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CATARACT

I know, all the above-said questions might have enforced a sense of curiosity among you all. Yes, cataract is a grave matter of concern, if it is left uncured. It should be treated at the earliest. To justify my statement, here is a beautiful slogan I came across in one of the reputed eye-hospital in my town,

“It is healthful to treat cataract as soon as it is detected.”

The slogan was in our language, I have translated it for you all. To talk further, cataracts are not a disease or an impairment. It is the normal clouding of the original lens of the eye which leads to blurry vision. It is very difficult to detect in the beginning. Mainly, people are unaware of its symptoms and consequences, they treat it as a normal eye defect. I am sure there are still many people who fail to take proper medical aid when they face any eye issues. It has the tendency to evolve slowly in due course of time. In an article entitled, “Advances in Ophthalmology practice and Research”, published in a journal named Elsevier, it has been stated:

According to the World Health Organization, cataract is the world’s leading eye disease causing blindness, affecting approximately 65.2 million people. Approximately 51% of blindness related to cataracts, which is also a major factor in poor vision in both developed and developing countries. Among all eye diseases, the blindness rate caused by cataracts was 5% in developed countries, while 50% or more in poor and/or remote regions. Nearly 18 million people in the world suffer from being bilaterally blind due to cataracts, and cataracts have caused moderate to severe vision loss in 52.6 million individuals. The prevalence of cataracts in the population aged 40 years and older is approximately 11.8%-18.8%. At present, there are no effective methods for cataract prevention or drug treatment; however, surgical removal of the opaque lens and implantation of an intraocular lens(IOL) can restore vision in patients and cataracts. 

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IT’S BETTER TO GET IT CURED AT THE EARLIEST

I am going to share from my personal experience to raise awareness regarding cataracts. My 65-year-old mother never faced any eye problems before. As such, she never carried spectacles in her life. She had an extremely sharp vision. So far, she had no difficulty in recognizing far objects and letters. I used to contemplate that my mother had an ironic vision. Me and my two sisters are suffering from short-sightedness since childhood. For we three sisters, life is meaningless deprived of our high-powered eyeglasses but my elder sister shares another fate nowadays. My father and my brother possess a good eye health. By God’s grace, they are living a life free from any artificial visionary aids.

It so happened, this year I was on a yearly visit to my maternal home for five days on the occasion of Durga pooja vacations. I observed that my mother was not being able to recognize my younger son who had accompanied me. She took him to be my elder one. I considered it casually, taking the long gap into account. She has a very good memory which is not to be doubted in any sense. Then, I noticed her walking slowly, climbing the steps at a slow pace and facing difficulty in going on with her daily chores. She couldn’t identify the food served on her plate. I asked her,

“Mummy can you see properly.”

She gave me a prompt reply,

“Yes, I can see.”

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DON’T BE RELUCTANT

Parents don’t want to trouble their child with undue worries. I let it go this time but by now, I have understood something was wrong with her eyesight. My purpose of the visit was to have my eye power checked in order to change the contact lens. I had been doing it from my hometown since the day I owe my first eyeglasses. I was determined to accompany her with me for a thorough eye check-up. The market was closed due to the festivities, so I had to wait for some time. On the next day of Vijaydashmi I headed off straight with my mother to the Lenskart clinic. My eyes were duly examined by the optometrist. He produced a chit notifying my present eye power. I was supposed to keep a picture of that chit. Then it was my mother’s turn. She sat calmly before the computerized testing machine.

The machine could not capture the visionary capacity of both the eyes of my mother. He asked her to read some of the haphazard letters hung on the bright lighted screen. The boy at once declared,

“Her eyes are affected with cataracts. Get her treated as soon as possible as you can see, she is not able to recognize even the big letters displayed on the screen”.

I was flabbergasted with this sudden revelation and my mind wavered with a single thought,

“How could it be?”

The boy suggested to see her to a renowned ophthalmologist to get a proper diagnosis and eye treatment. One thing, he committed sincerely was to take her out of station as her condition is severe, she may tend to lose her vision. I was tensed to extremity. The same day I had to board my train. There is a reputed eye hospital in my town. After various consultations from the family members, I escorted my mother to get her eyes treated. It was then that my mother committed that she had difficulty in viewing, things appeared clear only when it was brought closer to her eyes. Basically, she thought it was happening because of age. She didn’t reveal maybe because she is damn scared of hospitals and surgery.

So, her preliminary tests started with the help of different machines. I had to convince her for everything to safeguard her vision. Her blood and sugar examination were conducted. We were asked to see the surgeon. He declared,

“Her eyes are severely affected with cataract. In the right eye, it is ripe and left eye it is mild but both need attention.”

Then he entrusted a peculiar question upon me,

“Do you want the surgery to be done?”

I was puzzled. Instead of replying I posed a typical question,

“Sir, is there any method apart from operation to get rid of cataract?”

The doctor answered with a smile on his face,

“No !! Science hadn’t advanced so much. Surgery is the only cure.”

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IT’S A MINUTE SURGERY

We were given the dates and time of surgery after confirming on the contact lens. Her right eye was to be operated first. My mother was scared on hearing about the surgery. I played the role of a parent in teaching her the benefits of the surgery. I cited various examples to make sure she copes easily but to be honest, I also had that fear and anxiety in me. According to an online article published in aapsos.org, it is rightly stated:

“We all depend on our vision in more ways than we realize. Without healthy vision, our ability to work, play, drive or even recognize a face can be drastically affected.”

On the day of the surgery, I witnessed people had gathered from far and wide. There was an old lady who lost her complete vision. She was being led by an escort. She couldn’t walk on herself. Likewise, there was an elderly man who was saying that he lost his vision in right eye, he cannot see anything. In the huge spacious waiting hall, I came across myriads of people who were to undergo surgery. There was also a young man who was going to be treated. My mother was getting anxious. Her blood pressure shotted up. I was anxiously waiting for her turn with bated breath. I was told that they will operate her when her blood pressure becomes stable. Meanwhile, an elderly man returned happily from the operation theatre. He came outside without support and sat to have a video conferencing with his family members on his smart phone. A woman in her late forties was feeling stress-free after returning from the operation room. She was sharing her experiences cheerfully with all the five adults who accompanied her to the hospital. It felt as if she had achieved a mission.

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THE REAL STORY

There were a good number of people waiting in a separate hall to get their treatment through government cards. They had travelled from far. I was overwhelmed when my eyes caught sight of a very elderly lady walking with a hunched back. She was wearing the mandatory black eye protection glass that is provided after the surgery. She strolled with the help of a stick with a half-bent stature but there was no one to lead her. She was heading towards the exit right away, happy and satisfied with her newly found vision. I guess, she might be in her eighties or nighties. Finally, the nurses and the doctor tried their level best to bring down the blood pressure of my mother without injecting or giving her medicines. My heart shivered to encounter her after the surgery. On the contrary, she seemed happy and relaxed after returning from the ICU. She talked a great deal sharing her experience. The doctor advised us to report after a fortnight for the second surgery. He prescribed some medicines, enlightened us on some precautions and detailed on the follow-ups.

There is a common misconception that if both the eyes are operated at a short gap, either of the eye may get affected. So many well-wishers suggested I get her other eye operated after a year, a month, three months, so on and so forth threatening me with the consequences. I reported after a fortnight for the procedure. The surgery was postponed on account of her rising blood pressure. She was equally afraid this time also. The doctor advised me to show her to a general physician first to control her blood pressure. This time there was also some rise in her sugar levels, although she is not a sugar patient. If these problems hadn’t arisen she would have been operated. I took the matter seriously. Her medicines were changed. Again, I accompanied her to the eye hospital after a week for a second try. I was determined that if not today then after one year observing certain warnings. She was taken to the operation theatre after the preliminary tests. I sat in the waiting area praying to my Gods.

She returned with a smiling face relieving me out of the stress, I carried in my heart. Everything went well. Yes, her other eye was operated within a gap of less than a month of the other eye. I was still putting on the eye drops in her right eye. On a regular follow-up visit to the clinic, I noticed an elderly man, not able to stand on his feet. His wife and daughter-in-law supported him to walk clumsily. His waist bones were dislocated, he was wearing a lose trouser and shirt that was slipping down. It was a pathetic sight to see him being led at different rooms for his tests. The doctor declared that both his eyes were badly affected with cataract, needing urgent surgery. I was like,

“Oh God! Have mercy, please help this dependent man.”

TO CONCLUDE

There were children of all ages suffering from different eye issues. The exposure to the mobile screens has caused a havoc. Parents become alert when the damage is already done. Last year, my elder sister had also gone through a major cataract surgery in her mid-forties. She visited her eye clinic for a regular eye check-up when her problem was identified. I insist everyone, to take proper care of your eyes. Do not sprinkle water directly into it as the original lens might get affect. Don’t look directly at the Sun or sit under the Sun rays for long hours. If you face blurry vision, watery eyes, itching, or burning sensation, kindly see yourself to the nearest eye specialist. According to the reports published in National Library of Medicine-National center for Biotechnology information:

Cataracts are one of the most common ophthalmic pathologies characterized by the opacification of the lens. In 2013, the United States had more than 22 million people who had cataracts. In 2020, that number is expected to reach 30.1 million. Incidence increases with age; 43-year-old to 54-year-old patients have an incidence of 8.3% while patients over 75 have an incidence as high as 70.5%. Women are slightly more affected, with an average incidence of 26% and men 22.6%. In 2015, 3.7 million cataract surgeries were performed in the United States with data suggesting that the incidence of cataract surgery will continue to increase.

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