Inside our eyes, we have a natural lens. The lens bends (refracts) light rays that come into the eye to help us see. The lens should be clear
If you have a cataract, your lens has become cloudy, like the bottom lens in the illustration. It is like looking through a foggy or dusty car windshield. Things look blurry, hazy or less colorful with a cataract.
There are different types of cataracts. They include:
Other things that can raise your chances of getting cataracts include cigarette smoke, air pollution, and heavy drinking.
Cataract symptom progression
Here are some vision changes you may notice if you have a cataract:
Besides aging, other cataract risk factors include:
If you have any of these risk factors for cataract, you should schedule an appointment with your ophthalmologist.
Your ophthalmologist will examine and test your eyes to make a cataract diagnosis. This comprehensive eye exam will include dilation. This means eye drops will widen your pupils.
Do not use eye drops or other treatments that claim to dissolve or remove cataracts. There is no proven way to dissolve cataracts with eye drops. Surgery is the only way to remove cataracts.
During cataract surgery, your eye surgeon will remove your eye’s cloudy natural lens. Then he or she will replace it with an artificial lens. This new lens is called an intraocular lens (or IOL).
Your ophthalmologist will measure your eye to set the proper focusing power for your IOL. Also, you will be asked about any medicines you take. You might be asked not to take some of these medicines before surgery.
Phacoemulsification, the eye surgeon creates a small incision in the side of the cornea special pen-shaped probe is inserted through that opening to apply sound waves (ultrasound) to break up the cloudy center of the lens. Then the broken-up pieces of lens are suctioned out of the eye. An artificial intraocular lens (IOL) is implanted to replace the cloudy natural lens. The side walls of the corneal incision will be filled with a special liquid and self-seal after surgery, so most commonly stitches are not needed.
After the operation, a patch may be placed over your eye. You will rest for a while. Your medical team will watch for any problems, such as bleeding. Most people who have cataract surgery can go home the same day. You will need someone to drive you home.
Problems after surgery are rare, but they can occur. These problems can include infection, bleeding, inflammation (pain, redness, swelling), loss of vision, double vision, and high or low eye pressure. With prompt medical attention, these problems can usually be treated successfully.
Sometimes the eye tissue that encloses the IOL becomes cloudy and may blur your vision. This condition is called an after-cataract. An after-cataract can develop months or years after cataract surgery.
An after-cataract is treated with a laser. Your doctor uses a laser to make a tiny hole in the eye tissue behind the lens to let light pass through. This outpatient procedure is called a YAG laser capsulotomy. It is painless and rarely results in increased eye pressure or other eye problems. As a precaution, your doctor may give you eyedrops to lower your eye pressure before or after the procedure.
Like any surgery, cataract surgery carries risks of problems or complications. Here are some of those risks:
Your ophthalmologist will talk with you about the risks and benefits of cataract surgery