The photo above is an example of what your vision may be if you have a cataract.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cataracts:
Q: What is a cataract?
A: A cataract is the clouding of the lens, which scatters light, stopping it from reaching the retina and interferes with vision. Because less light reaches the retina, your vision may become dull and blurry.
Q: What causes cataracts?
A: There are multiple causes of cataracts, including aging, injury to the eye, certain medications, smoking, diabetes, and excessive exposure to sunlight.
Q: What are the symptoms?
A: The most common symptoms of cataracts are:
- Cloudy or blurry vision
- Problems with light, which can include glare from lamps or a halo around lights
- Colors that seem faded
- Poor night vision
- Double or multiple vision
- Frequent changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses
When a cataract is small, you may not notice any changes in your vision. Cataracts tend to grow slowly, so vision gets worse gradually. Some people with a cataract find that their close-up vision suddenly improves, but this is temporary. Vision is likely to get worse again as the cataract grows.
Q: How is a cataract detected?
A: To detect a cataract, Dr. Lee would conduct a comprehensive eye examination, which would include the following:
- Visual acuity test
- Slit lamp exam
- Tonometry
- Dilated retinal exam
Q: How is a cataract treated?
A: Surgery is the only effective treatment. The surgery involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with a lens implant. Please inquire about the multifocal lens implant allowing one to see both distance and near without any glasses.
A cataract needs to be removed only when vision loss interferes with your everyday activities, such as driving, reading, or watching TV.
Q: Is cataract surgery effective?
A: Cataract removal is one of the most common operations performed in the U.S. today. It is also one of the safest and most effective. In over 95% of cases, people who have cataract surgery have better vision afterwards.
Q: How is a cataract removed?
A: There are two primary ways to remove a cataract.
1. Phacoemulsification, or phaco: Dr. Lee would make a small incision on the side of the cornea and then insert a tiny probe into the eye. The probe emits ultrasound waves that will break up the cloudy center of the lens so it can be removed by suction.
2. Extracapsular surgery: In this type of surgery, a slightly longer incision is made on the side of the cornea to remove the hard center of the lens. The remainder of the lens is then removed by suction.
IOL options What is an IOL? An intraocular lens (IOL) is an artificial, replacement lens with optical powers, which gets surgically implanted in the eye to replace the existing clouded lens during cataract surgery. Monofocal IOL Traditionally, the replacement lens used for cataract surgery is a monofocal IOL. This type of lens restores good functional distance vision, but does not correct astigmatism or presbyopia. Therefore, individuals with significant amounts of astigmatism may still require glasses and glasses will most likely be required for reading. However, IOL technology continues to progress, and there are several other options for those who wish to have less reliance on glasses. Acrysof Multifocal ReSTOR IOL AcrySof ReSTOR IOL, the first apodized diffractive IOL for cataract patients, allow patients to have a full range of quality vision (near, intermediate, and distance), and greatly reduce the reliance on glasses. In clinical trials, 80 percent of patients reported “never” wearing any reading nor bifocal glasses following cataract surgery after the AcrySof ReSTOR IOL in both eyes. Acrysof Toric IOL Acrysof Toric IOL provide high quality distance vision in those who have both a cataract and corneal astigmatism. In these patients, the customized toric lens implant significantly decreases the dependence on glasses for distance vision. If you have further questions regarding cataract or cataract surgery, please call us at 919-572-0050 or e-mail us at eyeinstitute@gmail.com. |
