Cataracts

A cataract is a clouding or opacification of the lens of the eye. The lens is located directly behind the pupil and is mandatory for the correct focusing of images onto the retina. As the lens becomes cloudy, vision diminishes and there is often a progressive decrease in one’s ability to see things clearly.

Because cataracts will often disperse light there is often excessive glare when looking at bright lights or the sun. Cataracts can occur at any age (some children are even born with cataracts) but generally they start appearing as people pass their 40th birthday. Eye injuries can cause cataracts and certain medications (such as steroids) can also cause the lens to opacify. Cataracts often tend to run in families. As cataracts begin to form, the vision becomes smudged or hazy. Glare from lights often causes increased difficulty seeing, and one often feels that his or her glasses always seem to be dirty.

As cataracts develop it is often possible to change one’s glasses prescription to reacquire clear vision but eventually if the cataract becomes dense enough, it is not possible to correct by changing the prescription. Cataract surgery may become the only way to re-establish clear vision. Certain diseases such as diabetes are associated with an increased incidence of cataracts.

You now have more choices in the types of lens that are implanted during your surgery. Lens options include monofocal, multifocal and accommodating IOL’s which can greatly diminish or eliminate the need for glasses or contact lenses. Multifocal lens implants are designed to help patients see at varying distances using different points of focus. It uses advanced optic technology that enables both distance and near focus at all times. Accommodating IOLs are another lens option that can restore vision for all distance. Please speak with one our cataract surgeons to find the best lens option for you.

Dr.‘s Briggs, Corbett, Goldberg, Peters, Hasbrook, Sangal and Siddiqui are The Eye Institute’s specialists in treating cataracts.

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