Did you know that there are about 25 million Americans suffering from cataracts? By age 60, over half of all people in the United States will develop an eye cataract. The good news is that while they’re not preventable, cataracts can be treated. Because cataracts are so common, cataract surgery is also among the most common surgeries in the country. Fortunately, it’s also a safe procedure.

To understand cataract removal, you need to understand what causes cataracts. Cataracts happen when proteins on the lens of the eye clump together, causing the lens to be less flexible. Cataract symptoms include blurry or cloudy vision, decreased night vision, double vision, increased glare and light sensitivity, seeing halos around lights, and the sense that colors are fading or yellowing. Cataracts tend to develop as people age, but genetic factors, illnesses that affect nutritional balance, smoking, excessive sun exposure, and trauma to the eye can all increase your risk of developing a cataract.

If you have cataracts, treatment should be performed before they become tough and more complicated to move. Leaving cataracts untreated can lead to blindness, so it’s important to find them early and have surgery before it’s too late. To treat a cataract, eye surgery is the only option.

Cataract surgery only needs to be performed once, and the cataracts will not grow back. That’s because the procedure involves replacing the natural lens with an artificial one. Because the artificial lens cannot break down or develop clumps, you can’t get cataracts again.

It only takes about 15 minutes for an eye doctor to perform cataract surgery, and it’s done as an outpatient procedure. Most cataract surgeries have excellent outcomes, with patients experiencing an immediate improvement in vision. The doctor makes a small incision along the side of the cornea. Then, using laser technology, the doctor breaks the cloudy lens into pieces and removes it from the eye. A customized, prescription intraocular lens (IOL) is inserted through the same incision through which the natural lens was removed. The incision is self-healing, so cataract surgery recovery is minimal. In fact, most patients resume their normal activities within a couple of days. There’s really no reason to postpone this simple, safe procedure, especially since putting it off can increase your risk of blindness.

If you need to have a cataract removed, call Snead Eye Group for an appointment. As one of the only practices in Southwest Florida to offer LenSx Femtosecond Cataract Laser surgery, we provide our patients with an optimized refractive surgery experience. We offer several different IOL options, and your doctor will work with you to determine which is right for you and your lifestyle. It’s all part of our commitment to providing the best possible eye care to improve not only our patients’ vision but also their quality of life. Contact us through our website for more information and to find the location nearest you.