CATaracts

Your eye has a lens that focuses light to create a clear image, similar to how a camera lens works. A cataract forms when there is clouding of this lens, like a permanent smudge on a camera lens. Therefore, a person with cataracts will usually have symptoms such as reduced visual acuity and difficulty with nighttime vision. Most cataracts are related to aging and are more common in older people. A cataract can occur in either or both eyes, but it does not spread from one eye to the other.

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The symptoms of early cataract may be improved with new glasses, brighter lighting, or anti-glare eyewear. If these measures do not help, surgery is the only effective treatment. Surgery involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial lens also known as an intraocular lens (IOL).

 

Your optometrist will diagnose and manage your cataracts until you are ready for surgery. Once ready, they will coordinate and co-manage with your cataract surgeon to give you the best experience possible.

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For more information about cataracts click here.