A cataract is the clouding of the crystalline lens inside your eye. It is not a film over your eye or a growth on your eye, and is not painful. When this clouding occurs, people may initially experience a mild blurring of their vision and feel like they may need a change of eyeglasses. As the crystalline lens continues to lose its transparency and its optical clarity, you may notice that it is not as easy to see well and comfortably in dim illumination, such as for night driving. You may notice that colors look faded. The cloudiness may also create glare, haloes, light sensitivity and a continuing decrease in your vision. If the crystalline lens becomes too cloudy it may cause a significant decrease in both your day and night vision. These are the visual symptoms you may notice when the crystalline lens has clouded and formed a cataract.

Cataract Symptoms

• Blurring or Clouding of Vision
• Glare, or Light Sensitivity
• Poor Night Vision
• Double Vision in One Eye or a Shadowy Image
• Needing Brighter Light to Read
• Fading or Yellowing of Colors

While age is the primary reason you may develop a cataract, having diabetes, smoking or a great deal of exposure to UV light may hasten the develop of a cataract, as well as certain medications such as steroids.

When people with cataracts begin to complain of difficulties with blurry or cloudy vision, night driving problems or with sunlight glare that begins to interfere with the comfort and safety of their daily activities, then it is time to consider having cataract surgery and lens implants-and they are encouraged to do so. Are cataracts robbing you of vision and diminishing your mobility, comfort & safety with night driving or quality of life? Although the deteriorating eyesight caused by cataracts can be a frustrating problem, cataract surgery represents a bright new beginning for you.

Preparation for your cataract operation will begin with a few sets of drops being placed in your eye to dilate your pupil. Additionally, your eye will be treated with anesthetic drops to numb the surface of your eye so that you will feel little if any discomfort during your cataract surgery. In addition, you will be given medicines to help you relax if desired.

Next, your cataract surgeon will make two very small incisions at the outermost edge of your cornea. These incisions will be just large enough to allow microscopic instruments to pass through them. Your cataract surgeon can make these tiny incisions with traditional instruments, or by using the laser if you are having laser cataract surgery.

Your eye surgeon will gently pass a microscopic instrument through the tiny incision and create an opening in the capsule of the crystalline lens to allow access to the cloudy lens material. This step, called “capsulotomy” also can be performed by your surgeon either manually or with the laser if you are having a laser cataract surgery procedure.

Your cataract surgeon will gently pass another sophisticated high technology microscopic instrument through the tiny incision. Sound waves or “Ultrasound” produced at the tip of the instrument will be used to gently break the cataract into pieces small enough to be washed away, drawn through the instrument and removed from your eye. This cataract removal technique is called “phacoemulsification”.

After the cataract has been removed, your eye surgeon will be able to insert a new, crystal clear permanent Intraocular Lens Implant (IOL) into your eye. The replacement lens will actually be inserted and placed in the correct position through the same tiny incision at the outer edge of the cornea through which the surgeon removed the cataract.

A cataract lens implant is a tiny permanent plastic intraocular lens (IOL) that is carefully placed and positioned inside the eye as part of your cataract surgery in order to help you see clearly. Cataract surgeons use many types of intraocular lens implants to correct vision after cataract surgery. These different types of lens implants include monofocal lens implants, toric lens implants for patients with astigmatism and near vision presbyopia correcting lens implants. Monofocal lens implants are the most basic type of lens implant and only help correct distance vision and not arm’s length, or close reading vision so that patients will still need to wear glasses after their cataract surgery. Toric lens implants can benefit cataract patients with astigmatism who wants to minimize dependence on glasses for distance but are able to wear glasses for arm’s length or close reding vision. Presbyopia near vision correcting lens implants correct distance vision, arm’s length vision, and close reading vision-providing a range of vision for most patients who wants to minimize their dependence on all glasses.

Your eyes need a bit of time to heal after cataract surgery. Depending on the maturity of your cataract and the difficulty of its extraction, it can take a few days, perhaps weeks or in rare instances even months to obtain your best-corrected vision. Blurriness and eye discomfort are normal during cataract surgery recovery. Slight discomfort and changes in the appearance and sensation of your eye are normal as you heal. Keep in mind that:

• Your vision may be blurry when you first remove the protective eye shield. That’s because it takes time for your brain to adapt to your new artificial lens.
• Redness in the white of your eye is normal. This happens because the surgery temporarily damages the blood vessels in your eye. Expect this redness to disappear within a few days.
• Scratchiness or a feeling that something is in your eye is common. This sensation should gradually go away as your eye heals. If you have dry eye or another ocular surface disease, this sensation could persist longer. Ask your eye surgeon for advice if you continue to experience bothersome sensations.

Patients really want to get back to their normal daily routines & activities after cataract surgery. You should anticipate and expect:

• Avoid or at Least Minimize Bending Down, Sneezing or Coughing-During first 48 hours after surgery, it's important not to bend over or put your head below your waist. This can increase eye pressure and interfere with healing. Also, be as gentle as possible when sneezing or coughing.
• Driving after cataract surgery requires that you should ask your eye surgeon when it is safe for you to drive. If you have only had cataract surgery in one eye your depth perception will be off making driving very difficult.
• People who had a strong prescription for distance vision before cataract surgery may notice a strong imbalance in their vision until their second eye is treated, usually two weeks after the first surgery. Your eye surgeon may recommend a) wearing your old glasses but removing the eyeglass lens from the side that had cataract surgery, b) wear a contact lens in the non-operated eye or c) don’t use vision correcting lenses at all.
• Use care for strenuous activity & exercise after cataract surgery. Most people can do very light exercise the day after surgery, including walking. For activities like biking, running, tennis, golf and sex, wait 7 to 10 days after your procedure. If you are a swimmer, we advise you to wait two weeks before going in the water to minimize your risk of infection and irritation. You can shower the day after surgery, but take care to keep the stream of water from hitting your eye directly.
• Most people can resume reading, computer work, watching TV within several hours of surgery. You may experience some initial blurriness as your brain and eyes adjust to your new lens.