On Thursday 7 September, Professor Paolo Vinciguerra, Head of the Eye Centre of Humanitas and Professor at Humanitas University, was the protagonist of a live Facebook stream dedicated to the most common eye diseases, such as cataracts, glaucoma and keratoconus.
Many topics were discussed, such as refractive surgery, the role of robotics in ophthalmology, the value of research and advice on how to make the best use of digital technologies, safeguarding our eyes.
A great many questions came from the live users and not all of them could be answered. We will take back some of them in this article, thanks to the help of Professor Vinciguerra.
Cataract
My husband is diabetic and has problems with one eye, can it be a cataract?
Diabetes is a multi-organ disease and it can therefore have its pathological repercussions on the eyes as well. However, after careful eye study, the most appropriate surgical removal mode can be selected.
Are there any novelties for adults recovering from an eye affected by congenital cataract?
Cataract surgery can now be successfully applied even in “difficult” eye cases such as those with congenital cataracts. Rehabilitation of eyes with congenital cataracts is all the more effective if it is started sooner in terms of age, and in this sense an adult eye presents greater difficulties in recovery.
Maculopathy
Can maculopathy be cured and resolved in an elderly person?
Some forms of maculopathies can be treated even at a very advanced age, depending on the case.
What are the causes of degenerative maculopathy?
It depends on the type of maculopathy (diabetic, senile, inflammatory, neovascular). Generally, the exudative maculopathy, the most common of the degenerative maculopathies, is due to the formation of blood neovas that cause a damage to the retinal structures.
Are there any novelties for degenerative maculopathy?
Injective therapies in the eye (intravitral therapies) are now the subject of intense international study and in recent years several new drugs have been perfected.
Glaucoma
Can glaucoma be cured or is it a chronic disease?
Primary glaucoma is a chronically developing disease; only some forms of glaucoma secondary to other causes can greatly improve following the removal of the cause, and in some cases regress.
Surgery
At what age can you intervene on myopia?
Myopia is a defect that can technically be corrected even in adolescence, however it is good practice to wait for the end of development and the stability of the refractive defect before thinking about its correction.
Is it possible to intervene with the laser in case of hypermetropia?
Hypermetropia is a more complex defect to correct, but within certain ranges it can be corrected with very good results.
Eye Health
What role do nutrition and supplements play in eye health?
They have a very important role to play both in primary prevention and in halting the development of certain diseases.
I happen to experience a blunt jab always on the same eye, what could be the cause?
The reasons for ocular pain can also be extraocular and not be directly related to eye disease. An eye examination is recommended.
I always tear in the left eye and feel burning, but no one has found anything, what can it be?
It may be due to an abnormality of the tear drainage system, there are second level clinics specializing in this field.
Ocular pathologies
How do you know if the optic nerve is damaged?
During an eye examination, damage to the optic nerve may be detected, as the human eye does often not perceive the initial damage.
I would like to know how to treat an eye that is lazy from birth; today I am 50 years old but I always have difficulty seeing because I have astigmatic myopia.
The definitive treatment of amblyopia has not yet been found; contact your ophthalmologist to assess whether there are any possibilities in your specific case.
