Fuchs
Dystrophy and Cataract Surgery: A Single Surgery to Save Time and Cost
Fuchs Dystrophy
is an eye complaint where the cornea’s inner surface cell lining
stop working which affect both the eyes of the patient. This eye disease
is more common in women than in men. Although the doctor can see signs
of the disease in the Although the doctor can see signs of
the disease in the thirties or forties, the problem usually surfaces at
fifty.
People mostly
inherit it from either of the parents who have had the attack of the disease.
However, people without a family history of Fuchs Dystrophy are also victims
of the disease.
As more and more cells die, fluid fills up the cornea making it blur,
swollen and cloudy. The cells go dead while the person is sleeping initially
but as the days pass by blisters are formed in the endothelium that break
causing pain in the eye.
This Fuchs dystrophy changes the shape of the cornea in the long run affecting
the vision of the person.
Some of the symptoms of this disease are eye pain, sensitivity to bright
light, seeing halos, blur vision during daytime and poor vision throughout
the day.
Tests to check the thickness of the cornea like Pachymetry test and specular
microscopic examination helps the doctor to see the thin layers of the
cells behind the cornea.
Eye drops and ointments help the person get relieved from the symptoms
of Fuchs dystrophy. The other solution is the cornea transplant and most
of the people in the US go for cornea transplant because of this Fuchs
dystrophy disease.
Cataract is the cloudy vision in a person where the proteins in the eye
clump together. The natural lens is removed and an intraocular lens is
implanted in this cataract surgery. Cataract is the problem for aged people
and about 1.4 million cataract surgeries are carried out in the US every
year.
Some people have cataract along with this Fuchs dystrophy disease. So
when they go for cataract operation the weak endothelial cells of the
cornea are mutilated. The loss of these cells causes edema or the swelling
of the cornea. The inflammation makes the Fuchs dystrophy problem worse
resulting in poor vision and cornea transplant.
Due to the risk, people with Fuchs disease and cataract are examined very
carefully before going for the cataract surgery. Sometimes the patient
may need both cataract and cornea transplant. Therefore, the surgeon decides
to perform both in a single surgery. This saves time in healing and recovery.
Research and recent studies say that people with Fuchs disease can also
have cataract surgery, and the surgeon uses a viscoelastic gel to protect
the back of the cornea. The gel, a jelly like material, can be removed
after the surgery.
The endothelial cells vary from one person to another; so the minimum
number to be maintained is not known and the viscoelastic gel helps in
the minimum loss of these cells during cataract surgery.
With the advancement in the cataract surgery techniques and technology,
it is very safe to have a cataract operation without affecting the cornea
even if the patient has Fuchs dystrophy disease.
