Afakiya eyes: what is this and how to treat?

The eye is one of the most important organs for a person. Due to vision, a person receives 90% of information about the environment. Visual disturbances lead to a significant decrease in the quality of life and loss of efficiency.A very dangerous pathology of the eyes is aphakia. What it is? Can this disease be cured?

Definition of disease

Afakia is a congenital or acquired absence of the lens in the eye. The eye in this case is called aphakic.

The lens of the eye is a kind of natural lens.By constantly changing its shape, a person can quickly focus on nearby or far-away objects.The lens is located inside the capsule and is one of the main parts of the optic system of the eye.

Any violations affecting the lens, inevitably affect the visual acuity.

In the case of aphakia, the refraction is radically changed, that is, the ability to correctly refract light rays entering through the pupil. As a result, visual acuity is significantly reduced.

There are 2 types of aphakia:

1. One-sided.This type of pathology is diagnosed most often. It is characterized by the absence of the lens in only one eye.
2. Two-sided.It usually occurs after the removal of severe cataracts, which caused deformation of the lens of both eyes.

Causes

The causes leading to aphakia, are reduced mainly to the traumatization of the visual apparatus.The lens may fall out and lead to blindness due to trauma or penetrating injury.

Very rarely ophthalmologists face the congenital form of aphakia, when the child is born without the lens in the eye.

In most cases, aphakia is the result of surgery, most often after the removal of cataracts. Also, the lens is removed because of its dislocation.

If the lens is not present only in one eye, binocular vision is disturbed, the perception of objects by both eyes changes.

Symptoms

Patients with aphakia complain of the following symptoms:

• Sharp decrease in visual acuity;
• A healthy and sore eye does not get a uniform picture;
• There are difficulties with focusing.

To recognize with an oculist the absence of the lens is not difficult. As a result of examination by means of a slit lamp, the doctor will notice the following signs of the illness:

• Deepening of the anterior chamber of the eye;
• The presence of iridodoneza, that is, the trembling of the iris when making movements with the eyeball;
• Presence of a scar of the cornea or limbus (if aphakia was preceded by surgical intervention);
• Bloating in the pupil due to protrusion (hernia) or leakage of the vitreous body into the anterior chamber

Because of the absence of the lens, the vitreous contents enter the anterior chamber of the eye, resulting in the formation of a hernia.

Even a patient's interview is enough to put the diagnosis.Conducting instrumental diagnostics is necessary to exclude other pathologies, since the symptoms of aphakia can be observed with a dislocation or subluxation of the lens.

Possible complications

In the absence of treatment, the disease can cause significant visual impairment, loss of efficiency and disability.

Anyone can encounter aphakia. If you do not ignore the problem and consult a doctor in a timely manner, the patient has every chance to restore the affected eye and maintain normal vision. Otherwise, you should expect a gradual deterioration and complete loss of vision.

Treatment

The problem of aphakia can be solved by conservative methods or by surgical intervention.The second option is more preferable, since it allows to completely restore binocular vision.

In both cases, with a timely call to the doctor, the prognosis is favorable, since a correctly chosen optical correction allows to maintain normal visual acuity and work capacity, but only under condition of absence of lesions of nervous endings.

Medication

Conservative therapy suggests that patients adjust the vision of the aphakic eye with eyeglasses and contact lenses.

Glasses

Points can be assigned to patients with bilateral aphakia.You need to buy 2 pairs of glasses: for near and given. However, if before the removal of the lens the patient was diagnosed with visual impairment, for example, pronounced nearsightedness, then in this case glasses for distance may not be required.To correct vision glasses should contain the glasses strongly convex in the positive direction (from +8 to +17 diopters).

Afakia is often accompanied by astigmatism. In such cases, the addition of a cylindrical component is necessary. This greatly complicates the technique of making, makes the glasses heavier and makes glasses seemingly unaesthetic.

For young children, the method of correcting eyesight by means of glasses is rarely prescribed, since a tiny nose can not hold a massive structure.

Lack of use of glasses for aphakia:Strong positive glasses of glasses can cause a ring scotoma, that is, the patient falls out of sight of the whole site.This leads to the appearance of severe and unpleasant sensations from a regular sudden appearance before the eyes of an object, which significantly complicates the life of patients. It is difficult for them to cross the road, especially at busy intersections, etc.

Contact lenses

Hard and soft contact lenses

To date, contact optics is the most common way to solve vision problems with aphakia.A tremendous advantage of the method is the possibility of its application in both one-sided and two-sided aphakia.

When manufacturing lenses, the age of the user is taken into account. So for the newborn are produced special soft silicone lenses, and for older children - soft breathing or hard.

You can not use contact optics until 4 weeks after the operation to remove the affected lens.

Contact lenses are a more convenient way of correcting eyesight than glasses, but at the same time more expensive, Because patients regularly have to purchase new sets of lenses and disinfectants for them.

Surgery

Surgical intervention involves the implantation of an artificial implant into the patient's eye.

The presence of an artificial eye is called artiface, and such an eye is artifactic.

This type of vision correction is a surgical procedure for installing a plastic lens a certain strength, the value of which is calculated with the help of specially created computer programs and tables.When calculating, it is taken into account:

• Lens thickness;
• The refractive power of the cornea;
• Depth of anterior chamber;
• The length of the eyeball.

The operation of installing the intraocular lens (IOL) is applied only after removal of the natural lens.

Correction of vision after the operation is planned individually for each patient, guided by his desires.For example, if the patient's work is related to the need to constantly sit at the computer, the IOL is selected in such a way that it can be performed without glasses.

The procedure for implantation of the artificial lens is possible only after the final formation of the eye structures, which usually occurs by 2 years. In the treatment of children with congenital aphakia up to 2 years, a correction of vision with glasses or contact lenses is performed.

There are 4 types of IOLs, differing in the way of installation:

• Lens with fixation in the corner of the anterior chamber;
• Iris-clip-lens (pupillary);
• Extracapillary IOL;
• Rear-chamber lens.

Optimal version of an artificial lens is a posterior chamber IOL that does not interfere normal dilatation of the pupil and provides a better quality of vision, since it occupies a natural position in the eye.

Sometimes patients need 2 operations to introduce the IOL. This happens if, for one reason or another, the optics of the operated eye are incompatible with the optics of the other eye.

Folk remedies

One of the common causes of aphakia is cataract. This disease can be prevented with the help of one folk remedy.

In the "grandmother's" recipes it is indicated that in the initial stages of cataract it is useful to take potassium infusion inside (not to drip!).To prepare this tincture you need to collect and dry the potato eyes, then pour them, l of vodka.Insist this means 7 days. Take 3 times a day daily. This folk remedy will prevent the development of cataracts, and hence the emergence of aphakia.

Prevention

To avoid the development of Aphakia, it is necessary:

• Protect eyesight (observe the mode of reading and working at the computer, doing exercises for the eyes, etc.);
• Avoid eye injury (for example, welders use safety glasses when working).

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conclusions

So, aphakia is the loss of the lens of the eye. The disease leads to complete blindness, but you can avoid such a terrible complication if you take timely measures to correct vision. Modern medical technologies allow the use of artificial lenses, which will replace the lens. The main thing is not to start the disease, and the eye doctor will help you to look at the world with your own eyes.

Also read about such diseases as episcleritis and haljazion.