Cataract Surgery Can Clear Up Your Cloudy Vision
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Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness and vision impairment, but surgery can restore cataract-related vision loss.
Learn the Facts about Cataracts During Cataract Awareness Month
Are spring flowers no longer as vibrant as you remember? Do you experience blurred or double vision? Is driving at night becoming increasingly difficult? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may have cataracts.
June is Cataract Awareness Month, a time to learn about how cataracts form and what you can do to preserve your vision. A cataract forms in the lens of the eye. Over time, the lens clouds and prevents light from passing through. This clouded area is a cataract, and it will gradually impair vision as it grows.
Over time, cataracts can make everyday activities like reading, driving and house cleaning difficult and will cause vision loss if untreated.
Does Everyone Get Cataracts?
You can get cataracts in one eye or both eyes, but it does not spread from one eye to the other. By age 80, most adults have cataracts or have had cataract surgery.
Most cataracts form due to the natural aging process, but some cataracts can form because of the following:
- Eye injury or surgery
- Use of certain medications like steroids
- Other diseases like diabetes
Cataract Surgery Is Safe and Effective
Your doctor may suggest cataract surgery if your condition is preventing you from doing your everyday activities. Clear vision is important for safety, especially for older adults.
Most people do not have to rush to have cataract surgery. Unlike other eye diseases like glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy or macular degeneration, cataracts do not cause permanent eye damage. However, there is no reason to wait for cataracts to stop your normal daily activities before removing them.
Cataract surgery is one of the most common and safest surgical procedures in the United States and around the world. Eye surgeons perform about four million cataract surgeries every year (nearly 28 million worldwide).
How Does Cataract Surgery Work?
When you are unable to do your daily activities while wearing your glasses, it is time to consider cataract surgery. An ophthalmologist is a physician with expertise in treating eye disorders and performing surgical procedures related to the eyes.
On the day of your procedure, you will receive drops to dilate your pupils. You may also receive mild sedation to help you relax. After you arrive in the operating room, an anesthesiologist will give you intravenous or local anesthesia. You won’t feel pain because your surgeon uses topical anesthetic.
During cataract surgery, your eye surgeon removes your damaged lens and replaces it with an intraocular lens (IOL). An IOL is a small, artificial lens for the eye. It is constructed from silicone, acrylic or another type of plastic material. Unlike contacts, IOLs are implanted inside the eye and are permanent.
In most cases, cataract surgery only takes about 10 to 20 minutes to complete. You’ll wake up feeling drowsy, but the recovery team will monitor you until you can walk around.
Shortly after surgery, you should notice colors appear brighter, but you may still experience some blurred vision for the first few days. You shouldn’t feel pain, but some people say their eyes feel scratchy. Your eye doctor will prescribe drops to prevent inflammation, and you will return for several post-op visits to make sure you are healing properly.
How Do I Choose the Best Type of IOL for My Vision?
IOLs have an array of features and focusing powers. Your ophthalmologist will take measurements of the eye length and curvature of the cornea to calculate your IOL’s focusing power.
There are three major categories of IOLs:
- Monofocal IOL — Medicare and other insurance usually cover monofocal IOLs for cataract surgery. Monofocal lenses are designed for sharp distance vision, so you still may need reading glasses. If you have astigmatism and choose a monofocal lens, you likely will need to wear glasses all the time.
- Astigmatism-correcting IOL — Astigmatism causes blurred vision because the cornea has an irregular shape. In some cases, a surgeon can make limbal relaxing incisions to alter the shape of the cornea and correct low levels of astigmatism. Toric IOLs can help with higher levels of astigmatism. This type of lens is not covered by insurance so you will pay an extra fee.
- Multifocal IOL — A multifocal lens can help you see near, intermediate and distance and sometimes correct astigmatism so you may be able to be glasses-free. About 80 to 90 percent of patients with multifocal lenses don’t need to wear glasses. This is the most expensive IOL because insurance will not cover it. However, the multifocal lens potentially will save thousands of dollars because most people won’t have to purchase new eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Get a Comprehensive Eye Exam During Cataract Awareness Month
How long has it been since your last comprehensive eye exam? A dilated eye exam is the only way to properly diagnose cataracts. All adults older than 40 should get a complete eye exam with dilation.
Your doctor will give you a visual acuity test, look for refractive errors and evaluate your most recent prescription for glasses or contact lenses. Not all vision problems are obvious. Many conditions that affect your vision have no symptoms in the early stages. Eye exams are the best way to detect and diagnose common eye diseases like glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.
Make an appointment with your eye doctor during the month of June to evaluate your eye health and screen for cataracts. Don’t miss out on the glorious colors of the season. Get screened for cataracts and say “yes” to clear vision!