A cataract is a disease of the eye in which the human lens becomes cloudy, and the patient feels as if they were looking through some dirty glass. Over time, the disease becomes more severe and vision more cloudy, as it is not possible to stop or slow the disease with any medication. It occurs mainly in older age, exceptionally in young people, or even in children.
The only way a patient can get rid of a cataract is to have a cloudy human lens replaced with an artificial clear lens. The procedure in the initial phase of the disease is more comfortable and generally more gentle to the eyes. Cataract surgery is the most common surgical procedure worldwide. Thanks to modern technologies and materials, this is now a painless outpatient procedure lasting for a few minutes.
Two types of operations are most frequently performed – standard ultrasound and more current laser-assisted procedure. Czech health insurance companies cover ultrasound surgery with the implantation of a standard lens (it is, therefore, free of charge). Laser surgery is more accurate, gentler, and is performed at an additional cost. The patient can also choose from several types of intraocular lenses with different properties in agreement with the ophthalmologist.
In 2012, the Gemini Eye Clinic, led by Dr. Pavel Stodůlka, was the first eye care facility in Europe to introduce cataract laser surgery using a femtosecond laser.
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From admission at the reception through painless device measurements and assessments and the surgery itself to leaving the clinic – watch a short video to find out what your procedure at the Gemini Eye Clinic might look like.
Make an appointmentCataracts are usually indicated by district ophthalmologists who make a recommendation for surgery. Scheduling the date of the procedure can be arranged through them or by phone to the information line of the Gemini Eye Clinic. The patient must be healthy for the operation. Cough, severe cold, infectious disease, etc., can be obstacles for the surgery.
Before leaving for the clinic, make sure you have your ID card, insurance card (if you have one), and a list of medicines you take. The procedure is outpatient – i.e., without hospitalization. We recommend arranging someone who will accompany you back home or transport to take you home after the operation. Ladies are asked not to wear any make-up on the day of the procedure.
After arriving at the clinic, you will first check-in at the reception, where the nurses will write down your details and admit you to the clinic. You will present your identity card and, if applicable, a health insurance card. A thorough preoperative examination follows, during which you will learn details about the operation and which method you will be operated on, or which intraocular lenses are suitable for you. The standard cataract surgery is fully covered by the insurance company and is therefore utterly free for you (applies only to citizens of the Czech Republic or foreigners with permanent stays in the CR and paying the insurance). The new intraocular lens from the insurance company, for which the insured does not have to pay any extra charge, enables vision at one distance, i.e., at a near distance or a far distance. In addition to these, our ophthalmologists will offer you the opportunity to choose from other types of intraocular lenses (listed below), which have better properties or allow vision at more distances. These are for an additional fee according to our price list.
At our facilities in Zlín and Prague, you can also choose laser-assisted cataract surgery. Our eye clinic was the first facility in Europe (already in February 2012) to start operating cataracts using a VICTUS femtosecond laser platform. Since 2015, we have been using the most advanced laser for eye surgery globally – the Ziemer Z8. The laser performs some steps of the surgery, which a surgeon performs with microscopic instruments in the standard method. Compared to ultrasound cataract surgery, the new way is more gentle, safer, and more precise.
You will stay at the clinic for approximately 3 to 4 hours. Our erudite staff will be at your disposal at all times. After admission at the reception, you will undergo a set of preoperative examinations and assessments, device measurements, and personal consultations with one of our ophthalmologists, who will advise you on lens selection. We will handle the necessary documentation together.
Then our nurses will make sure that your eyes are locally numbed with special drops. The operation room’s preparation is also attended by a nurse, who helps patients with surgical clothing and places them on the operating bed. The procedure itself is painless and lasts about 15 – 25 minutes; during the procedure, you will be conscious, and you can talk to the staff during the operation. During the surgery, you will be asked to follow the surgeon’s instructions and lie still. At the Gemini Eye Clinic, we perform surgery through a very narrow micro-incision, which heals perfectly. Thanks to this microincision, the surgeon first removes the opaque human lens with ultrasound and then replaces it with an artificial intraocular lens made of high-quality medical material. If you have selected laser-assisted surgery, ultrasound will not be used. After the procedure, the nurse will take you back to the waiting room.
Before the patient goes home after the operation accompanied by someone they had arranged to take them home, they will spend a while in the waiting room. The nurses place a shield on your eyes immediately after the procedure, but this is not always necessary. You will receive a medical report and information on postoperative care, including eye drops.
In the first days after the operation, the vision is worse than before, and it is also blurred, or pain may be experienced. Some patients may be getting used to a new vision for a longer time. When choosing multifocal lenses, it often happens when it is necessary to wait until the complete neuroadaptation occurs. In most cases, however, recovery and return of sight are rapid. You will see your eye doctor within a week of the operation for a postoperative check-up.
Do not forget to follow the postoperative routine for proper recovery:
MONOFOCAL lenses – sharp vision at one distance, with the patient needing glasses at the other distance.
MULTIFOCAL lenses – sharp vision at more distances. At all distances (trifocal lens), or at a far distance and near distance (bifocal lens), vision at a middle distance becomes less sharp.
STANDARD package lens
It is a high-quality monofocal aspheric lens with a UV filter with costs covered by a health insurance company, which guarantees sharp vision only at one selected distance – usually at a far distance.
GOLD package lens
Monofocal lens with so-called aspherical optics provides a better image and improves the recognition of details. It also improves vision at dusk, which is essential, for example, when driving.
PREMIUM package lens
Aspheric monofocal lens is made of a new premium quality material, eliminating unwanted reflections and ensuring higher contrast sensitivity, including increased depth of field of vision.
FOCUS package lens
Top aspheric lens of the highest quality, developed by the world’s leading manufacturer of intraocular lenses. It enables sharp vision at a far distance and a medium distance thanks to the optics and superior production technology’s unique shape. It is also suitable for professionals who work on a computer or for drivers driving daily. Also, it eliminates the so-called halo effect.
MULTI package lens
Multifocal aspheric lenses provide multiple focal lengths at the same time. They are divided into bifocal or trifocal. Trifocal lenses allow you to see sharply at all distances and are the most perfect that can be offered to patients.
All intraocular lenses from the already mentioned GOLD, PREMIUM, MULTI, and FOCUS packages have a UV filter and, in addition, a filter of harmful blue light.
