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HomeNewsWhat's a Cataract and How Do I Get Rid of It?

What’s a Cataract and How Do I Get Rid of It?

CataractClarksville, TN – When I recently had surgery on both my eyes to remove cataracts, I was told at Clarksville Ophthalmology that some people come to their first appointment expecting to have surgery that day. That’s not how it works.

Dr. C. Patrick Fitch carefully explained the procedures to me after I had had numerous tests. Dr. Fitch has literally performed at least 10,000 cataract surgeries during his career and is dedicated to the health of all his patients.

It seems appropriate to look at what is involved in cataract surgery since a large portion of the population will at some time encounter the need for this procedure.

Cataracts
Cataracts

About 70 percent of people over 75 years old develop cataracts significant enough to require surgery, but some studies show that more than 20 percent of cataract surgeries are performed on people under 70.

Even some people in the 40s and 50s are experiencing this condition. Better diagnostic tools and education about the procedure have allowed ophthalmologist to diagnose and treat cataracts before they cause blindness.

First of all, let’s see what cataracts really are. Cataracts occur when the lens of your eye clouds over through a natural process caused when proteins form clumps. They give you the illusion similar to that of a camera lens that has smudges in it. They can’t be cured by changing diet and they are not a film in your eye—both common misconceptions.

Some other misconceptions about cataract surgery include those where people believe the surgery is painful (not true!), think they can self-diagnose about when the time is right to have the surgery (definitely a decision to be made with the ophthalmologist!), believe that overall health and cataracts are not related (see below!), that it is normal to see a halo around a light (indication of cataracts), and that it takes weeks to recover (most patients begin seeing better the next day after surgery).

If cataracts are left untreated, they can cause blindness—so don’t just ignore them and hope they’ll go away. They are actually the leading cause of blindness.

In the past people were told to wait as long as possible before having the surgery, but that is no longer necessary. Previously the surgery required hospitalization for several days and the patient was never to bend over or pick up anything. Better procedures have made this type of treatment obsolete.

Some symptoms of cataracts are blurred vision, dull colors, difficulty seeing at night and sensitivity to bright light.

The lens is inside your eye just behind the pupil (the opening in the colored part of your eye) which opens more in the dark and closes more in bright light.

Benefits of having a cataract removed are reduction of stress and anxiety, a decreased risk of falling, and a lessened risk of automobile accidents when you are driving.

Cataract surgery involves the removal of the cataract and replacement of the lens with several options for the type of lens replacement. As with all surgery, there is risk. Cataract surgery is one of the safest and most common of all types of surgery. It is not a long procedure and involves only a few days of recovery. The patient uses eye drops before and after the surgery to reduce the risk of infection and the amount of inflammation.

During the surgery the patient feels mild discomfort (slight pressure) because the eye has been treated with numbing drops and the patient receives a mild sedative. The patient is awake for the procedure but has little or no distress. Because the person has had a sedative, the patient must have someone to drive him home after the surgery; often the eye has a patch or shield over it.

Traditional surgery involves a tiny incision in the eye. An instrument the size of a pen tip is inserted in the eye to break the cloudy lens and the tiny pieces are then suctioned from the eye. A replacement lens is rolled into the eye and is then inserted permanently.

A new procedure involving breaking the cataract using a laser prevents the insertion of the scalpel used in traditional surgery. The laser also allows correction of astigmatism (an altered shape to the eyeball that requires wearing glasses for correction). Astigmatism causes an eyeball that should be shaped like a basketball to be shaped like a football.

In a perfect eyeball light rays enter the lens and are reflected onto the retina (back of the eye) to travel to the brain through the optic nerve. If the patient has astigmatism, light rays are not focused properly. Glasses correct the direction of the light rays.

Having the laser procedure is not yet covered by insurance so the patient may be asked to pay over $1,000 to have this advantage. Having the procedure without having a blade enter your eye may be a factor you wish to consider. In addition, the ability to skip buying glasses for the rest of one’s life can add up to much more than this initial cost. (The laser machine costs $500,000 so this is a significant investment for the ophthalmologist and not all may have the equipment.)

One advantage of having laser treatment is that astigmatism can be corrected. (The astigmatism in my right eye was corrected perfectly after this procedure.) Also the laser system is that treatment is easier and more precise. Some patients choose laser because of wanting special lens choices.

Types of lens that can be used are also dependent on the type of correction needed.

“Standard” or monofocal intraocular lens provide clear vision at a single distance. The patient may still need reading glasses to see well at close and intermediate distances. This type of lens cannot correct astigmatism.

Several other lens are available; each has aspects that correct certain distances. You will need to discuss these options with your ophthalmologist to determine which is right for you.

Other reported reasons for choosing laser treatment are less likelihood of the entry’s leaking, better results for people with thicker lenses, and for people with complex cases, this produces a higher probability of a good outcome. In short, the general consensus is that results are better when laser is used rather than a blade. In the former, the computer chooses the incision instead of human measurement.

In some practices laser is used for all cataract procedures; in others, a choice of conventional procedures or laser is given.

Whatever the choice, most patients report that their sight is significantly improved. Colors are more vibrant and vision is enhanced.

Cataract surgery is not to be feared but rather to be welcomed as a road to better safety and vision.

Sue Freeman Culverhouse
Sue Freeman Culverhousehttp://culverhouseart.com/
Author of Tennessee Literary Luminaries: From Cormac McCarthy to Robert Penn Warren (The History Press, 2013) Sue Freeman Culverhouse has been a freelance writer for the past 36 years. Beginning in 1976, she published magazines articles in Americana, Historic Preservation, American Horticulturist, Flower and Garden, The Albemarle Magazine, and many others. Sue is the winner of two Virginia Press Awards in writing. She moved to Springfield, Tennessee in 2003 with her sculptor husband, Bill a retired attorney. Sue has one daughter,  Susan Leigh Miller who teaches poetry and creative writing at Rutgers University. Sue teaches music and writing at Watauga Elementary School in Ridgetop, Tennessee to approximately 500 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. She also publishes a literary magazine each year; all work in the magazine is written and illustrated by the students. Sue writes "Uncommon Sense," a column in the Robertson County Times, which also appears on Clarksville Online. She is the author of "Seven keys to a sucessful life", which is  available on amazon.com and pubishamerica.com; this is a self-help book for all ages.
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