Surgery is the only way your ophthalmologist can remove a cataract.
However, if symptoms from a cataract are mild, a change of glasses may be all that is needed for you to function more comfortably.
There are no medications, dietary supplements, exercises or optical devices that have been shown to prevent or cure cataracts.
Protection from excessive sunlight may help prevent or slow the progression of cataracts. Sunglasses that screen out ultraviolet (UV) light rays or regular eyeglasses with a clear, anti-UV coating offer this protection.
When should surgery be done?
Cataract surgery should be considered when the cataracts cause enough loss of vision to interfere with daily activities.
It is not true that cataracts need to be “ripe” before they can be removed.
Cataract surgery may be performed when your visual needs require it. You must decide if you can see well enough to do your daily activities including reading, watching tv, work performance and driving safely. Can you perform daily tasks, such as cooking, shopping, yard work or taking medications without difficulty?
Based on your symptoms, you and your ophthalmologist should decide together when surgery is appropriate.
What can I expect from cataract surgery?
Over 1.4 million people have cataract surgery each year in the United States.
During cataract surgery, which is usually performed under local anesthesia as an outpatient procedure, the cloudy lens is removed from the eye. In most cases, the focusing power of the natural lens is restored by replacing it with a permanent intraocular lens implant.
Your ophthalmologist performs this delicate surgery using a microscope, miniature instruments and other state-of-the-art technology.
Although it is a common misconception, lasers are not used to remove cataracts.
After cataract surgery, you may return almost immediately to all but the most strenuous activities. You will have to take eyedrops as your ophthalmologist directs. Several postoperative visits are needed to check on the progress of the eye as it heals.
Cataract Surgery Success Rate
Cataract surgery is a highly successful procedure. Improved vision is the result in over 99% of cases.
PREMIUM INTRAOCULAR LENS
New intraocular lenses (the artificial lenses that replace the eye’s natural lens during surgery) or
IOLs, are being developed all the time to make the surgery less complicated for surgeons and the lenses more helpful to patients. These new Premium Intraocular Lenses allow the possibility of seeing at all distances without glasses after cataract surgery.
Cataracts are a common cause of poor vision, particularly for the elderly, but they are treatable. Your ophthalmologist can tell you whether cataract or some other problem is the cause for vision loss or discomfort, and help you decide if cataract surgery is appropriate for you.
If you believe you have cataracts please call our office to schedule an examination to determine if cataract surgery is the best option to improve your vision.