Understanding Cataracts
Just like skin, muscles, joints, and other body parts, your eye's lens will deteriorate as you age. Cataracts are most often a consequence of aging, although other factors could also lead to this vision condition. For example, diabetes, injury, or toxic reaction to certain medications may cause cataracts. Fortunately, an experienced ophthalmologist can help you live your life without vision limitations from cataracts.
Signs Of Cataracts
The human lens is comprised of three main components: the nucleus, the cortex, and the capsule. They are shaped much like an M&M Peanut candy, with the nucleus in the middle (like the peanut), the cortex surrounding the nucleus (like the chocolate) and the capsule surrounding (like the candy coat)! All three structures can deteriorate, individually or in combination, to form a cataract. If your lens no longer focuses light cleanly due to a cataract and the light is absorbed or scattered, your vision quantity or quality may decline. Reduced eyesight can interfere with many activities, including reading, driving, sports or just enjoying the sights.
You may require cataract surgery if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- Ghost vision (where a second image appears to overlap another)
- Color perception (muted or dimmed)
- Glare from auto headlights while driving at night
- Fuzzy, foggy, or cloudy distance vision
- Frequent prescription adjustments for your eyeglasses
How to Determine if You Need Cataract Surgery
For many years, ophthalmologists only recommended surgical removal if the cataract had become fully opaque or "ripe." But today, that concept is out of date. Assessing the functional impact of the cataract will decide if removal of the cataract is indicated. The demands of modern life, the prevalence of the digital environment, our aging population – all of these and more make cataract surgery very common. Well over 2 million cataract surgeries are performed every year in the U.S. alone.
Your ophthalmologist will take your history, examine the eyes, assess the extent of any impairment and recommend a treatment plan. If vision loss is interfering with your daily activities, it could be time to consider cataract surgery.
The modern approach to cataract surgery doesn’t so much concern itself with what the cataract looks like to the examiner, but rather what the cataract looks like to the patient!
New Technologies Used In Cataract Treatment
Cataract surgery has become increasingly safer over the years, thanks to quantum leaps in technology. It only requires a small incision which does not require stitches and using an ultrasound probe about the size of a ball point pen refill to dissolve the cataract and vacuum it from the eye. It is usually performed with just topical anesthesia (drops or gel). Mild sedation may be required to relieve patient anxiety. With femtosecond laser-assisted cataract extraction (which we call LACE), there is additional safety and accuracy since some of the previously manual steps are automated using a computer-driven laser.
After removing the defective human lens, vision is restored with new technology intraocular lenses (IOLs). These tiny lenses are typically made of acrylic polymer or solid silicone and implanted into the affected eye at the time of cataract surgery. The artificial lens refocuses the light accurately to simultaneously restore the focusing power of the eye and reduce pre-existing optical errors. Multifocal intraocular IOLs correct near vision lost due to aging and astigmatism correcting IOLs will compensate for oddly shaped eyes with astigmatism.
The Cataract Surgery Process
We are fortunate to have our own ambulatory surgery center devoted to eye surgery in our office building. Generally, a cataract operation takes around 8-15 minutes and is performed under local or topical anesthesia in such an outpatient ambulatory setting. Nurse anesthetists attend our patients to monitor vital signs and administer sedatives as needed to relax the patient. The recovery is rapid and return to normal function one day after the surgery is typical. However, due to the sedation used, you will want to rest and relax for a few hours after returning home to let the effects of anesthesia and sedation wear off.
Your Chattanooga Cataract Treatment Specialist!
Pomerance Eye Center, PC is a full service medical eyecare practice, where cataract surgery is our most frequent surgical procedure. All our experienced ophthalmologists, Dr. Glenn N. Pomerance, Dr. Michelle Robison and Dr. Gene Lee, and our team of eyecare paraprofessionals, assess your vision and your visual needs, take time to understand your eye health, recommend the best treatment plan and execute the plan expertly. We effectively address cataracts using advanced surgical techniques performed by our highly skilled team.
Contact us today for a consultation to learn if cataracts are affecting your vision and learn whether cataract surgery is appropriate for you and which procedure is ideal for you.
Contact us today for a consultation and learn whether cataract surgery is ideal for you.