Has your vision been cloudy and blurry? This could be an early sign of cataracts. Cataracts start out very small and grow to be a problem over time. Individuals with small cataracts cope with the situation by wearing glasses and turning up the light. Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness for people over forty.
What is a Cataract?
Cataracts form on the eye’s lens which is right behind the iris. The lens uses light to make images that people see. The lens thickens and gets cloudy the older one gets. Cataracts generally occur in both eyes if you have them. The eye doctor may perform Cataract Surgery in Cincinnati OH. Usually, doctors operate on one eye at a time. When one eye heals, they’ll perform surgery on the other.
Different Types of Cataracts
There are several kinds of cataracts. For instance, some people are born with congenital cataracts. Congenital cataracts may be genetic or caused by intrauterine trauma. Cortical cataracts affect the edge of the lens. Symptoms of cortical cataracts include seeing whitish streaks. Posterior subcapsular cataracts form at the back of the lens. For some reason, these cataracts grow faster than others. Nuclear cataracts grow in the center of the lens. Interestingly, nuclear cataracts may cause initial improvement in a person’s reading vision.
Cataract Surgery
Most eye doctors won’t consider Cataract Surgery in Cincinnati OH until they affect the patient’s quality of life. Diabetic patients are followed more closely than others. That’s because cataracts tend to grow faster in people with the condition. Surgery is performed on an out-patient basis and patients only need a local anesthetic.
During the procedure, the doctor removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with a clear permanent lens. Patients with certain medical conditions cannot use the clear lens. In those instances, vision is corrected with glasses or contacts after surgery. Are there any risks to cataract surgery? It’s very rare but patients can have some bleeding or develop an infection. Patients will be uncomfortable for a few days and it takes several weeks to heal. You may be required to use eye drops and wear an eye shield at night. For more information, contact Harper’s Point Eye Associates.
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