Will I Need Cataract Surgery Right Away After Diagnosis?
An estimated one in five Americans between 65 and 74 have cataracts. This means that the older you get, the more crucial it is to learn about cataract symptoms, as they can significantly impact your vision and quality of life.
Cataract surgery is necessary to remove cataracts and improve vision problems. However, you may notice that your vision is starting to become impaired. This doesn’t always mean that you need cataract surgery.
Keep reading to learn whether you will need cataract surgery right away after diagnosis.
What are Cataracts?
Cataracts are cloudy areas that form on the lens of the eye. They often occur as people age, especially after age 40. However, anyone at any age can develop cataracts, and conditions like diabetes or previous eye surgeries can increase the risk of developing cataracts.
When cataracts form on the lens of the eye, they cause blurry vision that many describe as looking at life through a dirty window. They can negatively impact your eyesight and quality of life, so treating them is necessary to clear vision.
What are the Symptoms of Cataracts?
Cataracts usually begin developing slowly, so you may not notice any symptoms immediately. Routine eye exams are key for identifying cataracts early on, but you should also be aware of the most common symptoms, which are:
- Trouble seeing well at night
- Cloudy or blurry vision
- Increased sensitivity to lights
- Seeing a halo effect around lights
- Needing to change your prescription for glasses or contacts often
- Colors start to look faded or yellow
- Double vision in just one eye
If you notice changes in your vision, you should make an appointment with your eye doctor at Complete EyeCare West to have them evaluated for cataracts or other vision problems.
Decreased visual acuity can impact your ability to drive, read, and more, and getting the right prescription or treatment is crucial. Otherwise, you could put your safety at risk.
When Should I Consider Cataract Surgery?
You might not need cataract surgery immediately when you’re first diagnosed with cataracts. Because the symptoms are minimal initially, you can likely lessen the side effects by wearing contacts or glasses. Usually, your entire field of vision won’t be blurry right away.
However, once cataracts start affecting your daily life, it’s a good idea to consider cataract surgery. If wearing contacts and glasses doesn’t offset the symptoms well enough, cataract surgery is the only way to treat cataracts and remove them for good.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself to determine if it’s time for cataract surgery:
- Are your cataracts causing injuries because of decreased vision?
- Is it becoming dangerous for you to drive at night?
- Do you find it difficult to perform daily tasks due to vision problems from cataracts?
- Are you tired of constant and costly changes to your prescription?
- Do you wish you could see clearly again without cataracts?
If the answer to any of those questions is yes, it may be time to consider cataract surgery.
What Is Cataract Surgery?
Cataract surgery is the only way to remove cataracts permanently. During cataract surgery, your cataract surgeon removes the lens of your eye that cataracts have impacted and replaces it with an intraocular lens (IOL). This artificial lens is clear of cataracts, and come in many different varieties to improve your vision.
Because IOLs are made of synthetic materials, they can’t develop cataracts. So, after cataract surgery, you won’t have to deal with this issue in the future.
What Can I Expect During Cataract Surgery?
Cataract surgery is an outpatient procedure that only takes about an hour. It’s also minimally invasive and generally very effective.
To prepare for the procedure, your cataract surgeon at Complete EyeCare West will begin by placing eye drops to dilate your pupil and administering numbing medications. You may also receive a sedative for the treatment.
Then, your cataract surgeon will remove the clouded lens. They do this using an ultrasound probe to break up the lens and then a suction mechanism to remove the fragments.
After removing the lens, the replacement IOL is placed in your eye. The IOL functions like your natural lens, except it can’t develop cataracts.
What is Recovery like After Cataract Surgery?
After cataract surgery, your vision may be blurry at first. You may have minimal side effects, but these usually go away within a day or two.
As you recover, do not rub your eyes and avoid getting soap or water in them. Your eye doctor will provide you with a protective eye shield to wear when you’re asleep to make sure you don’t accidentally rub your eyes.
It may take up to eight weeks for your vision to completely stabilize. Your eye doctor will have you come in for a follow-up visits to ensure you’re healing properly.
Cataracts can be a serious problem. They won’t go away on their own and usually get worse with time. If your cataracts are impacting your life, it may be time to remove them for good with cataract surgery.
Do you want to achieve clearer vision and live free of cataracts for good? Schedule an appointment with Complete EyeCare West in Columbus, OH, today!
