layer is added. The turbidity of the lens causes only a small amount of light to enter the eye. A gray veil lies over the perceived image. If the lens becomes cloudy, the colors fade and the contrast disappears - the image becomes blurred.

The cataract is the most common eye disease at all and the most common cause of blindness in the world. But a simple operation provides a remedy. The lens is easily replaced. In doing so, the doctor directs a small tube, crushes and removes the opaque lens by means of ultrasound and replaces the natural lens with a clear artificial lens. This takes only ten minutes per eye, is painless and does not require a general anesthesia. The risks of this procedure are less than one percent. The cataract can be operated at any stage of the disease. Nevertheless you should not wait too long.

The glaucoma, on the other hand, remains unimpressed in comparison to the cataract, because it usually runs without complaints. A permanently high internal eye pressure can be responsible for the fact that the nerve cells of the retina are destroyed. As a result, the diseased eye provides the brain with incomplete image data. At first, the brain fills the gaps with the image information from the second eye. As the disease progresses, however, this compensation is eliminated. Many patients report to the ophthalmologist only when they suddenly notice a slight tunnel vision or blind spots in the peripherie. Often it is already too late at that point. Even with an surgery, the damage already done can not be undone. Once dead, the nerve cells are finally lost. Leaving the glaucoma untreated may lead to complete blindness. Regular checks are therefore recommended.