New Outlook Ophthalmologist Center: Cataracts

"What is Cataracts?"

People commonly misunderstand a cataract to be a "skin" on the eye that must be "peeled off." A cataract is not a growth, but a normally clear lens inside the eye that has turned cloudy. Cataract surgery should be performed when cataracts interfere with a person’s ability to see for daily activities such as reading or driving. Cataracts interfere with vision by scattering light as it passes through the eye to the retina. This light dispersal causes blurred images, loss of contrast, glare, or starburst.

What causes cataracts?

Cataracts are usually a normal part of the aging process. Cataracts typically develop by the time a person reaches his or her 60s or 70s, although they can occur at younger ages or may exist at birth. Other cataract causes can include eye trauma, inflammation in the eye, or diabetes. Cataracts usually develop in both eyes, but they may develop at different rates.

Cataract Treatment

Stronger glasses or contact lenses are not an adequate solution for treating cataracts. Fortunately, advances in cataract eye surgery have made the procedure safer and more effective than ever before. During cataract surgery, the cloudy lens of the eye is removed and replaced with a clear intraocular lens (an IOL). At Alvarado Eye Associates, we use the latest surgical technique, called phacoemulsification. It uses a small incision and does not require stitches. The cataract is broken apart using ultrasound before it is gently suctioned away. The IOL is inserted through the same tiny incision; it unfolds once inside the eye.

New technology IOL’s like the RESTOR, REZOOM, or CRYSTALENS can correct annoying vision problems like routinely using reading glasses after cataract surgery, which means some patients will have better vision than they had before the cataract ever formed.