Our Physicians
Mark Eanes, M.D.
Lance Haluka, O.D.
Cataracts
About Cataracts
A cataract is a gradual clouding of the eye's natural lens. The formation of a cataract occurs during the normal process of aging. Although cataracts may affect people of any age, they are most common in older adults. Because cataracts form gradually, the symptoms are often difficult to spot. Perhaps you have noticed increased difficulty when driving toward the sun, find it harder to see traffic lights against a bright sky, or find it takes longer for your vision to return to normal after passing an oncoming set of bright headlights.
Symptoms include reduced depth perception, diminished color perception, annoying glare in sunlight, and poor night vision. Headaches, eye fatigue, burning, and watering of the eyes when exposed to bright light are also some other symptoms attributed to cataracts.
Treatment
One should consider cataract surgery when your cataracts have progressed enough to affect your daily life. Many people consider poor vision an inevitable fact of aging, but cataract surgery is a simple, relatively painless procedure to regain vision. Cataract surgery is the most frequently performed surgery in the United States, with over 2.4 million cataract surgeries done each year.
During surgery, the surgeon removes your clouded lens, and replaces it with a clear, artificial replacement lens. In most cases, the surgery is done on an outpatient basis. Upon arrival for surgery, you will be given eye drops and perhaps medications to help you relax. A local anesthetic will make the operation painless.
The skin around your eye is thoroughly cleansed, and sterile coverings are placed around your head. Under an operating microscope, a small incision is made into the eye. The surgeon typically uses ultrasound energy to break it up and then remove it.
A plastic artificial replacement lens is placed inside the eye to replace the natural lens that was removed. The incision is then closed. When stitches are used, they rarely need to be removed. Nine out of 10 people who have cataract surgery regain very good vision, somewhere between 20/20 and 20/40. When the operation is over, the surgeon places a shield over your eye. After a short stay in the outpatient recovery area, you will be ready to go home. Plan to have someone else drive you home.
