Cataract Surgery: Everything You Need to Know

Cataracts are cloudy areas that form in the lens, which is normally transparent. They are the main cause of vision loss in people aged over 40 years.

More than 4.2 million Americans aged 40 years and older are either legally blind (having best-corrected visual acuity of 6/60 or worse (=20/200) in the better-seeing eye) or are with low vision (having best-corrected visual acuity less than 6/12 (<20/40) in the better-seeing eye, excluding those who were categorized as being blind).

Cataracts - Common Eye Disorder

What is Cataract Disorders

Cataract is a clouding of the eye’s lens and is the leading cause of blindness worldwide, and the leading cause of vision loss in the United States. Cataracts can occur at any age because of a variety of causes, and can be present at birth. Although treatment for the removal of cataract is widely available, access barriers such as insurance coverage, treatment costs, patient choice, or lack of awareness prevent many people from receiving the proper treatment.

An estimated 20.5 million (17.2%) Americans aged 40 years and older have cataract in one or both eyes, and 6.1 million (5.1%) have had their lens removed operatively. The total number of people who have cataracts is estimated to increase to 30.1 million by 2020.

• For severe cataracts, the only effective treatment is surgery.
• The specialist will recommend surgery if the patient:
• Is having trouble looking after themselves or someone else
• Cannot drive or finds driving difficult
• Has problems leaving the house
• Finds it hard to see or recognize people’s faces
• Has problems doing their job
• Cannot read or watch television properly

Patients who take alpha-blockers or are considering taking alpha-blockers should be aware that these drugs may increase the difficulty of cataract surgery.

Cataracts normally take years to develop, and they tend to appear in older age. The lens gradually becomes cloudy.

Cataracts can make it hard to read or drive a car, especially during the night. Seeing people’s facial expressions can become difficult.

They develop slowly, so most people do not know they have them at first, but as the clouding progresses, the vision gradually gets worse. Long-distance vision is more severely affected at the beginning.

1. Cataracts often affect both eyes, but rarely equally.
2. People with cataracts may have the following symptoms:
3. Blurry, cloudy, or misty vision
4. Vision may be affected by small spots or dots
5. The patient sees small patches that blur parts of the field of vision
6. Vision worsens when lights are dim
7. Vision is sometimes worse when there is very bright light, or glare
8. Some people with cataracts also comment that colors appear less clear and faded
9. Reading becomes difficult and eventually impossible
10. Glasses need to be changed more frequently
11. Eventually wearing glasses becomes less effective
12. Rarely, the person may see a halo around bright objects, such as car headlights or street lights, or have double vision in one eye

Cataracts are not hazardous to the health of the person or the eye. If the cataract becomes hypermature, or completely white, there may be inflammation, headache, and some pain. A hypermature cataract that causes pain or inflammation needs to be removed.

What to Expect During Your Cataract Evaluation

Please allow at least two-hours for the Cataract exam. The visit will include testing specific to your problems and concerns, and a complete and thorough eye exam with dilation. Dilating drops will be placed in your eyes. As the drops begin to work, you will have trouble seeing things up close and may experience light sensitivity. These effects will wear off in a few hours.

Protection from excessive sunlight may help slow the progression of cataracts. Sunglasses that screen out ultraviolet (UV) light rays or regular eyeglasses with a clear, anti-UV coating offer this protection. Cataract Surgery should be considered when cataracts cause enough loss of vision to interfere with your daily activities.