WHAT IS A CATARACT?
The eye focuses images through a lens inside the eye — like a camera uses a lens to focus. When we are born, the lens is clear and flexible, allowing crisp vision with a full range of focus from near to far. As we age, the lens becomes cloudy and inflexible, causing our vision to blur and increasing our dependence on glasses to refocus from far to near.
A cloudy lens is called a cataract. Because of the clouded lens or cataract, images may become blurry with age. Cataracts may make it progressively more difficult to read, drive, watch TV, and perform normal daily activities, and may blur vision in general. Cataract formation is a normal, unavoidable part of the aging process.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE A CATARACT?
If you are over the age of 50, you have and are developing cataracts as a normal part of the aging process. Though uncommon, some individuals develop cataracts as children or young adults.
Common symptoms of cataracts include:
Blurry vision
Difficulty seeing while driving at night
Inability to see the TV clearly
Difficulty reading or discerning fine details
Glare around lights at night
Cloudy, foggy, fuzzy, filmy vision
Problems seeing colors clearly
Loss of vision in low-contrast situations such as early morning or evening
Light sensitivity
Double vision
In order to determine if you have a cataract and if it is visually significant, an eye examination by an ophthalmologist is necessary. If the cataract is mild then surgery is not needed. Quite often an updated pair of eyeglasses will help optimize your vision. However, if your vision remains blurred in spite of wearing properly prescribed glasses then the next step will be to consider cataract surgery.
Once you know that you have a cataract then you can choose one of two options:
1) Leave the cataract alone and continue to wait until your vision worsens OR have cataract surgery to improve your vision.
Cataracts are not like having life-threatening heart disease or cancer. Time is on your side. You can wait and leave your cataract alone. As long as you are not unhappy with your vision, leaving the cataract alone is acceptable and safe. If you choose to defer cataract surgery, your vision will remain blurred and the blur will only worsen as time passes. When your level of frustration with your blurred vision is no longer acceptable, then you can choose to have cataract surgery.
2) If you choose to improve your vision through cataract surgery, you have a choice of what type of cataract surgery you will receive. Your choice will determine how dependent you are on glasses and/or how well you can see without glasses after your surgery.
CATARACT TREATMENT OPTIONS
There are three options:
1) Basic cataract surgery with a basic fixed-focus lens implant to see clearly with bifocal glasses.
2) Astigmatism-correcting cataract surgery to see clearly far away without glasses OR
3) Premium Cataract Surgery with an advanced technology lens designed to enable you to see clearly near and far without glasses.
For Austin Premium Cataract Surgery patients, we use a variety of lens implants that correct astigmatism and enable individuals to focus on far and near objects without relying on glasses in most instances.
In general, there are three “zones of vision” that we use to see the world around us:
Near (reading print on a piece of paper)
Mid-range (computer distance)
Far (TV and street signs while driving)
To summarize, when you have a cataract you have options. Our physicians and staff will help guide you to the option that works best to suit your lifestyle.
BASIC CATARACT SURGERY
Basic cataract surgery with a basic fixed-focus lens gives good vision at one of three zones. During basic cataract surgery, your doctor will safely remove your cataract, and in its place a basic fixed-focus lens implant will be used to correct your vision. With basic cataract surgery, you will see clearest far away, but less clear at mid-range and blurry for near. Basic lens implants do not correct astigmatism. If a patient has astigmatism, which means that the front part of the eye is shaped more like the back of a spoon rather than round like a ping pong ball, then the patient would most likely end up in bifocals after surgery for best corrected vision. Individuals with basic cataract surgery usually see fairly well far away without glasses. In order for your eye to see all three zones, you will need glasses. Individuals receiving basic cataract surgery have a 90-95 percent chance of still needing to wear glasses to read or bifocals to see their best.
