Cataract Surgery
What is a Cataract?
A cataract is a cloudy area in the normally clear lens of your eye, causing blurry vision. As one ages, chemical changes occur in the lens that makes it less transparent. When the lens gets cloudy enough to obstruct vision to any significant degree, it is called a cataract. Glasses or contact lenses cannot sharpen your vision if a cataract is present.
The most common cause of cataract is aging. Other causes include trauma, medications such as steroids, systemic diseases such as diabetes and prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light. Occasionally, babies are born with a cataract.
Reducing the amount of ultraviolet light exposure by wearing a wide-brim hat and sunglasses may reduce your risk for developing a cataract but once developed, there is no cure except to have the cataract surgically removed. The time to have the surgical procedure is when your vision is bad enough that it interferes with your lifestyle.
Cataract surgery is a very successful operation. Cataract surgery is the most common procedure in the world and is one of the safest and most successful procedures performed today. As with any surgical procedure, complications can occur during or after surgery, but in the majority of cases, vision and quality of life improves.
Cataract Symptoms
The typical symptom of cataract formation is a slow, progressive, and painless decrease in vision. Other changes that you may notice include:
- blurry vision
- glare, particularly at night
- halos around lights
- headlights seeming too bright
- frequent eyeglass prescription change
- faded colors
- a yellowing of images
- in rare cases, double vision
Ironically as the lens gets harder, farsighted or hyperopic people experience improved distance vision and are less dependent on glasses. However, nearsighted or myopic people become more nearsighted or myopic, causing distance vision to be worse. Some types of cataracts affect distance vision more than reading vision. Others affect reading vision more than distance vision.
What Happens During Cataract Surgery?
During cataract surgery, Dr. Jong will remove the cloudy lens from your eye and replace it with an artificial lens (called an intraocular lens or IOL). Dr. Jong will put numbing drops into your eye so that you do not feel anything, and he will give you medicine to help you stay relaxed and calm during the surgery. A small incision will be made, and an ultrasonic probe will be used to break up the cataract and suction it out. After this, the new artificial lens gets placed in your eye. Dr. Jong will help you choose the lens that is best suited for you. There are many different options to customize your cataract surgery. You can choose to have laser-assisted cataract surgery. You can also pick from a variety of different intraocular lenses that will replace the natural lens in your eye. The options include a standard monofocal lens, a premium multifocal lens, a toric lens for correcting astigmatism, or the Light Adjustable LensTM.
What Happens After Cataract Surgery?
After Dr. Jong places your new lens, you’ll need to rest in a recovery area outside the operating room for a little while. Before you go home, the medical team will check to make sure you don’t have any problems with your eye.
Dr. Jong will explain how to protect your eye after cataract surgery. He will prescribe eye drops to help your eye heal, and you will receive special sunglasses after surgery to protect your eye. You may also need to avoid some activities for a few weeks — like touching your eye, bending over, or lifting heavy things.
Your eye may feel a bit itchy or uncomfortable and sensitive to light and touch. After 1 or 2 days, your eye should feel better. Most people are completely healed 8 weeks after their surgery. Dr. Jong will schedule post-operative visits to make sure your eye is healing correctly.
About 95% of people who get cataract surgery see better afterward, but your vision might be blurry at first while your eye recovers. Once your eye is completely healed, you might need a new prescription for glasses or contact lenses to see clearly. Some people might notice that colors seem brighter after cataract surgery.
