Life Healthcare is a leading private hospital operator in South Africa and primarily serves the market for privately insured individuals, representing approximately eight million people. The group provides mainly acute care, high technology private hospital services.
PricesExtracapsular Cataract Extraction upon request
Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital is a large Provincial government funded hospital situated in central Mthatha in South Africa. It is a tertiary teaching hospital and forms part of the Mthatha Hospital Complex.
PricesExtracapsular Cataract Extraction upon request
The extensive hospital network includes 64 hospitals (of which 57 are majority owned by Life Healthcare and another seven in which the group holds substantial minority ownership), providing a range of healthcare services throughout South Africa.
PricesExtracapsular Cataract Extraction upon request
What is Extracapsular Cataract Extraction?
Extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) is a type of eye cataract surgery. During ECCE the eye’s lens is removed and the elastic capsule covering the lens is left partially in place to implant an intraocular lens (IOL).
What are the common types of Extracapsular Cataract Extraction?
Manual Expression
An incision is made in the cornea or the sclera through which the lens is removed.
Phacoemulsification
Ultrasound energy is used to break the lens into fragments inside the capsule and it is removed by aspiration.
How is Extracapsular Cataract Extraction Performed?
An incision is made in between the cornea and the sclera.
The lens capsule is opened and the nucleus of the lens is removed.
The soft lens cortex is emptied using suction and the back of the capsule is left intact.
An intraocular lens is used to replace the original lens, which enables light focus on the retina. The intraocular lens substitute the patient’s original eye lens, and therefore they are not corrective lenses.
The incision is closed with sutures after the surgery.
A special test known as Keratometry needs to be performed if an intraocular lens is required. It is a painless test used to determine the strength of the intraocular lens that is required.
The patient’s eyeball length is measured with ultrasound.
A keratometer is used to measure the curvature of the cornea.
The measurements are then put into the computer to calculate the exact power of the intraocular lens.
About Extracapsular Cataract Extraction
Key facts to plan your treatment: how long it takes, your hospital stay, anaesthesia, risks and recovery.
Days admitted
The procedure is commonly done as an outpatient procedure.
Anesthesia
- Local anesthesia - General anesthesia may be used if the surgery is required for children and adults with specific medical or psychiatric conditions.
Recovery
- The sutures are removed in 6 weeks after the surgery.
- Before the patient is discharged, some medications may be placed in the patient’s operated eye.
- Complete recovery of the operated eye may take up to 3 months or sooner.
Risks
- Edema, i.e. swelling of the cornea
- Rise in intraocular pressure (IOP)
- Uveitis, i.e. inflammation of the uvea, which is a tissue layer containing the iris.
- Infection
- Hyphema, which is bleeding inside the interior chamber of the eye
- Incision rupture and leakage
- Tear in the retina
- IOL mal-positioning
- Cystoid macular edema (CME)
After care
- The patient should avoid bending and lifting heavy objects.
- Normal activities can be carried out after a day or two.
- The patient may need to wear regular eye glasses during the day and an eye shield over the operated eye at night.
- Wearing sunglasses are recommended during bright days and to protect the operated eye against rubbing and bumping.
- The patient needs to use eye drops as directed by the doctor for one to two weeks after the surgery to prevent infection, and to lessen pain and swelling.
- The patient needs to check the regular eyeglasses to find out if the lens prescription needs to be changed.
- Regular follow-up check ups are scheduled for several weeks.
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