Cataracts are usually painless and occur in older adults.
You’re noticing changes in your vision lately that are affecting your everyday life.
The cause? It may be cataracts.
A normal lens of an eye is clear but as a cataract develops, the lens becomes cloudy, resulting in blurred vision and glare.
Cataracts are usually painless and occur in older adults, although infants may be born with them.
Cataracts and daily activities
And, cataracts can affect your daily activities, said Dr. Susan Ksiazek, a Marshfield Clinic Health System ophthalmologist. “For example, people with a cataract have problems driving at night because of glare from oncoming headlights. They also have difficulty watching TV or reading a magazine.”
“Now, people have higher demand for clear vision,” Ksiazek said. “I have a patient who enjoys his vision after cataract surgery. He is a golfer. His vision wasn’t too bad prior to surgery, but he was not able to see the ball’s landing spot because it was so far away. He also wasn’t able to see the green grass clearly. Now his vision is sharp and clear, so he can see every detail from far away and the vivid colors are back.”
A painless procedure
Cataract surgery involves removing the clouded lens and replacing it with an artificial lens in the eye. It’s an outpatient procedure in which adults are usually awake. Numbing eye drops or gel help prevent pain and a sedative medication is given to help the patient relax.
The surgery is performed using sound waves to break up the cataract into small pieces. They are then suctioned out through a very small suture-less incision. After the cataract is removed, a new clear lens is placed into the eye.
If both eyes have cataracts, a second surgery is performed after at least two weeks.
Glasses: Yes or no
After cataract surgery, you may not need glasses for distance vision but you will need reading glasses.
Talk to your ophthalmologist about putting in a premium lens such as a toric lens or multifocal lens to minimize the need for glasses. If you are near-sighted, you and your ophthalmologist can discuss mini-monovision, an alternative to reading glasses that corrects one eye for distance and leaves the other eye slightly nearsighted.
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I had cataract surgery on my left eye several years ago and my vision was good, however within the past 2 years I now find I have to wear glasses for long distance as my vision as decreased. I am wondering if a lense can ever be replaced when something like this happens.
Marlene, Dr. Guo said lens are exchangeable but he doesn't recommend doing it unless it is really necessary.
We cannot provide individualized medical advice specific to your cataract surgery on this forum and encourage you to discuss options with your eye doctor. If you wish to see a new doctor, contact our ophthalmology team: https://www.marshfieldclinic.org/Specialties/optometry -Kirstie
I had cataract surgery and now I have several large "floaters" in both eyes. I have a hard time driving at night due to globes from headlights and any other light. My vision is not as good as it was prior to surgery. My doctor said there is nothing that can be done and that I will learn to live with it. I. recommend that anyone who thinks they need cataract surgery wait as long as possible until it's absolutely necessary. I wished I had waited.
Once a lens has been implanted, is it possible to get it changed. My husband had both lens replaced. He sees globes around headlights and street lights at night and can't read without reading glasses but his long distance vision is great. Shortly after he had his 2nd lens replaced we found out they now have bifocal implants. What do you think of the success with these. He gets really disgusted, especially when fishing that he has to take off his sun glasses and put on reading glasses to tie on a bait. or to do any other close work.
Thanks for the question, Vicky. Dr. Guo's response: "After a standard cataract surgery, patient may not need glasses for distance, but he/she will need reading glasses. Option for multifocal premium lens is available but not all patients are eligible for it. You have to discuss with your ophthalmologist about it. Insurance will not pay for the premium lens, insurance will only cover the standard part of the procedure when decision is made to proceed with a premium multifocal lens implant. Lens is exchangeable but I don’t recommend doing it unless it is really necessary." We recommend your husband discuss his options with his eye doctor. If he is in need of a doctor, he can also reach out to Marshfield Clinic's ophthalmology team: https://www.marshfieldclinic.org/Specialties/optometry -Kirstie
Do you have to use an I've for this? They are so hard for me.
Hi, Ellen. Great question. I wasn't sure on this answer, so I reached out to Dr. Guo. His response was: "Actually everyone with surgery needs an iv in case something happens then we will have a parental route to give rescue medications, including cataract surgery. This is extremely important. No iv, no surgery." -Kirstie
I am very interested in this. I know my eye doctor mentioned that I had them I would love to get it taken care of. My vision is blurry and I have a hard time focusing TV. Reading as well.
Hi, Debbie. Thanks for your feedback. We encourage you to discuss options with your eye doctor, or reach out to our ophthalmology team: https://www.marshfieldclinic.org/Specialties/optometry. You can make an appointment online, here: https://www.marshfieldclinic.org/appointments I hope this helps. -Kirstie
What can you do when cataract surgery gors bad. While getting the old. cataract out, the eye started to hemorrhage, and the sack tore. Now its like looking through cheese cloth. Worse than before. Dr. says there is nothing the can do about it.
Hi, Mary. I reached out to Dr. Guo on this question. His response was: "Cataract surgery is a pretty safe surgery. However, any of the surgeries, including cataract surgery, will have a potential risk of having complications. For cataract surgery, the risk is very small. Three million Americans benefit from cataract surgery each year. Even when complication happens, we have ways to fix it. Rarely it could be difficult to manage secondary to patient’s other severe eye problems not really related to cataract surgery."
Sorry to hear about your experience. Unfortunately, we cannot provide individualized medical advice on this forum. We encourage you to reiterate your concerns with your eye doctor, and if you wish to see a new doctor, we might suggest our ophthalmology team: https://www.marshfieldclinic.org/Specialties/optometry. We hope this helps. -Kirstie