CATARACT OVERVIEW

Just like a camera, an eye needs to take in light in a consistent way in order to render an image correctly. As people age, they may start to develop small distortions within their natural lense that can make it difficult to see. Depending on the person, these difficulties can range from being moderate to very severe and debilitating.

When vision becomes so obstructed and cloudy, the condition is called a cataract. During early stages, prescription eye glasses can help. However as time goes on this may become impossible as the condition continues to worsen with age.

The most common cause of cataracts is aging, as eyes are not perfectly formidable against natural damage that can occur as time goes on. Cataracts can also be caused by trauma, steroid-based medications, various diseases, and even long-term exposure to harmful UV light. In some cases, young children can have cataracts. Usually these are caused by birth defects that emerged immediately at the start of their life as a baby.

Farsighted individuals can realize an easier time seeing up-close as the eye hardens due to cataracts. However, myopic (or nearsighted) individuals may find their vision getting even worse due to cataracts. For this reason, the effects of the problems can vary greatly between different people.

One of the easiest ways to delay the onset of cataracts is to minimize exposure to ultraviolet light. Just simple sunglasses or a hat can be an effective way to cut down on exposure to these harmful rays. Individuals who enjoy tanning should try to avoid looking directly at the sun or artificial source of UV light. However, there is no natural way to remove a cataract once it has formed. The only long term solution is to have the cataract surgically removed by a surgeon.

At Arena Eye Surgeons, our doctors have extensive experience in various techniques of cataract extractions. We welcome you to contact us today to discuss your vision goals.

Symptoms of cataracts:

• Decreasing vision with age
• Blurred or double vision
• Seeing halos around bright lights
• Difficulty seeing at night
• Vision that worsens in sunlight
• Difficulty distinguishing colors
• Poor depth perception
• Frequent prescription changes for glasses
• Difficulty reading

Causes of cataracts:

• Age
• Eye trauma
• Heredity
• Diabetes
• Some medications including long-term use of oral steroids
• Ultraviolet radiation
• Smoking
• Glaucoma
• Certain metabolic conditions

Diagnosing cataracts:

Your surgeon at Arena Eye will perform specific testing to determine how much your vision has been affected by a cataract, and recommend appropriate treatment.

Treating cataracts:

Currently there is no medical treatment to reverse or prevent the development of cataracts. Once they form, the only one way to achieve clear vision again is through cataract surgery. Fortunately cataract surgery is a quick outpatient surgery, taking between 10- 20 minutes.

Contact Arena Eye Surgeons in Columbus, and Delaware, Ohio today!