FAQs about Cataracts

Vision through a Cataract

 

What is a cataract?

A cataract occurs when the eye's lens, which focuses light and creates sharp images, is clouded and hard, causing a loss of visual performance.

Does a cataract hurt?

A cataract is painless and generally develops over many months or years. The appearance of a cataract may effect night vision, depth perception and color perception.

Who gets a cataract?

Decreased vision from a cataract eventually affects 60% of adults over 60 years old, making cataracts the leading cause of vision loss among adults age 55 and older. However, cataracts can affect all ages as they often result from injury, heredity or medications.

How are cataracts diagnosed?

There is no one technique that indicates the presence of an operable cataract. Your eye doctor at Premier Eye Care Group will analyze patient symptoms, perform an eye exams and check for glare disability and contrast sensitivity to make a diagnosis.

How can cataracts be treated?

The treatment for cataracts is surgical. The clouded lens cannot be cleaned; it must be removed. However, at early stages of cataracts vision can often be helped by more frequent eyeglass changes.

What is cataract surgery?

At Premier Eye Care Group, we perform cataract surgery on site in our Ophthalmology Laser and Surgery Center. The ophthalmologist performs the surgery under local anesthesia (no injections) on an outpatient basis. Most commonly the clouded lens is removed through a 3 mm incision using high frequency ultrasound. A lens implant replaces the clouded lens. The topical anesthesia makes the procedure painless without using needles. No sutures are required, and the patient can generally resume normal activities the next day.

How successful is cataract surgery?

National statistics show that the overall success rate of cataract surgery is 98%. In just a few short weeks the patient's eye heals and new glasses can be prescribed unless a multifocal lens implant was used. Dr. Barton has performed over 250 multifocal lens implants. Many of our patients are willing to talk to interested individuals about their experience with their multifocal lens. Please call our office to get the phone number of the patients you may talk with about these new multifocal lenses.