More and more people in the world suffer from eye diseases. Ophthalmology is constantly developing, and many new methods of treating various eye diseases are being developed in this field. Germany, which is at the forefront of world medicine and ophthalmology in particular, has gone far ahead.
Treatment in Germany Corneal crosslinking. Keratoconus today is a fairly common pathology of the cornea. This is a degenerative disease of a non-inflammatory nature. It is characterized by progressive destruction of the cornea, in connection with which it bulges, leading to persistent visual impairment. Pathology affects the young population, which is accompanied by loss of ability to work.
The essence of the method is the formation of denser corneal fibers due to the impact of photosensitizing agent and light of ultraviolet spectrum — collagen fibrils are glued together. This increases the stability of the cornea several times, which helps to stop the progression of the disease. The main photosensitizing agent is riboflavin or vitamin B2. . Today, keratoconus is only one of the indications for this method. The list of indications has been significantly expanded. In addition to keratoconus, this technique is used in the treatment of keratomalacia and various types of keratopathy. In addition to strengthening the cornea, with the help of this method there is an inhibition of the action of various bacteria. And also vitamin B2 and UV radiation relieve edema. Therefore, another indication for its use is corneal ulcer. Corneal enhancement by crosslinking is a non-surgical method. Usually the manipulation is carried out under local anesthesia. The doctor injects eye drops with anesthetic solution directly into the affected eye. Then two variants of the operation are possible. The first is removal of the upper layer of the cornea in order for vitamin B2 to better penetrate into the inner layers. The second option is without removing the top layer or transepithelial. This step usually takes about 15 minutes for the traditional version of the surgery. The doctor then assesses how hydrated the cornea is with vitamin B2. Next, exposure to light from the ultraviolet spectrum takes place. This stage lasts about half an hour. This time is enough to complete the collagen bonding reaction. At the end of the procedure, antibiotic drops are injected into the eye and lenses are put on. After the procedure, the doctor gives the necessary recommendations, and the patient can go home. Improvement of vision usually occurs from the end of the first month to six months.
Ultrasound-guided cataract phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation or its modification with femtosecond support. This method is the safest and minimally invasive to date. The essence of the operation is the destruction of the cataract with the help of ultrasound. A single puncture of 1.8 mm in length is sufficient for this operation. This operation requires a perfectly sharp diamond knife. Next, tweezers are used to access the crystalline lens. After that, an ultrasonic handpiece is inserted, which destroys the lens. The remnants of the lens are aspirated from the eye. After that, a lens is inserted through the same puncture. The peculiarity of the operation is the absence of final sutures, the puncture is tightened by itself. Restoration of vision takes place on the operating table.
Excimerlaser surgery. In case of visual impairment, patients are more and more often undergoing laser correction, the methods of which are constantly developing. The essence of this method consists in modeling the corneal profile. When exposed to a laser, the thin upper layer of the cornea is vaporized, which gives it a new shape and increases visual acuity by 1.5 times. Today there are several variants of vision correction: LASIK (laser ablation), SuperLASIK (custom ablation) and their modifications. Before performing the procedure, abberometry is performed using a WaveScan analyzer. This provides information about the points to perform the modifications. Next, an individualized program for laser exposure is drawn up. The laser gives the cornea a perfect shape, which increases visual acuity.
Laser trabeculotomy. This manipulation is effective in the treatment of glaucoma, increased intraocular pressure. With this intervention, the doctor applies several burns to the internal structures of the eye — trabeculae, because of which the fluid that accumulated and led to the development of a block, which caused an attack of glaucoma, better penetrates into other structures of the eye. In this case, the block does not occur and the glaucoma attacks go away. In burns, the eye tissue (trabecula) shrivels somewhat, resulting in enlargement of the trabecular gaps that are located between the inflicted burns.
More recently, a new method in the correction of visual impairment –video camera implantatio — has been developed. This technique allows people to regain their sight after a long-term loss of vision, as well as in various diseases, when the receptor cells are no longer functioning, but the connection between the optic nerve and the brain remains. Another name for this technique is bionic eye implantation. In other words, it is a chip that transmits visual images to the central parts of the brain. There are several types of bionic eyes: subretinal and epiretinal implant. Subretinal is installed between the retina and the vasculature. The disadvantage of this system is the need for an additional light source. The epiretinal implant is placed on the retina, fixed with sutures. The main disadvantage of the epiretinal device is the execution of the image by the camera, and the physiological mobility of the eye is not used. However, this method allows patients to regain their lost vision.
Here we present only a part of new methods of treatment, which are carried out in many clinics in Germany, in particular, in Munich. These methods cover many eye diseases, and if earlier such diseases were treated only with medications, without much effect, today it is already possible to restore full-fledged vision.