Patient journey #3: Ralf Konszack
Cataract

Ralf has had a cataract for a long time and is aware of it. So far, he could still see everything quite well with strong glasses. The final trigger for him to have the surgery done was a nighttime car ride in the rain. “In some places I really couldn’t see anything anymore,” Ralf tells us.

Cataract is a clouding of the natural lens of the eye which is a common condition while the eye ages. As a cataract develops, eyesight may become cloudy, blurry, or unclear. It is responsible for Ralf‘s deteriorating eye sight. The only treatment is cataract surgery. Here, the cloudy lens is replaced with an artificial lens, explains Dr. med Isaak Fischinger. Dr. Fischinger is an ophthalmologist at the Spreebogen eye day clinic in Berlin.

For Ralf, perfect vision without glasses over all distances, near, intermediate, and far, is not the main goal. He gets along well with his glasses. He is used to working on the computer at work and can easily go about his everyday life with glasses. But having the cloudiness gone, hassle and glare free vision with good contrast, these things are important for him.

“My special wish is to be able to see my wife anywhere in the swimming pool without needing glasses,” he reveals to his ophthalmologist in the introductory interview.

A standard monofocal intraocular lens would be an option to treat his condition, but there are newer generations of these lenses available. Offering better visual acuity.

Dr. Fischinger recommends Ralf the Acunex Quantum – an enhanced monofocal lens -and explains why: “It works very well from a distance and can also cover the intermediate area to some extent.”

In order to fulfill Ralf’s special wish, Dr. Fischinger a monovision. One eye is designed for distance and the other eye for near.

“The patient is given a mild sedative and falls asleep for a short time.” During this short period of time, the eye is anesthetized with an injection so that the operation can be completely painless. Cataract surgery is a highly standardized operation with very low risks. Only very small incisions of around 2.5mm are made on the eye, so the risk of infection is low. After the operation, the patient receives an eye bandage. The bandage is removed again at the first follow-up check in the practice. Then there is a week‘s break. The second eye will only be operated on after the first eye has recovered well.

“Finally, I can see my wife in the swimming pool and I know that she is my wife at the first glance. Impossible before surgery. It makes me happy, makes us both happy.”

The visual acuity that Ralf can achieve in the near and medium range after surgery fulfils all his expectations.