LaserSurgeryForEyes.com

Lasersurgeryforeyes.com provides a listing of Laser Vision Correction Surgeons. Some of the surgeons may include cataract removal surgery in their practice, but not all the surgeons in our directory perform this procedure.

"Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness among adults in the United States, accounting for one out of every seven cases of blindness in people age 45 and older. Although most prevalent in adults, a cataract can occur in young people, and can sometimes be found in a baby's eyes at birth."

- Prevent Blindness America

Over 95% of cataract surgeries improve vision, but a small number of patients may have problems. Symptoms including infection, bleeding and swelling or detachment of the retina are some of the more serious complications that may affect your vision. Call your ophthalmologist immediately if you have any of the following symptoms after surgery:

Pain not relieved by non-prescription pain medication
Loss of vision
Nausea, vomiting or excessive coughing
Injury to the eye top

A person with cataract views the world as if through a dirty window or a windshield that needs defrosting. Glare becomes a serious problem. Color perception becomes muted. Reading, driving, computer work, hobbies, and athletics become less easy and eventually impossible due to diminished vision.

Unfortunately there is no proven medical treatment to prevent, delay, or reverse the development of cataracts in adults. Many medical agents are under investigation, but none have been proven absolutely effective. There is evidence however that antioxidants, specifically vitamins A, C, and E may delay the development of cataracts.

A cataract is a progressive clouding of the human lens inside the eye. The lens is a small oval like structure and consists of a thin capsule (like saran wrap) enveloping a bag of protein. The protein is crystal clear and colorless at birth but discolors and clouds with age: first yellow, then brown, and finally cloudy. When the lens becomes cloudy and interferes with vision, it is called a cataract. The lens no longer transmits or focuses light clearly. A cataract is not a growth, a "skin", or a disease. It is usually not a sign of eye or systemic disease. Usually cataracts affect both eyes but often develop at different rates in each eye.

Do cataracts get worse?

Yes. The clouded areas become larger and denser and cause the patient's sight to become worse. The time taken for this to happen varies from a few months to many years.

Why can't the doctor just change my glasses to make me see better?

Glasses focus light, they do not improve transmission of light. If a window has dirt on it, even with binoculars we cannot see through it clearly.

Symptoms of cataracts include:

Painless blurring or dimming of your vision
Sensitivity to light and glare, especially in bright sunlight or while driving at night
Increased nearsightedness, requiring frequent changes in your eyeglass prescription
Distortion or ghost images in either eye

Smoking

accelerates cataract development and should be avoided. Some improvement with glasses is possible until the cataract becomes severe.

Routine eye exams

are important in watching for cataract information that may be the result of medicines or general illnesses.

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A regular eye exam is all that is needed to find a cataract. Your eye doctor will ask you to read a letter chart to see how sharp your vision is. You will probably get eye drops to enlarge your pupils. This helps the doctor to see the inside of your eyes. The doctor will use a bright light to see whether your lenses are clear and to check for other problems in the back of your eyes.

Other eye tests may also be used occasionally to show how poorly you see with cataract or how well you might see after surgery:

Visual acuity test: This eye chart test measures how well you see at various distances.
Pupil dilation: The pupil is widened with eyedrops to allow your eye care professional to see more of the lens and retina and look for other eye problems.
Tonometry: This is a standard test to measure fluid pressure inside the eye.
Glare test
Contrast sensitivity test
Potential vision test
Specular photographic microscopy

Only a few people need these tests.

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Initially the cataract changes the focusing power of the eye, and a change of glasses can satisfactorily improve vision. Gradually, clarity drops so that visual tasks become increasingly difficult, despite the best possible glasses.

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Age-related cataract: Most cataracts are related to aging.

Congenital cataract: Some babies are born with cataracts or develop them in childhood, often in both eyes. These cataracts may not affect vision. If they do, they may need to be removed.

Secondary cataract: Cataracts are more likely to develop in people who have certain other health problems, such as diabetes. Also, cataracts are sometimes linked to steroid use.

Traumatic cataract: Cataracts can develop soon after an eye injury, or years later

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Cataract surgery is elective. It is done only when the person wants and needs it. Everyone has a different personality and different needs. Choose to have surgery when you cannot see to enjoy or perform to your satisfaction in jobs, hobbies, driving, athletics or outdoor activities. Some people are more demanding of their vision, and have surgery earlier than others who are not troubled by diminished vision.

Between the ages of 52 and 64 you have a 50% chance of having a cataract, but you probably won't experience any problems with your vision until about 65. By 75 years of age, just about everyone has a cataract; and people between 75 and 85 years of age 50% of the have lost some vision as a result.

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What are my choices?

Cataracts cannot be removed with a laser, only through a surgical incision. There are laser devices for cataract removal under investigation, but none are approved by the Food and Drug Administration. In cataract surgery, the cloudy lens is removed from the eye. In most cases, the focusing power of the natural lens is restored by replacing it with a permanent intraocular lens implant.

Nearly all cataracts today are removed by extracapsular surgery, in which the posterior capsule of the natural lens is left in place to support the plastic replacement lens which is implanted at the time of surgery. Both "one-stitch" and "no-stitch" surgery are just variants of phacoemulsification.

The incision used in the surgery may be placed in one of several locations and the architecture of the incision may vary as well. The same incision may be "no-stitch" if the incision is watertight following surgery, or "one-stitch" if it is not, and requires a stitch to make it so.

Non-Surgical Cataract Treatment

There is no non-surgical treatment for a cataract. Preventative measures include wearing good ultraviolet (UV) blocking sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun. Anti-oxidant vitamins may retard cataract changes. Smoking accelerates cataract development and should be avoided. Some improvement with glasses is possible until the cataract becomes severe. Routine eye exams are important in watching for cataract formation that may be the result of medicines or general illnesses.

Secondary cataract

From several months to several years after successful cataract surgery, a cloud may develop behind the lens implant. This secondary cataract and will blur vision much as the original cataract did.

The YAG laser is used in the treatment of secondary cataracts. The YAG laser makes a small opening in the cloudy membrane behind the lens implant. This requires 2 minutes and usually results in immediate vision improvement. The YAG laser is not used for the original cataract surgery. Read more on cataract removal surgery.

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Other sites for information on cataracts:
BUPA health information
The Schepens Eye Research Institute
The U.S. National Library of Medicine

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