What is a Cataract?
Have you noticed changes in your vision or noticed that colors appear faded? If you answered yes, you may have cataracts. Cataracts are common in individuals over the age of 60.
Request a consultation with Dr. Mitra Ayazifar to see whether cataract surgery is an option for you.
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Signs You Have Cataracts
Cataracts are extremely common as we mature. They occur due to changes in the protein content of the lens of the eye, causing cloudy or blurred vision. As cataracts progress, you may notice one or more of the following symptoms:
- You see glare or halos around lights, especially at night.
- You are having increasing difficulty seeing at night when you drive.
- You can no longer see well enough to read or watch TV.
- Colors appear faded and/or you have noticed blurry vision.
Good Candidates for Cataract Surgery
Good candidates for cataract surgery include individuals who have been told via a routine eye examination that they have cataracts and are experiencing significant vision loss due to the clouding of the lens of the eye. When cataracts are visually significant, changing your eyeglass prescription will not resolve the blurred vision. Most commonly, people begin developing cataracts after the age of 50 but it can occur at any age.
Treating Early Cataracts
If your vision isn’t significantly impaired, it may be a good idea to wait for cataract removal surgery. During this time glasses and/or contacts can help improve your vision. However, when corrective lenses no longer offer the desired amount of vision correction, Dr. Ayazifar typically recommends surgery to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with an artificial lens. There are numerous intraocular lens (IOL) options available and Dr. Mitra will discuss the ones that best match your lifestyle needs.
Cataract Surgery Risks
Cataract surgery is considered extremely safe. However, all surgeries carry some form of risk. If you notice any of these symptoms after your surgery, it is important to call Capital Eye Medical Group right away.
- An eye infection
- Artificial lens moving or becoming dislocated within the eye
- Bleeding or swelling in the eye
- Detachment of the retina
- Development of a secondary cataract (film over the artificial lens)
- Development of glaucoma or increased eye pressure
- Slight inflammation of the eye
Cataract Surgery with Our Ophthalmologist
Cataract surgery with Dr. Ayazifar is an outpatient procedure that lasts about 20-30 minutes. If you have cataracts in both eyes, your surgeries will be scheduled anywhere from 2-4 weeks apart.
During the surgery, you will be given numbing drops and intravenous medication to help you relax. For this reason, you’ll need to have a driver with you in order to take you home. Cataract surgery involves removing the cloudy lens of the eye and replacing it with an artificial lens that is customized to each eye. The new lens can contain a fixed or accommodating mono-focal lens, a multi-focal lens or a lens that corrects for astigmatism. This means that once your surgery is complete, you have the potential to be eyeglass-free.
A follow-up appointment will be scheduled the next day to test your eyes and ensure they are healing correctly. If you need cataract removal in your other eye, the second appointment is usually scheduled a few weeks after the first eye in order to give the initial eye time to heal.
