What is a Cataract?
A cataract is a clouding of the natural lens. When we are younger, our natural lens is clear. As we age, it is normal to have an aging change of the natural lens. Just like a Plexiglas becomes yellow and cloudy over time, so does our human lens. Sometimes cataracts happen younger, sometimes older. Sometimes cataracts form quickly and are easy to notice. Most often however, they happen slowly without the person being aware of how much vision they have lost. This is why people as so often surprised at how well they see after surgery.
Many times people have diminished vision in one eye from a cataract without being aware of it. If a patient covers their ‘good’ eye and they may be surprised that he or she has been relying on only one. This is not good for activities that require depth perception and can cause problems like falls.
Cataracts can be hereditary or be influenced by conditions like obesity, diabetes, steroid use, eye injuries and prolonged sun exposure. A cataract gradually degrades your ability to drive at night, have proper color vision, read small print, and achieve excellent vision with glasses and/or contacts. We no longer use the term ripe to determine when to have cataract surgery. When the benefits of surgery outweigh the risks, surgery can be considered. It is an elective procedure.
In cataract surgery we exchange your cloudy natural lens for a clear, made to order lens (also called an implant or IOL: Intraocular Lens). The implant lasts forever and requires no maintenance. Your implant is not visible, and it reduces your dependence on glasses and contact lenses. As a recognized lifestyle lens specialist, Dr. Hedaya is a respected expert on reducing peoples dependence on glasses after surgery for both distance and near vision. Our oldest patient to date who has accomplished independence of her glasses was 96. It was the first time in her life she saw without glasses and was a lifelong dream of hers!
To view the visual effects of progressing from normal vision to presbyopia and/or to cataracts and how you would see after receiving multifocal or presbyopia correcting IOLs, please move the slider to the right.
Please call InVision EyeCare today at (732) 905-5600 to schedule a consultation.
Learn more about cataracts by exploring the pages below.