|
A cataract is a cloudiness or haze in the natural lens of the eye. More than 50 percent of individuals over the age of 60 will have some degree of cataract, and quite a few younger than that, especially in diabetics, following trauma, or with the use of certain prescription drugs such as prednisone. The progressive clouding of the lens causes symptoms that can interfere with your vision.
| |
 |
|
 |
|
| |
Normal Vision |
|
With Cataract |
|
Because the cloudy lens allows less light to reach the retina, distance and reading vision is often fuzzy and indistinct through the affected eye. Other symptoms of cataract include diminished color perception (especially blues and purples), annoying glare in sunlight, poor night vision, and excessive glare from oncoming headlights. Frequent changes in eyeglass prescriptions may also be a sign of cataract formation.
If you suspect a cataract, call our office to schedule a simple, painless screening exam. Fortunately, today there is a relatively straightforward procedure for the replacement to the eye's natural lens with a clear lens implant called an "intraocular" lens.
To date, there is no medical treatment to reverse or arrest cataract formation, either in oral or eyedrop medications. The only successful current treatment is surgical removal of the clouded natural lens. When the natural lens is removed, an artificial lens is inserted in its place: an intraocular lens, also known as an "IOL", or lens implant.
Intraocular lenses are about the size of Lincoln's head on a penny and weigh about the same as a kernel of corn. They are polished to the precise curvature needed to bend light rays into focus on the retina at the back of your eye. The lens itself is made of an inert material and is designed to provide good vision for the rest of your life.
Before your operation, your eye is measured by ultrasound to determine the focus point needed for good vision. The strength of the lens implant is chosen to focus light as needed for that individual. Thus, near- or farsightedness can frequently be corrected at the same time as your cataract operation.
For many patients the procedure can be done using eyedrops as anesthesia referred to as "topical" anesthesia. This eliminates the need for injections to numb the eye. A very small incision is made so that the natural lens of the eye can be removed by a process called phacoemulsification. Inside the shell or skin of the lens which remains is a space where the surgeon implants an artificial lens specially prescribed for your eye. The intraocular lens implant literally replaces the natural lens in its position behind the pupil opening of the eye. A surgical microscope is used to aid in removing the cataract and the implantation of the lens within the eye. Although surgery time may vary, typically it takes 10 - 15 minutes and in the vast majority of cases no stitches are required.
| |
 |
|
 |
|
| |
Phaco Surgery |
|
IOL in place |
|
Dr. Arturi performs cataract surgery in an outpatient surgery center that is specialized for eye surgery. Transportation to and from the center on the day of surgery can be arranged free of charge. The environment is pleasant and warm and not at all cold or threatening as a hospital might sometimes be. Our friendly and professional staff together with the latest equipment and technology combine to make your experience safe, painless and successful.
You may be surprised to find that the operation is over and that you are alert and ready to go home. You'll be given written instructions to follow. These will help you understand exactly how to care for your eye after surgery. In general, you will be asked to wear special ultraviolet sunglasses when outdoors, and to regularly apply eyedrops while the eye is healing.
For some patients, vision becomes fuzzy again a few weeks or months after cataract surgery. This is usually caused by a clouding of the natural shell or skin left in place during the operation. When the eye is healed and the lens implant firmly in place, this cloudy skin - thin as a piece of plastic wrap - must be opened for clear vision to be restored.
A YAG laser is used to make the opening called (posterior capsulotomy). Because the energy of a laser beam can be precisely focused and directed onto specific tissues within the eye, the laser beam can pass through outer eye tissues without disturbing them. The invisible beam creates a clear opening in the cloudy skin over the lens implant and vision can be improved almost immediately.
Cataracts will affect over half of all adults after age 60. However, once a cloudy natural lens is removed and replaced with a crystal-clear artificial lens, vision may improve almost immediately. The development of modern surgical techniques has made lens implant operations among the most predictable in all medicine. Attesting to the popularity of the technique, more than a million intraocular lens implant operations will be performed this year alone. There is no reason to suffer with poor vision anymore. If you suspect you may have a cataract, call for an appointment.
|
