A Vision Towards the New Year

By Samuel F. Boles, MD

Anne Arundel Eye Center

. http://www.annearundeleyecenter.com/

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A Vision Towards the New Year

What Is a Cataract?
A cataract is clouding of the natural lens of the eye, usually caused by age. I like to compare it to the clear plastic window on a convertible car. After years of exposure to sun and weather, the plastic becomes yellow and cloudy. With surgery, we remove the old window (the lens) and replace it with a new, clear synthetic one.
What Are the Symptoms?
blurry sight, and occasionally, double vision
“halos” the eyes become dazzled by bright light, making night driving difficult
colors may become faded
frequent changes in glasses prescriptions
Should You Consider Surgery?
The first thing I would ask, “is surgery absolutely necessary?” Usually, cataract surgery is elective. The patient can and should wait until symptoms are bothersome, because cataracts do not harm the overall health of the eye. The good news is that cataract surgery has the highest success rate of any surgery practiced today, with a less-than- 2% rate of post-op complications and very high rate of patient satisfaction.
How Long Does It Take?
The procedure itself takes about 10 minutes. This may vary with the surgeon. My patients usually are at the surgical center for about 1 hours, including pre and post op preparations. It is to the patients advantage to have the eye exposed for the shortest amount of time, with the surgeon making minimal small movements. Both precision and speed are required for best results and fastest healing.
How About Driving?
Most people will have the operation, go home on the same day, and resume normal activities almost immediately and most of my patients are back to driving in a just a few days.
Some Final Thoughts
Something that may seem obvious, but that many people forget prevention is so important. Have your eyes checked regularly! A simple eye exam does not commit you to having surgery if cataracts are diagnosed. Many eye conditions that can become problematic are easily diagnosable and treatable with regular eye exams.