Ophthalmological Pathology and Medical and Surgical Management in Eye Disease Cataract

In this chapter the authors describe a very frequent ocular disease—cataract, which untreated leads to visual impairment. Worldwide, in 2020, in a population aged over 50, the main causes of blindness were: cataract (15.2 millions), glaucoma (3.6 million), corrected refractive errors (2.3 millions), age-related macular degeneration (AMD; 1.8 millions) and diabetic retinopathy (DR; 0.9 millions). The chapter is composed of an introductory part in which definition, epidemiology, symptomatology of the cataract and anatomy of the lens are presented. The next segment describes the cataract classification, according to the following criteria: etiological, clinical and morphological, degree of opacification, the moment of appearance and evolutionary stage. Presenile/senile cataract is the most common eye pathology associated with decreased visual acuity. The following part refers to the preoperative evaluation which includes: visual acuity, anterior pole biomicroscopy, refraction and keratometry, intraocular pressure determination, posterior pole examination which can be done with dilated or undilated pupil, ocular biometry and specular microscopy. Cataract surgery involves removing the cataract and using a lens implant. So, in the final part of the chapter, surgical intervention: anesthesia, surgical technique (for senile cataract and for congenital cataract), postoperative complications and types of intraocular lenses are described.