The Ophthalmology Clinic of Semmelweis University is the first in Hungary to cure cataracts with a laser surgery procedure without incisions.
The procedure has been used for three years as part of a research program, and so far the sight of 70 patients has been saved. Now anyone can apply for the free, so-called femtosecond laser glaucoma surgery, who is over 40 years old, a Hungarian citizen, has mild visual field damage and a diagnosed optic nerve head depression, but so far the problem has not been treated surgically, egeszsegkalauz.hu reported .
What is glaucoma?
When glaucoma (cataract) exists, the imbalance between the intraocular pressure and the circulation of the optic nerve causes a decrease in visual function. The eye disease, which causes visual impairment and even blindness, affects around 10-15 percent of the population over 60-70 years of age worldwide. As its frequency of occurrence increases with age, it is now considered a popular disease, explains Dr. Zsolt Zoltán Nagy is a university professor.
In the past, only eye drops that narrow the pupil and reduce the production of aqueous humor and an extremely invasive, eye-opening surgery (trabeculectomy) were available for the treatment of glaucoma, which entailed a lot of surgical risks, so laser treatments came to the fore. However, in the case of the previous operations performed with argon laser, the intraocular pressure only temporarily decreased for a few years after the intervention, recalls Dr. Zsolt Zoltán Nagy.
What makes the new treatment innovative?
The latest treatment, in which Hungary played a pioneering role, is the so-called femtosecond trabeculotomy, which is the same technique as the previous invasive surgery, with the important difference that it is performed without opening the eye. The main advantage of the procedure is that the exact location of the intervention inside the eye can be identified from the outside with a special imaging device and an extremely sensitive camera system.
With the procedure, intraocular pressure can be permanently reduced by 25-30 percent with a single intervention without scarring, as it is a microsurgical procedure with laser precision. In addition to reducing intraocular pressure, the goal of the intervention is to eliminate the use of eye drops that are continuously and permanently used, as the preservative contained in them damages the eye surface in the long term (burning, stinging, stinging and tearing).
According to Dr. Zsolt Zoltán Nagy, after the successful completion of the clinical trial, the modern and complication-free surgical procedure at Semmelweis University will be available to most open-angle glaucoma patients within two years.
Those affected without a referral are first expected at the outpatient clinic of the Ophthalmology Clinic of Semmelweis University, where they review their previous ophthalmological findings and carry out the necessary tests, on the basis of which they find out whether the patient can participate in the program. Appointments can be made by calling 0620/825-8528 from Monday to Thursday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. or by calling 0630/200-9995 on weekdays between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Source: semmelweis.hu
Photo: advvisioncenters.com
