Virginia Cataract Surgery

What is a cataract?

A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. A cataract can occur in one eye or it can occur in both eyes. A cataract cannot however spread from one eye to the other. Most cataracts are related to aging and are therefore common in older people. By age 80, more than half of all Americans can develop a clouding of the lens in the eye and thus need cataract surgery.

Aside from the age related cataract described above the following describes the other types of cataract that can occur:

1. Secondary cataract. Cataracts that form after surgery from other eye problems, such as glaucoma. Cataracts also can develop in people who have other health problems, such as diabetes. Cataracts are sometimes linked to steroid use.
2. Traumatic cataract. Cataracts that develop after an eye injury, sometimes occurring years after injury.
3. Congenital cataract. Some can be born with cataracts or develop them in their childhood. In this case the catarct usually exists in both eyes. These cataracts may be so small that they do not affect vision. However, if they do affect vision the lenses may need to be removed and replaced.
4. Radiation cataract. Cataracts that develop after exposure to certain types of radiation.

What are the symptoms of a cataract?

• Cloudy or blurry vision.
• Colors seem faded.
• Glare. Headlights, lamps, or sunlight may appear too bright. A halo may appear around lights.
• Poor night vision.
• Double vision or multiple images in one eye. (This symptom may clear as the cataract gets larger.)
•  Frequent prescription changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses.
• These symptoms can also be a sign of other eye problems. If you have any of these symptoms, check with your eye care professional.

How is a cataract detected?

A cataract can be detected by your eye care professional during an annual eye exam. At the examination the doctor will check to see how well you see at various distances called a visual acuity test. A dilated eye exam, in which your pupils are dilated, is done to check the lens of the eye and the optic nerve with a special magnifying lens. This will help the doctor note any signs of ocular damage or other eye diseases. Also, with the help of tonometry, your Virginia cataract doctor can check for increased pressures in the eye.

How is a cataract treated?

Treatment of a cataract can be as simple as a new pair of eyeglasses, brighter lighting or even the help of magnifying lenses if the symptoms are caught during the early stages of cataracts. If the cataract is in the advanced stage, surgery is the most effective treatment. During a cataract surgery, the surgeon will remove the cloudy lens and replace it with an artificially made lens.

Cataract surgery is an outpatient procedure that takes only 15 minutes. The recovery time is as quick as 24 hours from your surgery. If you have cataracts in both eyes and both require surgery, the surgery will be performed on each eye at separate times and usually four to eight weeks apart. Most people who need surgery to remove their cataract have other eye conditions, such as age-related macular degeneration or glaucoma.

Cataract surgery is an outpatient procedure that takes only 15 minutes.

During the procedure, the cataract is broken into tiny pieces that are then removed from the eye with a small instrument. A foldable artificial implant (ReStor Implantable Lense) is then inserted in the same place from which the cataract was removed. Most often the patient ends up with a better vision and no longer need glasses to see at a distance. For this reason cataract removal is one of the safest and most effective types of surgery.

Due to revolutionary implants for cataract surgery, patients can recover with an improved vision that actually frees them from eyeglasses. The typical implants allow for better vision at a distance. These new implants, however, allow the patient to see better both near and far without having to use glasses. The lenses that allow for this are either accommodative implants or Multifocal lenses.

After the procedure patients may experience itching and mild discomfort. Patients' eyes may be sensitive to light and touch after surgery and some discharge may come from the eye. If you have discomfort, your doctor can suggest treatment. After one or two days, moderate discomfort should disappear. Healing time is about eight weeks depending on the patient. It is very important for patients to avoid lifting heavy objects or bending at the waist to pick up objects post surgery.

1. Phacoemulsification, or phaco. A small incision is made on the side of the cornea, that is the clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye. Your doctor inserts a tiny probe into the eye. This device emits ultrasound waves that soften and break up the lens so that it can be removed by suction. Most cataract surgery today is done by phacoemulsification, also called "small incision cataract surgery."
2. Extracapsular surgery. A long incision is made on the side of the cornea and removes the cloudy core of the lens in one piece. Then a suction removes the lens which is to be replaced with an artificial lens called an intraocular lens (IOL). An IOL is a small clear plastic lens that will be part of your eye. Light that is perceived by the eye will pass through this implanted lens to be focused onto the retina helping you see beter. Patients will not feel or see the lens, it will be as if you never had the procedure but can see better. Not everyone can have the IOL. Some patients may have another eye disease or have problems during surgery. For patients who cannot have this type of lens, a soft contact lens, or glasses that provides high magnification, may be suggested.