Clearer Vision, Brighter Future: Understanding & Treating Cataracts

Cataracts are a common age-related eye condition that causes the lens of the eye to become cloudy, leading to blurry vision, increased glare sensitivity, and difficulty seeing at night. Over time, cataracts can interfere with daily activities like reading, driving, and recognizing faces. At Eye Care Specialists of Michigan, our experienced eye doctors use advanced diagnostic tools to assess the severity of cataracts and determine the best treatment plan for restoring clear vision. While early cataracts may be managed with updated prescriptions and enhanced lighting, cataract surgery is the only effective way to remove the clouded lens and replace it with a clear, artificial intraocular lens (IOL). If you’re experiencing vision changes, schedule a comprehensive eye exam to explore your options for clearer sight.

Did you know?

Cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss worldwide, but they are also one of the most treatable eye conditions. In fact, cataract surgery is one of the most commonly performed and successful medical procedures, with over 98% of patients experiencing improved vision after treatment!

What is a Cataract?

A cataract is the clouding of the natural lens of the eye. The natural lens, located behind the cornea and iris, focuses light on the retina to allow your eye to see a sharp, clear image. As we age, proteins in the lens can clump together and cloud the lens. As a result, vision becomes increasingly impaired.

What causes a Cataract?

Cataracts form when proteins in the lens break down and clump together, often due to aging, UV exposure, diabetes, or eye injuries. Other causes include smoking, high blood pressure, alcohol use, family history, or certain medications such as steroids. Regular comprehensive eye exams can help detect cataracts early and monitor their progression.

What are the Symptoms of a Cataract?

Common cataract symptoms include blurry vision, increased sensitivity to light and glare, difficulty seeing at night, faded colors, and the appearance of halos around lights. Some people may also experience frequent changes in their glasses prescription.

Cataract Treatment | Eye Care Specialists of Michigan | Saginaw, Michigan
Intraocular Lense for Cataract Surgery | Eye Care Specialists of Michigan | Saginaw, Michigan

Cataract Eye Surgery

What Happens During Cataract Surgery?

Cataract surgery is considered to be one of the safest surgeries performed on the body. During surgery, the cloudy natural lens is removed and replaced with a clear artificial intraocular lens (IOL) to restore sharp vision. The procedure is quick, typically lasting 15-30 minutes, and is performed under local anesthesia. Most patients experience improved vision within a few days and recover fully in a few weeks.

What Should I Expect After Cataract Surgery?

After cataract surgery, you may experience mild discomfort, light sensitivity, and blurry vision for a few days. Most patients see noticeable improvements within 24-48 hours, with full recovery in a few weeks. Your eye doctor will provide you with two different eye drops, in addition to any drops that you may have been using prior to surgery. Drops will be tapered at your follow-up appointments. Your glasses prescription will be different after cataract surgery. Depending on which lens implant you choose, you may need glasses for up close, far away or both. The glasses prescription will be finalized about four weeks after surgery.

Can Cataracts Come Back After Surgery?

No, cataracts cannot return after surgery since the natural lens is replaced with a clear artificial intraocular lens (IOL). However, some patients may develop posterior capsule opacification (PCO), a cloudy membrane behind the IOL, which can be easily treated with a quick laser procedure (YAG laser capsulotomy) to restore clear vision.

Are you ready for cataract surgery? Do you also have glaucoma? Be sure to ask about our combined procedures that can treat both.

Intraocular Lens Implant Options

At Eye Care Specialists we commonly use three different types of intraocular lens implants. We will make recommendations for you based on your glasses prescription prior to surgery and how you want to use your eyes after surgery.

Standard Monofocal Lens

The standard lens implant is used to correct your vision at one distance. In most cases we aim to correct your distance vision. This allows you to see clearly for watching television, driving, or any other activity that involves viewing things that are far off. Patients will need glasses for reading and activities that involve looking at things up close. Monofocal lenses cannot correct astigmatism. If you have astigmatism and use a standard monofocal implant, your astigmatism will remain after surgery and you may still need glasses for distance and near.

Toric Lens

Toric lenses are used to correct pre-existing astigmatism. Astigmatism is part of the glasses prescription that is caused by the front surface of their eye being oval shaped and not perfectly spherical. Like the monofocal lens, it can only correct vision for one given distance. Therefore, you will most likely need glasses for reading after surgery.

Cataract Surgery Eye Care Specialists of Michigan

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