If you have been diagnosed with cataracts, you could be forgiven for thinking that your eyesight is only going to deteriorate. In the past, many people felt that the development of cataracts meant permanent vision loss. However today, cataracts can be dealt with fairly easily and with great success thanks to modern cataract surgery.

We are pleased to be able to offer various cataract treatments and will provide a recommendation as to the treatment that we feel would best suit your circumstances at your no-obligation consultation with our experienced, knowledgeable and skilled optical health team.

What causes cataracts to develop?

The natural lens of our eye is normally clear just like glass. Cataracts occur when the natural lens of the eye begins to cloud over, and for the patient, this can make their eyesight seem as though they are looking through frosted glass. In the majority of cases, cataracts are caused by age-related deterioration in our eyes. As such, cataracts are a leading cause of vision loss amongst patients who are 55 and older.

If you experience any of the following, you may be suffering from cataracts:

• Blurred or misty eyesight

• You find it hard to see in low light

• You find it hard to tolerate bright light

• You generally find lights too bright and glaring

• Colors that you see seem faded or muted

Since cataracts aren’t painful in any way, many patients over the symptoms of the condition until their vision is so severely impaired that they have no choice but to seek professional advice and support.

What does cataract surgery involve?

Cataract surgery is widely performed and is straightforward and very safe surgery. The entire process usually takes under 45 minutes and can be performed using only a local anesthetic, although you may be able to have sedation if necessary. The key benefit of this is that there is no need to have a general anesthetic and the associated pre-anesthesia checks and after-effects.

Before your cataract surgery can begin, you will first need to have eye drops placed into your eye. These eye drops cause the pupil to dilate – something which is crucial to be able to remove cataracts effectively.

Most cataracts surgeries use a technique called phacoemulsification. In this technique, a tiny probe is inserted into the cornea through a very small incision. This probe sends out ultrasound waves that have the effect of breaking the clouding of cataracts apart. Once this has happened, gentle suction can be used to remove all of the parts of cataracts from your eyes. After this, it is necessary to remove any remaining pieces of the outer lens of your eyes so that the entire thing can be replaced with a man-made alternative known as an IOL or intraocular lens. This IOL is inserted through the incision previously made in your cornea and the cornea is then left to heal.

Laser-assisted cataract surgery

Laser-assisted cataract surgery, or LACS for short, it a newer version of conventional cataract surgery and involves using a laser for the elements of the procedure usually undertaken by hand. This includes making the incisions into the cornea and fragmenting the cloudy cataract so that it can be removed from the eye. Laser cataract surgery is generally considered to be extremely safe and can minimize some of the risks associated with a conventional cataract procedure that is performed by hand.

If you have been diagnosed with cataracts and would like more information about the condition and the way in which it can be treated, please don’t hesitate to make contact with us at our eye care offices in Rockport, ME today by calling 207-887-0022.