Options for Cataract Surgery

There is good news these days for people diagnosed with cataracts. Implantable lenses called intraocular lenses (IOLs) are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and have reduced any requirement for glasses for as many as 90% of cataract sufferers.

Understanding Cataracts

Cataracts affect more than half of all Americans over age 65. A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens, which is located behind the colored part of the eye called the iris. A healthy lens allows incoming light to pass through it. It also bends that light to focus it on the retina. When it becomes cloudy, light cannot pass through to the retina and reduced vision is the result.

It is thought that the most common causes of cataracts are aging, medications, trauma, diabetes, genetics, and ultraviolet light. Cataracts are progressive and once started they expand in size and increase in number. When the cloudiness of the lens impairs vision and makes daily tasks difficult, cataract surgery may be required. With no treatment, blindness will result.

Intraocular Lenses IOLs) and Cataracts

During cataract surgery, the damaged natural lens is removed and replaced with an IOL, restoring the eye’s ability to focus.

Before the development of the present IOLs, a fixed-focus (monofocal) lens was the only option. Fixed-focus lenses were designed to accommodate distant objects, so patients still required reading glasses or bifocals to see near objects or do close work like reading or sewing.

The latest IOLs enable clear vision at a variety of distances from near to far and in-between, so cataracts patients can look forward to freedom from bifocals or reading glasses. Almost 20% of all cataract patients today select multifocal lenses, and the number is growing as IOL technology continues to develop.

Possible Complications

Halos, nighttime glare, blurring and night vision difficulties have been reported. Rare but more serious are reports of retinal detachment, infection, an increase in intraocular pressure, and bleeding. Successful treatments for these complications are available, however, and the risk of complications is very low.

The Cataract Procedure

Not all eye surgeons are trained in the highly specialized techniques necessary for proper IOL implantation. The technique requires no sutures, offers fast visual recovery, and reduces the chance of developing astigmatism, one of the side effects of cataract surgery that causes blurry vision. People who undergo this technique for cataract removal experience minimal downtime and can generally return to work and regular activities the day after surgery.

If you are in the San Francisco area, you can learn more from board-certified ophthalmologist Dr. Robert Filer, who has the most up-to-date training for cataract surgery.