Cataracts

Normal Vision

Vision through a Cataract

A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear crystalline lens in one's eye. Individuals may become aware of a developing cataract when they notice glare, light sensitivity, poor night vision, the fading or yellowing of colors, double vision in one eye, or simply an increase of blurry vision. Most cataracts are directly related to the natural aging of the eye. However, some people develop cataracts as a result of an injury, family history, continuous use of specific medications, or a medical condition such as diabetes.

An ophthalmologist will usually detect a cataract during a slit-lamp eye exam when a patient's eye is dilated. The rate at which the cataract develops depends on the individual and cannot be predicted.

Cataract surgery is recommended when a patient is not able comfortably to continue his or her daily activities because of a loss of vision. Cataract surgery is one of the most common surgeries for senior citizens and is performed on an out-patient basis at our Ophthalmology Laser and Surgery Center.

This painless surgery involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an intraocular lens (IOL.)

Most people have a monofocal IOL (single range of vision) to replace their old cataract lens. Patients can often see excellent distance vision with monofocal IOLs and they wear reading classes to see up close. However, new technology has given us multifocal lenses which can reduce a person's dependency with glasses.

Multifocal lenses such as the ReZoom and Restor are premium lenses that can now deliver near vision, distance vision and everywhere in between. The ReZoom lens is a second-generation IOL and you can learn further details about why our doctors recommend this lens at www.visioninfocus.com/423.asp.

The ReStor IOL is an Acrosof multifocal lens which had clinical studies reporting that 80% of these patients never wear glasses for any activities. Visit www.acrysofrestor.com to read more about the ReStor IOL.

The Crystalens is an accommodating lens which our surgeons also offer. This accommodating IOL replaces your natural lens to provide a fuller range of vision. The Crystalens website, www.crystalens.com, has a section called Frequently Asked Questions which you may find very informative.

For more details, please read our page on Questions and Answers about Cataracts. There are surgical counselors within our practice who welcome your specific questions.

I began having trouble seeing clearly about three years ago. At first it was just the glare of the headlights on cars at night, then I found that I would find that I could not see the various shades of blues and greens. Since I love turquoise, this was very limiting on my choice of wardrobe as well as my stone for sculpture. As time progressed I found myself limiting my night driving and thus my social life, plus I found myself going out of the house with some very strange combinations of colors, especially on cloudy days. I used to buy at least 20 pair of reading glasses a year. I am a twelve year breast cancer survivor and took tamoxifen for seven years which most probably accelerated my cataracts. I am so very grateful for the new advances in eye surgery and have nothing but rave reviews for the special way I was prepared for this scary procedure; from the methods with which we were handled both prior to and following the surgery, to the recliners with wheelies, the relaxing music, the post surgical instant picture with Dr. Barton and her assistants, and finally the live plant which I promptly took home and planted. I had trouble adjusting to having one eye done and was lucky to be able to be fit into the schedule the very next week. The recuperation was swift and I was not limited in my activities. Between the two surgeries, I kept closing the 'new' eye and looking at the difference in color and clarity of the 'bad' eye. I had been scrubbing and scrubbing to remove what I perceived as brown stains on floors, walls and furniture. I now realize that it was my 'built in sunglasses' (cataracts) that made me think that I had a lot of smut on everything. Conversely, I now realize that I have alot more smile lines - wrinkles than I thought. My hobbies are stone sculpture, gardening and reading. I now can read without glasses for the first time in the past 25 years. YEA! I am very social and need to be able to drive at night. Since my surgery I can now totally enjoy my many interests. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. You have made a great difference in the quality of my life. This is especially important as I have just turned 65 and need all the help I can get to retain my independence. Peggy Grove Dr. Barton's Cataract Surgery Patient w/ Monovision