CATARACTS

A cataract is the loss of transparency of the lens of the eye. There are several different types of cataracts. Although some cataracts can be present at birth, the overwhelming majority occur later in life. Cataracts develop to various degrees and the rate at which it develops varies widely from person to person.

Eye without a cataract

Eye with a cataract

Treatment

At the present time, there is no laser that can effectively remove a cataract. The only treatment for a cataract is the removal of the lens. That proces is called phakoemulsification, which is using ultrasonic energy to remove the lens. No medication or diet has ever been proven to be effective in preventing cataract formation. Some doctors may put their patients on certain eyedrops for peace of mind, since it is very difficult for people to accept the fact that no corrective measures can be taken except surgery. Many patients read about laser in the press and misunderstand what they read, but there is no laser to effectively remove a cataract.

Timing

Removal is scheduled only when vision has decreased to the point that the patient is unhappy with his corrected vision. This point will be different for every patient, and some patients choose to never have their cataracts removed. Cataracts are removed one at a time to ensure full recovery from each surgery.

Risks and Outcome

For every one hundred cataract surgeries, 97% emerge with improved vision, often as good as 20/20. Two percent have no improvement of vision, usually due to the fact that there is a problem with the retina (which the doctor could not see because of the cloudy lens). No more than 1% of all patients have worse vision postoperatively than they did prior to surgery. The poorer vision is due to such rare complications as infection, hemorrhage into the eye during surgery, an inoperable retinal detachment, postoperative glaucoma, postoperative corneal edema, etc. The patient should be aware that even though cataract surgery is one of the safest of all operations these rare complications can occur.

Surgery

Cataract surgery is generally done under local anesthesia at an outpatient surgical facility. The entire process from registration to discharge usually takes only several hours. There are several methods of cataract extraction and your surgeons will discuss the best options for your type of cataract and your options for vision correction once the lens has been removed.