Such a pathology as a dislocation of the lens of the eye is most often the result of an injury. Less commonly, this phenomenon is observed with congenital abnormalities in the development of the visual system. It is quite difficult to detect the disease at an early stage if there was no significant injury or other damage. It may take months or even years before a dislocation of the eye lens makes itself felt. Therefore, it is so important to carefully monitor the condition of the eyes, visual acuity, especially when it comes to children.
The structure of the lens of the human eye
In order to be able to recognize the dislocation of the lens of the eye in time, it is necessary to understand how it is generally arranged. It is an ordinary transparent biconvex lens. Its approximate diameter is 10 mm. Interestingly, the front surface of the human lens is flatter.
It is not easy to see it with the naked eye: the organ is located behind the pupil and behind the eye iris. In a suspended state, it is held with the help of a zinc link. These are the thinnest threads, each end of which is attached to the lens, and on the other hand, to the ciliary body. The shape and refractive power of this important organ of vision directly depend on the tension of these threads.
Lens dislocation due to injury
Trauma is the most common cause of dislocation. But it’s important to remember that dislocation is not necessarily complete. There is such a thing as a subluxation of the lens. Full or incomplete displacement occurs when the filaments from the zinc binder cease to cope with their function. They do not hold the object, as a result of which it changes its position, and visual acuity decreases.
Non-traumatic dislocation of the lens of the eye
The causes of this pathology may not be related to trauma. Often, this body does not maintain its correct position due to the fact that the threads do not work normally due to congenital weakness, severe underdevelopment, or even the complete absence of ligaments in this area. Lens dislocation and subluxation of the lens can develop with such congenital diseases as Marfan syndrome. The weakening of the ligaments after their degeneration also often leads to this pathology. Senile age and a high degree of myopia are the factors most often leading to such a problem as dislocation of the lens of the eye.
Also, acquired cataracts or glaucoma may serve as the cause. Doctors consider dislocations and subluxations the most frequent and rather severe complication of these diseases. Also, iridocyclitis, a chronic inflammation of the ciliary body and the iris of the eye, can lead to this pathology. In the latter case, clouding of the dislocated lens is noted. If we are not talking about injury, then this pathology is more common in older people. Children suffer from this 10 times less often than adults, since they have much more elastic eye ligaments.
Symptoms of pathology
It is sometimes difficult at an early stage to recognize a dislocation of the lens of the eye. Symptoms are not always pronounced. A layman can interpret their feelings incorrectly, which will complicate the diagnosis of the disease. Usually the first thing the patient himself notices is a decrease in visual acuity. But the problem is that this symptom manifests itself already in an advanced stage. When the object is significantly shifted to the front wall of the eye, this is a severely neglected dislocation of the lens of the eye in humans. The photo clearly shows how pronounced and noticeable even the layman is. Treatment in this case will be absolutely guaranteed prompt.
In the early stages, the main thing that gives out the dislocation of the lens is the shaking of the iris of the human eye. The peculiarity of the anatomy is that the anterior ophthalmic chamber is rather irregular in shape, so the lens, shifting, appears in its smaller part. The patient himself is unlikely to notice these changes, but an experienced ophthalmologist will surely attach importance to them. It happens that with pathology, the studied organ is displaced into the anterior chamber of the eye so much that it is clearly noticeable even to a specialist.
Treatment
Most often, a dislocation of the lens of the eye in a person is eliminated through surgical intervention. During surgery, the displaced object itself is removed, and an artificial one is implanted in its place. Such an operation makes sense at the initial stage of the disease. Intervention is classified as moderate. The patient after the operation remains disabled for 4-6 weeks.
Dislocation of the lens of the eye is also treated by transscleral fixation. During the intervention, a microscopic special device is implanted inside the eye. At one end it is suspended from the lens capsule, the other end is fixed outside the eye capsule. Such a device performs the functions of zinc cords, effectively holding the object in position.
It happens that the density of the nucleus in a patient is very high. In this case, laser or ultrasonic phacoemulsification is used to remove the lens. It is important to completely remove the remains of the vitreous, scraps of the posterior capsule and blood clots. For children, there is a separate technique - implantation of an artificially made lens in combination with a ring and capsule bag. Recently, methods are increasingly being used that fix the displaced lens intrasclerally using the latest suture technique.
Untreated complications
Dislocation of the lens of the eye certainly requires treatment! Ignoring the symptoms and waiting for the pathology to disappear by itself is a mistake leading to irreversible consequences. In most patients with advanced dislocation of the lens, pronounced signs of ophthalmic hypertension are observed. In 55-75% of cases, this pathology over time provokes the occurrence of acute secondary glaucoma. Also, with a disease, there is a high risk of joining inflammatory complications.
The most difficult to cure are:
- retinitis;
- iridocyclitis;
- keratoconjunctivitis.
Lens dislocation in the absence of treatment is accompanied by detachment and complete rupture of the retina, as well as such a serious problem as degeneration of the cornea. There is a development of a hernia of the vitreous body or pronounced destructive intraocular changes. The formation of adhesions with prolonged irregular position of the lens leads to neuritis of the optic nerves. The most serious complication of the disease is complete loss of vision with persistent pain.