If you have had a recent eye exam and have been diagnosed with cataracts, you may be worried about your vision. To put your mind at ease, you should understand that cataracts are very common, especially as you age, and the removal of the cataract is a quick and painless procedure. In addition to improved vision after the surgery, you may also benefit from the use of special lens that can be used to correct your vision problems.
Read on for more information about cataract surgery and these special lens to see if one could be right for you:
What is a cataract?
A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, which is the clear outer layer that helps you to focus. As you age, the protein that makes up the lens becomes cloudy, causing your vision to look blurry. You may have a small cataract that causes no or few symptoms, but cataracts tend to grow larger as time goes on, eventually signaling a need for surgery.
What causes cataracts?
Most cataracts occur naturally as you age, however there are some factors that raise your chances for developing this disorder, such as smoking, exposure to ultraviolet radiation (sun exposure), alcohol use, the use of certain drugs such as corticosteroids, and diabetes.
How are cataracts removed?
Cataract surgery involves the removal of your old, cloudy lens and the replacement of that lens with an new, intraocular lens, or an IOL. The entire procedure can take as little as 10 minutes, after which you will need to remain in a recovery room for another 30-60 minutes. The procedure can be performed with a local anesthesia injection to the eye area and numbing eye drops, but general sedation is also commonly used.
What are intraocular lens?
These artificial lens replace your natural lens, stay in place permanently and feel completely natural.
There are four main variations of IOLs:
- Standard Monofocal lens simply replace your lens with a clear lens that allows your vision to return to a pre-cataract level. This is the most commonly used lens type, and does not correct vision abnormalities.
- Toric lens can correct astigmatism by having a greater power in one section of the lens, and will also improve distance vision. This lens must be fitted very precisely.
- Multifocal lens have varying degrees of power within the lens and can help with distant, intermediate and near vision. These types of lens do increase the chances for issues with glare.
- Accomodative lens are unique in the manner that they flex with your eye's muscles, allowing distance and intermediate vision improvement, but not near vision improvement.
As you can see, cataract issues are easiy resolved and you may even be able to leave your eyeglasses behind. Your cataract surgery will result in improved vision no matter what type of lens is used, so talk with your eye doctor to determine the best option for the optimal result. To learn more, contact a company like California Eye Specialists Medical Group Inc. with any questions or concerns you have.
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