Did you know?
Cataracts effects 24 million Americans age 40 and older. By age 80, more than 50% all Americans have cataracts.
Cataract is a medical condition where the eyes natural lens becomes clouding or opaque causing blurred vision.
Most cataracts develop slowly over the course of years. The main symptom is blurry vision. Cataract is the clouding of the eye’s natural lens. It is the most common cause of vision loss in people over age 55 and is also the principal cause of blindness in our world.
Common symptoms of cataract include:
- Poor night vision
- Double vision in a single eye
- Seeing “halos” around lights
- Increasing difficulty with vision at night
- Sensitivity to light and glare
- Fading or yellowing of colors
- Clouded, blurred or dim vision
Cataract Surgery Co-Management
After age 55, Cataracts are a common cause of vision loss. Below, learn more about recognizing them, protecting your eyes, and what to expect when it comes to cataract surgery.
Cataracts are a disease of the eye that appear as a clouding of the lens. Cataracts prevent clear images from reaching the retina of the eye. They cause blurred vision that can range from mild to incredibly severe.
Cataracts are an eye issue that is generally associated with aging. Over half of Americans over age 80 have had either cataracts or cataract surgery. Cataracts often occur as the eye changes with age. During a comprehensive eye exam, your doctor will examine the lens of your eye for signs of cataract formation. If they find a cataract and it is actively blurring your vision, your doctor will likely refer you to an eye surgeon. At present, surgery is the only known cure for cataracts. Our eye care practice can provide you with both pre and post surgery care.
Cataract surgery includes the removal of the natural lens of the eye, which is also called the crystalline lens. This is removed because it has developed an opacification, or cataract. As we age, metabolic changes of the crystalline lens occur. This leads to the development of cataracts, loss of lens transparency, and blurring and loss of vision. After this lens is removed, it is replaced with a synthetic lens that restores transparency to the lens and vision.
An eye surgeon will implant this artificial ocular lens. This type of surgery is usually performed by an opthamologist in an ambulatory, and not inpatient, setting in a surgical center or hospital. They eye surgeon will use local anesthesia, which will either be topical, peribulbar, or retrobulbar. Due to this, patients often experience little or no discomfort at all during surgery.
Cataract surgery is quite common and has a very high success rate. More than 90% of the operations restore vision to patients. There is also a very low complication rate. The global standard of cataract surgery is day care, high volume, minimally invasive, small incision phacoemulsification with quick post-op recovery.
How does cataract look?
See how common vision problems can impact everyday life.
