Cataracts

See Life Clearly After Cataract Surgery

See life clearly after cataract surgery. Enjoy life’s vibrant colors in full clarity. Cataract surgery replaces the eye’s cloudy natural lens with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL) implant allowing light to focus properly and you to see clearly.

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Moore Eye Institute’s Dr. An Vo, Dr. Kelly Williamson, and Dr. Kenneth Heist are expert cataract surgeons who help patients get clearer vision to lead more active lifestyles.

What is a Cataract?

A cataract is the clouding of the eye’s naturally clear lens that affects vision. Many people compare vision with cataracts to looking through a dirty windshield. Cataracts may not significantly affect your lifestyle, and a change in prescription may improve vision.

Aging is the most common cause of cataracts. With age, the lens becomes less flexible and transparent as proteins clump together, causing cloudiness. Chronic conditions like diabetes, or excessive use of steroid medications, can spur disease or medication related cataracts. There are also traumatic cataracts, which may appear immediately following eye trauma, or develop over time after injury. Congenital cataracts occur in infants or children. These may be hereditary or associated with birth defects.

Symptoms:

The top is a clear lens; the bottom is a cloudy cataract lens.
  • Painless cloudy, blurry, or dim vision
  • Difficulty seeing at night or in low light
  • Sensitivity to light and glare
  • Seeing halos around lights
  • Faded or yellow colors
  • Needing bright light for reading
  • Frequent changes in corrective prescriptions
  • Double vision

Who’s At Risk?

Cataracts develop as part of the aging process, so everyone is at risk eventually. By age 75, 70% of people will have cataracts. Some factors can increase the risk of developing cataracts such as:

  • Diabetes
  • Family history
  • Extensive exposure to sunlight
  • Smoking
  • Obesity
  • High blood pressure
  • Prior eye surgery
  • Prior eye injury
  • Excessive use of steroid medication

Diagnosis & Treatment

During a comprehensive, dilated exam, your eye doctor will examine your eyes to detect a cataract. First a refraction and visual acuity test will assess visions sharpness and clarity. Then, your doctor will closely examine the cornea, iris, and lens using a slit-lamp to easily spot abnormalities. Lastly, during the retinal exam, the doctor looks at the back of the eye.

After receiving a cataract diagnosis, there are several steps you can take to minimalize its progression:

  • If you’re older than 65, have an annual eye exam
  • Wear sunglass that block at least 99% of UV light
  • Quit smoking
  • Use brighter lights or a magnifying glass for reading and other activities
  • Get the right eyeglasses or contacts
  • Effectively manage other health problems, especially diabetes
  • Do not use eye drops or other treatments that claim to remove cataracts. These are not proven; surgery is the only way to remove cataracts.

Cataract Surgery

With cataract surgery, the eye’s cloudy natural lens is removed and replaced with an intraocular lens (IOL), an artificial lens implant. The IOL will become a permanent part of your eye and allows light to focus properly on the retina. After surgery, it is important to follow the instructions provided by your surgeon.

Watch this video to learn more about cataracts, surgical treatments, and the latest lens options.

Hear one of Moore Eye Institute’s patients share her cataract surgery experience with Dr. Sumlin.

Learn about the risks and complications associated with cataract surgery from Dr. Sumlin and Dr. Vo.

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