Michael W. Kelly, M.D. is a Board Certified Ophthalmologist and Medical Director of The Kelly Eye Center in Raleigh.
Chances are if you’re reading this article, certain changes are taking place in your eyes which have been taking place gradually for the last 20 years. If you remember when you were in your mid-40s and had to hold the newspaper further away to read it, you have witnessed first-hand the initial process of cataract formation.
A cataract is your natural lens hardening, discoloring as well as becoming cloudy. As your lens becomes a cataract, it is increasingly difficult for light to pass through and to flex as necessary for reading. You need stronger reading glasses or increases in your bifocal strength.
Most patients notice glare and halos at night while driving, or difficulty seeing street signs. You may need more light to read articles than you have in the past and it becomes difficult to follow a golf ball or to watch TV. Colors may seem dull. At some point, the strongest prescription change will not fully correct your vision.
Over the past 20 years, cataract surgery has become a very safe and effective procedure. It is certainly not the surgery your parents experienced. Cataract surgery today is generally performed on an outpatient basis with minimal anesthesia and complications in as little as 15 minutes. Most surgery is performed without needles, stitches or patches, and vision begins to improve within hours of surgery.
One of the most exciting changes in cataract surgery today is the use of new technology lenses. When your natural lens is removed, an IOL or lens implant, is put in its place. Lenses in the past were created to allow patients the best distance vision possible. Today’s lenses can help alleviate astigmatism and can correct near, distance and intermediate vision allowing patients a full range of vision with less dependence on glasses. Patients who embrace vision correction surgery such as LASIK can also have cataract surgery with a refractive result. Patients that have worn glasses since they were very young have an opportunity with cataract surgery to experience vision like never before.
Currently in development is the use of laser-assisted cataract surgery. You may have misunderstood in the past that cataracts were removed by laser. This has not been true until recently. First generation lasers are being used to create the incision into the eye, as well as correct astigmatism on the cornea. Once access to the cataract has been achieved, the laser can be used to break up the lens material into smaller bits that can be more safely removed with ultrasound technology.
Modern day cataract surgery has evolved and continues to evolve into one of the best things you’ll ever do for yourself. Imagine seeing as well as you did many years ago, if not better. So forget the fears and make that appointment for a thorough evaluation.
Cataract symptoms may include: bright colors appear dull, sharp images become blurred, difficulty driving at night, trouble reading, glare, halos around lights, double vision, and constant change in eyeglass prescription.