Health · Fitness & Nutrition · 9 hrs ago
Felipe VI has cataract surgery on his left eye
King Felipe VI had cataract surgery on his left eye, drawing attention to a common condition that can cloud vision.
Cataracts form when the eye’s lens becomes less clear, most often as a natural part of ageing.
The clouding can make vision blurry or cause glare, which may affect driving, reading and everyday independence.
Diabetes, family history, smoking, long exposure to ultraviolet light and some medicines can also contribute.
Eye checks can detect cataracts early, but finding one does not mean surgery is needed straight away.
Doctors consider how much it affects a person’s sight and daily life before deciding when to operate.
Surgery replaces the cloudy lens with an artificial one, and the ophthalmologist says many patients see well the next day and recover in less than a week.
King Felipe VI has had cataract surgery on his left eye.
Ophthalmologist Luis Fernández-Vega, who operated on the king, said cataract surgery is a short procedure with a rapid recovery.
The operation removes the clouded natural lens and replaces it with an artificial intraocular lens.
Cataracts can cause blurred vision, reduced sharpness and sensitivity to glare.
Experts recommend eye examinations to detect cataracts and assess when surgery may be needed.
- Who
- King Felipe VI had the operation.
- What
- He underwent cataract surgery on his left eye.
- When
- Not stated.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- To treat cataracts in his left eye.
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- Patient
- King Felipe VI
- Eye treated
- Left eye
- Condition
- Cataracts
- Surgeon
- Luis Fernández-Vega, ophthalmologist
- Procedure duration
- 20 to 45 minutes for cataract surgery in general
What people are saying
Cataracts are the consequence of the natural ageing of the crystalline lens, the lens in our eye that gives us the ability to focus well at different distances.
The surgery consists of removing that cloudy lens and replacing it with an intraocular lens. It is performed through micro-incisions, with the help of laser and ultrasound, which allow the lens to be fragmented and removed. It does not require stitches.