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If the diabetes has not caused changes in the fundus of the eye,
cataract surgery can be performed quite safely, without taking
additional measures.
The situation is very different, when the patient suffers from
proliferating diabetic retinopathy. In such a case the retinopathy
must be controlled beforehand. This is achieved with laser therapy
or specific biological factors, injected into the eye by a specialized
ophthalmologist. Specialized clinics, such as the Athens Eye Hospital,
can deal with controlling the retinopathy in close cooperation with
other subspecialties of ophthalmology and diabetologists as well.
If one proceeds to perform cataract surgery before retinopathy is
appropriately treated, the disease will get worse and eyesight will
probably deteriorate rather than improve.
I have cataracts and diabetes
mellitus.
Does this affect the surgery?
everyday life, rendering usual activities, such as reading or driving,
difficult or impossible. The treatment of wet macular degeneration
(which is less common and is characterized by the development of
pathological new vessels and edema-swelling) precedes the cataract
surgery and is done by a special team in our hospital and expert
ophthalmologists.
Dry macular degeneration (without neovascularization and edema)
has no effective treatment to date, and if the reduction of central clear
vision is mostly attributed to this disease, removal of the cataract will
not offer significant improvement. Recent studies show an increase
in risk of developing maculopathy or aggravate an existing one after
cataract surgery, for reasons still not known.
In each case your doctor will guide you to the correct procedures
that you should follow.
