Cataract Surgery

Cataracts are progressive, and initially changing your glasses prescription might keep your vision clear for a period of time. However, cataracts will progress and at some point will start to negatively affect your daily life. Your quality of vision will decrease, and activities such as driving will become limited or restricted by the vision loss caused by cataracts. This is when you need to consider cataract surgery. Cataract surgery is the only way to treat cataracts and stop the progressive loss of vision.

Your ophthalmologist will recommend removing a cataract when it keeps you from doing things you want or need to do. Cataract surgery is a procedure to remove the lens of your eye and, in most cases, replace it with an artificial lens. That lens is called an intraocular lens (IOL). Your ophthalmologist will talk with you about IOLs and how

they work at your cataract evaluation. Cataract surgery is performed on an outpatient basis, which means you don’t have to stay in the hospital after the surgery.

When considering cataract surgery, keep these questions in mind:

• Can you see to safely do your job and to drive? • Do you have problems reading or watching television? • Is it difficult to cook, shop, do yardwork, climb stairs or take medications? • Do vision problems affect your level of independence? • Do bright lights make it more difficult to see? • Do you have trouble seeing while playing sports such as seeing your golf ball?

Modern technology has made cataract surgery the most common surgery performed. Each year, about four million people in the United States have cataract surgery. In years past, cataract surgery required several days in the hospital and a long recovery period. Today, it is performed under local anesthesia on an outpatient basis, and people are back to their normal lives within days. The success rate is high and the rate of vision-threatening complications is relatively low. When to have surgery, which type of surgery to undergo (traditional vs. laser-assisted), and what type of lens to choose are key decisions you will make with your surgeon’s guidance. We discuss types of surgery and lens options next.

Watch This Video for an Overview of Cataract Surgery