At this time, the only effective treatment for cataracts is surgery. You may be able to put up with cataracts for years if your visual disturbances aren't too bad, but once the eye condition starts to interfere with your quality of life, it's time to think about having your cataracts replaced with an artificial lens. Here are a few things to know about having cataract replacement surgery.
Vision Abnormalities May Be Corrected At The Same Time
In the early days of cataract surgery, there was only one type of lens available, so even after the surgery, you still had to wear glasses if you were nearsighted or had presbyopia. Today, multifocal lenses are available. This means your eye doctor may be able to fit you with a lens that corrects your farsightedness, nearsightedness, or presbyopia, so you can eliminate your need for glasses after the surgery. Each person is different, so you'll need to work with your doctor to determine if the multifocal replacement lens is right for you.
Cataract Surgery Improves Vision
Whether you can eliminate your glasses or not, the surgery vastly improves your vision. Having cataracts is like looking through a dark film. Colors are dull, lighting is darker, lights have halos, and everything is blurry. With the cataracts gone, you may be able to resume activities such as driving at night and working on the computer. Your world will seem brighter and more colorful. However, cataract surgery can only correct vision problems associated with the lens of your eye. If you have other conditions such as diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma that affect your vision, they will remain unchanged by the surgery.
Cataract Surgery Is A Routine Procedure
Although it sounds scary to have your eyes operated on, cataract surgery is actually easy to undergo. The procedure has been perfected to the point where it is quick, and it has a low rate of complications. Your doctor will use a scalpel or laser to move the flap in your eye so your lens can be removed and the new lens inserted. The procedure is done in the eye doctor's clinic under local anesthesia so you won't have discomfort. You'll only have one eye done at a time. The second procedure may be done in a few days or you may want to wait until the first surgery has completely healed.
Recovery is usually fast and uneventful too. You may experience blurry vision and itching for a few days. You should avoid strenuous activities and even things like bending over that puts pressure on your eyes until your doctor says it's okay. Your vision won't be improved immediately. You'll need to allow several days or a few weeks for your surgery to fully heal until you can appreciate how much better you can see with your new replacement lenses.
For more information, contact local professionals like Country Hills Eye Center.
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