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What is a cataract?
A cataract is a cloudiness of the normally clear lens inside the eye. The amount or pattern of cloudiness may vary and if the cloudiness is not in the center of the lens then the cataract may be asymptomatic.
What are the symptoms of cataracts?
The most common symptom of cataracts is blurred vision. Cataracts may also cause glare at night and light sensitivity, fading or yellowing of colors, a need for brighter lights when reading or performing near tasks or double vision in one eye only.
What causes cataracts?
Cataracts are usually related to aging changes within the eye. There are other factors that can contribute to the formation of cataracts including family history, medical problems such as diabetes, injury to the eye, certain prescription medications and previous eye surgery.
How are cataracts treated?
Surgery is the only way a cataract can be removed. However, if cataracts do not interfere with daily activities, observation and sometimes a change in eyeglasses may be helpful. Currently there are no known medications or supplements that will prevent or cure cataracts. It is known that protecting the eye from UV light rays will slow the progression of cataracts.
When should cataract surgery be done?
Cataracts no longer have to be "ripe" to be removed and they don't have to be removed just because they are detected by an ophthalmologist. Surgery should be performed when cataracts interfere with daily activities. A decision to have surgery should be based on an individuals symptoms.
What can be expected from cataract surgery?
Over 1.4 million people have cataract surgery each year in the United States. More that 95% of those surgeries are performed with no complications. The surgery is usually performed under local or topical anesthesia using high powered microscopes. The natural lens is emulsified with ultrasound power and removed and a lens implant is inserted in it's place. After surgery the patient has eye drops to use and at least 3 post operative office visits. The goal of cataract surgery is to improve vision and improve patient quality of life. If, after surgery, the patient experiences any problems, it should be reported to the ophthalmologist immediately.
What is the ReSTOR® lens?
When the lens of the eye is young, it is soft and able to bend or accommodate to focus light entering the eye at near and at distance. As the lens ages it is no longer soft and can not accommodate at near any longer. This phenomena is why reading glasses are needed after (approximately) the age of 40. This hardening of the lens progresses and the lens also becomes opaque and this is what is known as a cataract.
Traditionally, at the time of cataract surgery, a mono focal implant is inserted in place of the cataract and eye glasses are worn to compensate for the inability to focus at every distance. For example, most people would choose to have an implant that gave them clear distance vision without glasses and use readers for near tasks. Recent advancements in technology offer a new implant that allows the eye to focus at distance and at near with a single implant. Known as the ReSTOR® lens, it allows patients to perform daily activities free of glasses. In the clinical trials, 80% of patients with the ReSTOR® lens implant never wore glasses for any activities.
Some patients are not candidates for the ReSTOR® implant, so intricate measurements are taken before consideration of using the ReSTOR® .
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