Are Cataracts Cramping Your Style?

Some say if we live long enough, most of us will develop a cataract. Yes, that may be true (one in seven people--almost 13 million Americans age 40 and older--have cataracts.). But luckily, cataracts are also one of the most curable causes of vision loss.

Cataracts are the clouding of the eye's lens, like a window that is "fogged" with steam. They are not a growth or a film. When the lens becomes cloudy, light rays cannot pass through it easily and vision becomes blurry. Cataracts form slowly and cause no pain. Some stay small and don't affect vision very much, but if they do become large, thick or affect your vision, they can be removed by surgery.

"Cataracts are one of the leading causes of blindness around the world; however in most cases, vision loss from cataracts is reversible," said Matthew R. Parsons, M.D. ophthalmologist at Excel Eye Center of Provo. "New techniques developed over the past decade have made cataract surgery one of the most successful procedures available in terms of restoring quality of life to patients."

There are no drugs or exercises to make a cataract disappear, and contrary to popular myth, cataracts are not removed using lasers. Cataract surgery is most often done as an outpatient procedure under local anesthesia. The patient generally goes home the same day, and because the incision is so small, many patients don't even need stitches. The cloudy natural lens can be replaced with an artificial lens to give the eye proper focusing power. In most cases, the improvement in the patient's vision is profound. For some of them, it really is like a miracle.

So how do you know if you have a cataract? According to Dr. Parsons, "Some people notice a gradual painless blurring of vision, double vision in one eye or fading or yellowing of colors. When my older patients mention sensitivity to glare and/or bright light or trouble driving at night, I suspect a cataract. Or, if a patient needs frequent changes to their glasses or contact lens prescriptions, I'll evaluate them for a cataract."

Dr. Parsons wants to dispel the notion that a cataract has to be "ripe" before it's removed. "That's just not true. The best time to have a cataract removed is when it starts to interfere with the things you like to do. It's a great procedure, but it's still surgery. For some people, cataracts don't particularly affect their quality of life, so for them it makes sense to put off any cataract surgery until they feel they need it. The only person who can really decide when it's time to have it removed is the patient."

If you feel you may have a cataract interfering with your lifestyle, call Excel Eye Center at 877-YOUR-EYES and make an appointment today.

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