Cataract : (Noun) means :
1 : a clouding of the lens of the eye or of its
surrounding transparent membrane that obstructs the passage of light
2 :
waterfall; especially : a large one over a precipice
A cataract is an eye disease in which the normally clear
lens of the eye becomes cloudy or opaque, causing a decrease in vision. The
lens focuses light onto the back of the eye (the retina) so images appear clear
and without distortion. The clouding of this lens during cataract formation
distorts vision. Cataracts are usually a very gradual process of normal aging
but can occasionally develop rapidly.
Cataract surgery is the removal of the
natural lens of the eye (also called "crystalline lens") that has
developed an opacification, which is referred to as a cataract. During cataract
surgery, a patient's cloudy natural lens is removed and replaced with a
synthetic lens to restore the lens's transparency. A few decades ago, this was
a big procedure, as there would incision and patients would be advised on many
things including how to sleep and avoiding oil bath etc., now a days, cataract surgery does not even
need hospitalization, some enter the
hospital, have the surgery performed and simply walk out ….it is done with
laser, minimally invasive, small incision surgery – that has changed the way of
cataract surgery.
As a result of the island's long isolation from
neighboring continents,
The word "lemur" derives from the word lemures (ghosts or
spirits) from Roman mythology and was first used to describe a slender loris
due to its nocturnal habits and slow pace, but was later applied to the
primates on Madagascar
It is the story of a blind lemur which can now see again thanks to British vets
who saved his sight with pioneering
two-hour operation to remove cataracts….. read this interesting post excerpted
from Daily Mail.
Four-year-old animal Sam lost his sight at Durrell Wildlife
Park , Jersey ;
Two British vets flew from mainland to help in first operation of its kind. The
same vets have helped elephants, bears, lions and eagles see again. Keepers at Durrell
Wildlife Park
in Jersey first noticed Sam, a four-year-old
red-fronted brown lemur, had inflamed eyes in January - and within weeks he had
been blinded by cataracts in both eyes. The normally social animal was left
unable to interact with his troupe and had to use his memory to navigate round
his cage, until he became trapped up a tree and had to be rescued.
Distressed keepers called on the help of the British
Animal Health Trust (AHT), whose vets have previously saved the sight of
elephants, bears, lions and eagles. In the first operation of its kind on a
lemur, vets Claudia Hartley and Rachael Grundon flew from the mainland and
spent two hours painstakingly removing the cataracts last month. Just six weeks
later, Sam has made a remarkable recovery and is once again socialising with
other primates at the animal park, including his parents Matz and Millie.
With some similarities to cataract surgery on humans, the
vets had to look through a microscope to carry out the operation using tiny
instruments. They made a 3mm incision into the lemur's eyes and cut out a small
piece of the outside skin of the lens in each one, before liquifying it and
'sucking' it out using ultrasound, the surgeons said. Claudia Hartley, head of
ophthalmology at the AHT, said: 'There is nothing quite like the feeling of
restoring sight to an animal - especially witnessing them see again for the
first time. It really is the best job in the world. 'The AHT also provided the
specialist equipment required for the surgery including a phacoemulsification
machine and operating microscope.'
The lemurs of Madagascar Madagascar
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
20th May 2014.
photos & news credit : Daily Mail
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