Cataract Treatment

Gradually over time the lens, which lies behind the iris or the colored part of your eye, begins to cloud. The clouding of your lens is a cataract.

In a healthy eye, the lens works much like a camera, focusing light onto the retina at the back of the eye. It adjusts the eye's focus, letting us see things clearly both up close and far away. As we age, the lens starts to get cloudy. This is a cataract and over time, it may grow larger and cloud more of the area, making it difficult to see.

Some of the symptoms associated with a cataract are: light sensitivity causing glare at night, blurred vision, similar to looking through a cloudy piece of glass, or diminished brightness of colors.

WHAT IS A CATARACT?

A cataract is a cloudiness of your natural lens.

IS CATARACT SURGERY SERIOUS?

All surgeries have some risk. However, cataract surgery is the most frequently performed eye surgery in the United States over 1 million surgeries are done per year. Choosing a surgeon who has performed thousands of surgeries will reduce the risk of something going wrong.

HOW ARE CATARCTS REMOVED?

A tiny incision is made in the eye. Through this incision, the surgeon inserts an ultrasonic instrument that breaks up and gently removes your cloudy lens. Once the cloudy lens is removed, the next step is to replace it. That is, to implant an artificial lens that will do the work of your own lens. This artificial lens is referred to as an intraocular lens.

WHAT IS THE RECUPERATION TIME?

Cataract surgery is an outpatient procedure. You'll spend a few hours at the surgery center. Your eyes will be treated with anesthetic; you will feel little or no discomfort.

After surgery, your eye will be patched and you will have a short time to rest. After you are rested you will be able to go home. The following day, Dr Allen will see you remove the eye patch and start your antibiotic drops. For the following two weeks you will have some mild restrictions such as sleeping in your protective eye shield and refraining from lifting objects heavier than 5 pounds.