Cataracts are prevalent in adults over 40. In fact, cataracts are the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide. Many people with cataracts don’t realize they have them at first because they typically develop slowly over time.
Cataracts develop when the natural lens in your eye becomes cloudy, impacting your ability to see clearly. As cataracts progress, blurry vision will increase, similar to looking through a cloudy window.
Your vision continues to worsen, making it more challenging to see. People with advanced cataracts may struggle to do everyday tasks and chores.
They may also be at higher risk of injuring themselves by falling. Luckily, there’s a treatment for cataracts that removes them completely: cataract surgery. When vision is affecting your daily life, it’s time to consider cataract surgery.
Cataract surgery is the only way to treat cataracts. Cataract surgery can give your vision back and a whole new view of life when your cataracts have started affecting your quality of life. Once cataract surgery is done, you’ll never have to worry about cataracts coming back. Keep reading to learn how cataract surgery can change your outlook on life for good!
See Clearly Again
Cataract surgery removes your cataracts entirely, meaning you’ll be able to see without the various visual symptoms that come with cataracts. Cataracts can cause blurry vision, poor night vision, light sensitivity, intense glare, and decreased ability to see contrast.
Without cataracts, you’ll be able to see clearly and without a cloudy lens holding you back. Since cataracts often take years to develop, you may forget what it’s like to see without them.
Removing them can give you a whole new lease on life, letting you appreciate all the tiny but essential details around you as you used to before you had cataracts.
Feel Safer
One of the dangers of cataracts is that they can lead to injury. If you can’t see well, it’s much easier to trip and fall.
It can also be more challenging to drive at night. You may feel unsafe if you struggle driving after dark because your eyes are sensitive to the glare from headlights, and you can’t see well in low light. Having advanced cataracts can make it downright dangerous to drive at night.
But when your cataracts are removed, you’ll reduce your risk of injury by improving your ability to see. You’ll be safer and feel safer, making being on the road less stressful for yourself and other drivers.
Removing your cataracts can help you feel happier and healthier while ensuring you can see clearly again.
Enjoy Life
It isn’t only daily tasks and chores that are more difficult when you have cataracts. Unfortunately, cataracts can make it harder to see and do the things you love.
It can be hard to be active and social when you struggle to see. But once you have your cataracts removed, you’ll be able to see the faces of your friends and family better.
You’ll also be able to get out and do more, whether that includes going out for drinks and dancing or enjoying a weekend camping trip. When you can see, you’ll be able to do these things and enjoy yourself more while feeling safe and comfortable.
Improve Your Vision
Cataract surgery can help you see by removing your natural lens. But cataract surgery can also help you see better than before you developed cataracts.
When having a cataract removed, the procedure involves removing the natural lens because it’s where the cataract has formed. An integral part of the procedure is replacing the natural lens with an intraocular lens, or IOL.
IOLs help you see and treat presbyopia when choosing a premium IOL. Presbyopia develops when the natural lens loses its flexibility.
When you have presbyopia, it becomes more challenging to see things up close. Many, if not most, patients with cataracts also suffer from presbyopia.
Cataract surgery can address these issues at the same time. By choosing a premium IOL, you may be able to reduce your dependence on reading glasses after cataract surgery.
At Williamson Eye Center, we offer several options for premium IOLs, including:
Tecnis Multifocal:
The Tecnis multifocal lens has rings that extend from the center of the lens and alternate between a near and far focal point. When you have a multifocal IOL, your brain looks through the part of the lens that best helps you see at the appropriate distance you need.
Multifocal lenses can help you see very clearly up close while letting you continue to see well at a distance.
TECNIS Symfony:
The Tecnis Symfony IOL lets you see at multiple distances, like a multifocal lens. But instead of alternating rings, it offers an extended range of vision, meaning you can see well at a broader range of distances.
This IOL also has a lower risk of causing post-surgical visual aberrations than other premium lenses.
TECNIS Synergy:
The Tecnis Synergy IOL provides a range of vision from distance to intermediate to near for sharper vision day and night. With TECNIS Synergy IOLs, you have the opportunity to see the widest range of continuous vision with best near day and night, while addressing your cataract (with or without astigmatism).1
PanOptix Trifocal:
The PanOptix trifocal IOL is the only one of its kind. Like a multifocal lens, it’s composed of alternating sections.
But instead of switching between two focal points, it switches between three. The premium lens helps you see best at three distances: up close, far away, and at a middle distance.
This lens is excellent for electronics users as it allows you to view screens clearly at a safe intermediate distance.
Light Adjustable Lens:
The Light Adjustable Lens is the only IOL that allows you to customize your vision after cataract surgery. Like other IOLs, it’s inserted into your eye during cataract surgery.
But the difference is that after healing and wearing UV protecting glasses, you’ll receive UV light treatments. These treatments change the shape of the IOL and help you achieve your ideal vision.
Most patients undergo three to five light treatments before achieving their ideal visual outcome. The Light Adjustable Lens is then locked into place, leaving you to enjoy your vision for years to come.
Toric IOL:
Toric IOLs are for patients with astigmatism. These are the only IOLs designed to correct astigmatism during cataract surgery. Toric IOLs can also correct other refractive errors like nearsightedness and farsightedness.
For patients with astigmatism, a toric lens can be the perfect chance to rectify astigmatism and reduce dependence on contact lenses or glasses.
Are you wondering which IOL may be best for you? Find out by scheduling a cataract consultation at Williamson Eye Center! We have convenient and accessible locations in Baton Rouge, Denham Springs, Gonzales, and Zachary, LA, so why wait to get a handle on your cataracts?
Sources:
1Johnson & Johnson Vision Patient Education Brochure for Synergy IOL.
