Nothing is more precious than our eyesight. Our eyes allow us to enjoy the beauty of the world around us. So much of what we learn, what we experience, and what we enjoy comes to us through our eyes. As you look at the world around you, think of how valuable your vision is. Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss for people all around the world. While there is no way to prevent Cataracts, you can slow their progression by wearing UV protected sunglasses, eating healthy, quitting smoking, and taking nutritional supplements.

While cataracts are a natural part of the aging process, they do not have to interfere with your lifestyle. A cataract is a clouding of the crystalline lens inside your eye. For people who have cataracts, seeing is like looking through a foggy window or a cloudy lens. The lens in our eye is one of the critical structures for focusing light at the back of your eye, where nerves send signals to your brain, and you see an image. When the lens of your eye is clear and unclouded, it allows light to pass through. As your lens naturally clouds with age, it blocks some light from coming through, causing the vision to become yellowed and blurry. This makes it difficult to see, especially at night, as glare around lights is a common symptom of cataracts. Because a cataract worsens over time, it can eventually keep you from thoroughly enjoying the activities you love. Like most things related to aging, cataracts develop more slowly based on genetics and lifestyle choices, such as managing your stress level and making healthy dietary choices. Treating a cataract can open up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to your vision.

Cataracts are not a disease you contract. It is a natural result of getting older, similar to wrinkles and gray hair. As we age, cells die and accumulate behind the eye lens, which can cause it to turn yellow and cloudy. The result is blurred vision and fuzziness.

Cataracts affect more than 24.4 million Americans age 40 and older. Approximately half of all Americans have cataracts by the age of 75. That number is projected to grow to 50.2 million by the year 2050, according to NEI.
Thankfully, modern cataract surgery is one of the safest and most effective surgical procedures performed today. Cataract surgery can restore vision lost to cataracts, and often can reduce your dependence on eyeglasses as well.

Symptoms of Cataract

As the Cataract grows larger and clouds more of your lens, more noticeable symptoms will develop. One of the main symptoms people with Cataract can experience is a clouded-like vision, which has been described as looking through a frosty or fogged-up window.

Some of the signs include:

  • Clouded or blurred vision
  • Difficulty seeing at night
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Glare
  • A feeling of not having enough light for reading and other activities
  • Seeing “halos” around lights at night
  • Frequent changes in eyeglass or contact lens prescription
  • Fading or yellowing of colors
  • Double vision in a single eye

Cataract Treatment

Today, Cataracts can be treated in a variety of ways. Initially, when symptoms begin to appear, you may be able to improve your vision with a new pair of glasses or a change in prescription. Brighter lighting may also help in the short-term. If a Cataract grows large enough to impair your vision, and affect your daily activities, Cataract removal is recommended. Cataract removal is a standard procedure and is safely performed millions of times each year. During the surgical procedure, the surgeon removes the clouded lens that has affected your vision and replaces it with a clear, artificial, intraocular lens. As a result, most patients can achieve a noticeable improvement in their vision. Cataracts do not grow back, but in some cases, the clear thin tissue that holds the intraocular lens in place can turn cloudy, months, or even years after cataract surgery, causing vision to blur again. If this happens, your doctor can painlessly correct the issue by using a laser to create a new opening in the lens capsule. This creates a clear visual pathway, which should allow your sight to return to its previous level of clarity.

Treatment Goals

What Lens Options Are Available For Someone Having Cataract Surgery

During cataract surgery, Dr. Cartwright uses Intraocular lens implants, commonly called IOLs. They may be one of the most important developments in eye care over the last 30 years. These tiny prescription lenses are permanently placed inside the eye to restore focusing power when the eyes natural lens has been removed, as part of Cataract surgery or lens replacement surgery. Before the development of IOLs, the only way to restore focusing power in an eye after Cataract surgery was with thick, ‘coke-bottle’ glasses, or contact lenses. Without those glasses or contact lenses, the patient could see only shapes and colors. Today, those thick glasses and contact lenses are eliminated with an IOL.

If you require Cataract removal surgery, choosing the right lens implant is an important decision for you and your doctor. The lens implant selection is the basis for optimal vision enhancement post-surgery and lifestyle improvement. As mentioned earlier, In the past, patients had limited lens implant options to meet their visual needs. Today’s lens technologies now offer optimum natural-vision with premium lenses. The two primary premium lenses are multifocal and accommodating. Multifocal lenses focus light from different distances on the retina simultaneously. Accommodating lenses mimic the movement of the eyes natural lens, which allows the eye to switch focus between different ranges. To determine which lens is right for you, consider your lifestyle and ask yourself:

  • Do you focus more on near or far objects?
  • How important is color and contrast sensitivity to you?
  • How often do you drive at night?

It is also important to discuss your goals following the procedure to ensure your expectations are realistic. Keep in mind that your vision will continue to change over time and may require additional care in the future. After considering all of these factors, Dr. Cartwright will recommend a lens implant, or perhaps a combination of lenses that should provide you with the visual freedom you desire following Cataract surgery.

What types of IOLs are available?

Toric Lens

Special IOLs, called Toric IOLs, can reduce or eliminate the need for distance vision correction after Cataract surgery. Unlike conventional IOLs, Toric IOLs are specifically designed to address astigmatism, a condition resulting from an irregularly shaped cornea. Once the lens is aligned correctly inside of the eye, it offsets the distortion of the cornea, focusing light clearly into the eye. In rare cases, the lens may shift out of alignment. If this occurs, a simple procedure is performed to rotate the lens back into alignment. Although Toric IOLs can significantly improve vision, they may not eliminate astigmatism, especially in severe cases. Prescription eye-wear or a refractive procedure may be needed to correct any astigmatism that remains.

Aspheric Lens

Aspheric lens implants are now available, which can improve the quality of vision following Cataract or lens replacement surgery. These lens implants are specifically designed to reduce visual disturbances such as glare, which are commonly found with traditional lens implants. Conventional lens implants are spherical, meaning the front surface is uniformly curved. Aspheric lens implants are slightly flattered in the periphery and are designed to provide sharp image quality and improved contrast sensitivity in low light environments. Patients who wish to have the best quality of distance vision, especially in dim or dusky conditions, may want to consider an Aspheric Lens Implant. But, they need to remember that it will still be necessary to wear reading glasses or bifocals to correct their intermediate and near vision. If you are particularly demanding and want the best possible distance vision after Cataract Surgery, you should discuss this option with your eye care professional during your Cataract consultation.

Accommodative Lens

In the past, when an IOL was placed inside the eye during Cataract Surgery or lens replacement surgery, it did not have any power of accommodation. These IOLs are called single focus IOLs because they allow the eye to see either far away, or close-up, but not both. Now, intraocular lenses called Accommodative IOLs are available. These IOLs work together with your eyes’ muscles, to give you more of the range of vision you enjoyed when you were younger. The revolutionary design of these artificial lenses allows them to change their shape inside the eye to focus on objects that are near, far, or in-between.

Multifocal Lens

New Multifocal IOLs are now available, which can reduce the need for reading glasses after Cataract, or lens replacement surgery. These lenses are designed to address presbyopia, in which people over the age of 40 begin to lose the ability to read or see up close. In the past, when IOL was placed inside the eye during Cataract or lens replacement surgery, it could only focus on a single distance. These IOLs are called Single Focus IOLs, and allow an eye to see either far away, or close-up, but not both. Now, intraocular lenses called ‘Multifocal IOLs’ are available. These lenses correct both near and distance vision; so that both near and far objects can be in focus at the same time. Many people get used to multifocal IOLs right away. Other people feel a little imbalanced at first, but get used to it within a matter of days or weeks. A small percentage of patients with multifocal implants may experience halos or ghost images around lights at night. Most often, these improve over time as your brain adapts, but in rare cases, they can be permanent. The multifocal implant isn’t right for everyone. The advantage of choosing a multifocal implant is that you may be able to avoid the need for glasses for both distance and near vision after surgery.

How Is Cataract Surgery Performed

Cataract removal is a standard procedure and is safely performed millions of times each year. During the procedure, the Cataract surgeon removes the clouded lens that has affected your vision and replaces it with a clear, artificial, intraocular lens. As a result, most patients can achieve a noticeable improvement in their vision. Cataract Surgery used to require a relatively large incision in the eye, and the use of sutures to close that incision. Today, technological advances allow surgeons to work through an incision much smaller than in the past, usually requiring no sutures at all. Small incision Cataract Surgery, is made possible by using high-frequency sound waves known as ultrasound, or phacoemulsification. The sound waves break a cataract up into tiny fragments that can then be removed through the small incision. The other advance that makes small incision Cataract Surgery possible is the foldable intraocular lens implant. These implants are made of soft materials, which can be folded like a taco or rolled-up with a special instrument, allowing them to fit through tiny incisions. Once inside the eye, these lenses unfold and return to their original shape. Small incision Cataract Surgery is less invasive, allows patients to resume normal activities soon after surgery, and provides the fastest recovery of vision.

Life After Cataract Surgery

Your health insurance covers the costs of cataract surgery with a conventional lens implant. However, the additional charge for implanting premium artificial lenses to reduce the need to wear eyeglasses is not covered and must be paid out-of-pocket by the patient. Remember that the benefit of these premium lens implants is to minimize the inconvenience of having to wear eyeglasses as often after surgery. They are not medically necessary because they have nothing to do with improving your eye health. Fortunately, patients undergoing cataract surgery today have more advanced options than ever before.

Following cataract surgery, you should not expect to see well immediately. Most eyes are blurry for at least the first several days, but the recovery rate differs between patients and even between both eyes of the same patient. The amount of blurriness during the first few days will not determine or influence the final outcome. It is never harmful to use your operated eye. In most cases, vision typically regains clarity after a few days and then stabilizes over the course of several weeks.