Customize Your Cataract Surgery

A cataract is a clouding of the natural lens inside the eye. If there is a cloud outside and we can’t see well, we call it fog. If there is a cloud in your lens and you can’t see well, we call it a cataract. There are three main types of cataracts: nuclear, cortical, and posterior subcapsular

There is a clear lens inside each person’s eye that slowly changes from clear to cloudy throughout their life. The lens inside the eye is the clearest it will ever be before you are 10 years old. For each year after that, it gets more dense, less clear, and lets less quality light in than it did the previous year. When you are no longer able to see well enough to complete daily activities, that lens which has been changing for decades, graduates to being called a cataract. Other eye conditions that increase in likelihood with age include diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration.

The answer to that is simple. You should have your cataract removed when you are no longer able to do things that you want because of your vision. This time comes for different people in different ways. Some can’t stand having poor night vision and want cataract surgery as soon as possible to fix it, others will be fine with much blurrier vision and wait longer. Neither case will be more difficult to remove. When your vision is no longer clear enough, contact us to schedule a consultation.

While medical research scientists are working on medicines that may help slow the changing of the lens, there is currently no medical way to prevent cataracts. There is no way to fix them without surgery.

It comes down to how much you care about wearing glasses after surgery. There is no difference in safety between the two. If you don’t mind wearing readers or bifocals after cataract surgery, there is no reason to get refractive cataract surgery. If you want to be able to read a newspaper, search the web on your computer, or see which bottle is shampoo in the shower without glasses, then refractive cataract surgery is a better choice for you.

No. You may have an option of IV sedation at the surgery center. The eye drop that numbs your eye may “sting” a bit, and at times you may feel a sense of pressure.

The answer to this question used to be, “There is no way to avoid glasses after cataract surgery.” Many people needed glasses for distance vision, and virtually everyone required glasses for computer and reading vision. Special lenses called Premium IOLs have now become available that can correct astigmatism, allow people to see well in the distance without glasses, and even correct near vision without the need for reading glasses. These special diagnostics and IOLs are not covered by insurance but can be easily substituted in place of a basic IOL.

Every cataract surgery involves creating a small incision and placing an IOL where the old, cloudy lens once sat. The new clear artificial lens is made out of acrylic the vast majority of the time. This inert material has been used in eyes for over half a century and hasn’t caused allergic reactions inside the eye in tens of millions of cases.

Your vision will slowly get worse over time. While it is very rare for cataracts to become a danger to your health, they will always make your vision worse. If left long enough, hyper-mature cataracts (a very severe form) can reduce vision down to the point at which a person is only able to tell if there is a light shining in their eye or not. If your vision worsens from cataracts and you want to remove them, contact us to schedule a consultation.

Yes. Since it is one of the most common surgical procedures in the world, the safety and efficacy of modern cataract surgery has had a lot of time to be perfected to its current level. While any surgery has inherent risks and possible complications, they are thankfully either quite minor or quite rare. We can go over specific possible complications, such as retinal detachment, with each patient to clarify any questions. Contact us to talk about your specific situation today.

Yes. If someone has cataracts that are decreasing their quality of life, then insurance will pay for cataract surgery. Insurance will pay to get the cloudy lens out of the eye and replace it with a clear lens (called an intra-ocular lens, or IOL). After that, a patient will still need glasses to correct the refractive error — that is, for reading and computer vision, and possibly distance vision — but the view will be “clear” again. Many patients now have the option to choose lenses that will allow freedom from glasses not possible with basic IOLs, but currently, insurance will only pay for the most basic IOL. Find out more about insurance on our insurance page or your provider’s website.

Yes. Astigmatism can be corrected with a special procedure performed during the cataract surgery, where a tiny incision is made and a special IOL is placed in the eye after the cataract is removed. This lens is called a Toric Lens.

Another option is to receive LASIK after the procedure. Interested in learning more about LASIK? Check out our LASIK page here.

People are usually back to their regular activities the next day after cataract surgery. We ask that people hold off on lifting things heavier than a gallon of milk and avoid swimming for a week. Cataract surgery has a pretty effortless recovery compared to most other surgery types.

No. When they are gone, they’re gone. About 50% of patients will benefit from a one-time, 60-second, painless laser surgery at some point after the initial procedure if the capsule holding the new IOL gets cloudy. Outside of that, the vision will generally stay stable or even improve over the long term as long as the rest of the eye stays healthy