Cataracts
If you are over fifty and have noticed changes in your vision, you may have cataracts. Cataracts are a progressive eye condition that can seriously impair your vision over time.
Fortunately, cataract surgery is a safe and effective procedure that can restore your vision. At North Valley Eye Care, our cataract surgeons embrace a “no compromise” philosophy when it comes to technology. Our skilled surgeons and team have the expertise necessary and state-of-the-art equipment to ensure the best possible outcome to help you regain clear, vibrant vision.
What is a Cataract?
The eye’s natural lens helps focus incoming light onto the retina, a group of cells on the back wall of the eye responsible for turning light into images. Normally, the eye’s natural lens is clear, ensuring the light travels through and bends, or refracts, properly.
Over time, the natural lens becomes clouded, a condition called cataracts. Although cataracts can occur earlier in life due to trauma or genetics, most develop as a result of certain proteins interacting with the lens over time. These cataracts are a consequence of aging. In fact, by age sixty-five, most people already have some cataract development.
Cataracts are an insidious eye disease characterized by a gradual, subtle progression that can lead to harmful and injurious effects. However, the good news is that there is a cure.
What Are the Symptoms of Cataracts?
These age-related cataracts develop slowly, and many people do not notice any visual changes in their early stages. Eventually, though, people can start experiencing vision problems as the cataracts worsen, like:
These symptoms will not go away. In fact, they will only get worse with time. If cataracts are left untreated, they will eventually cause significant vision loss, interfering with your ability to perform your everyday activities.
How Do You Know When It is Time to Have Cataract Surgery?
Cataracts are treated by surgically removing the clouded natural lens and replacing it with a clear, artificial intraocular lens (IOL), implanted by the surgeon. This cataract surgery can be performed manually with specialized scalpels or with computer-guided lasers.
Often the question is not should you have cataract surgery, but when. People who get regular eye exams every year often know they are developing cataracts even before noticing symptoms. We believe most cataract surgery is safely performed in your 60s to mid 70s, resulting in less complications, easier recovery, and faster healing times. Your eye doctor will tell you when cataract surgery is necessary.
What Are the Benefits of Having Cataract Surgery?
* Sourced by JAMA Internal Medicine and PubMed
What to Expect During Cataract Surgery
The procedure is usually performed in an outpatient setting with one eye treated first and the other eye a week or so later. On the day of surgery, you will be positioned comfortably, and the surgical staff will dilate your eyes.
They will then instill numbing eye drops to ensure your eyes are comfortable and secure from movement. The cataract surgeon’s first step in the procedure is to remove the clouded natural lens.
Depending on the size and thickness of the cataract, your cataract surgeon may need to break it apart to remove it. After removing the old lens, the cataract surgeon will then position the new artificial IOL in the place of the old one.
Once the new lens is in place, the procedure will be complete. The small incision in the front surface of your eye will heal naturally during your recovery.
Many people notice an immediate difference in the clarity of their vision and the vividness of colors. Still, it may take some time for you to adjust to the new lens, usually within a month.
IOLs Offered at North Valley Eye Care
The key to clearer vision through cataract surgery is the IOL, the implanted artificial lens. There is no one IOL.
Today’s cataract patients have several lens options to match their individual lifestyle and eye health. Besides the standard monofocal lens, North Valley Eye Care also offers other IOLs that fully meet your individual desires and expectations.
Vivity® IOL
The Vivity® IOL is a multifocal lens that provides clear vision at various distance ranges. These lenses have multiple points of focus that can provide clear vision at near, intermediate, and far distances, as opposed to a monofocal’s single point of focus.
The Vivity® lens takes it a step further with their X-WAVE technology, which gives the lens a greater range of distance while preserving visual clarity up-close. Patients with the Vivity® IOL may also notice a smoother focusing transition from one distance range to another.
PanOptix Trifocal IOL
Many multifocal lenses only have two points of focus. The PanOptix Trifocal IOL has three, providing better vision at near, intermediate, and far distances.
It is the ideal lens for patients who currently wear bifocal or trifocal prescription lenses. Unlike other IOLs, which may still require glasses for near or intermediate viewing, this lens can significantly reduce dependence on visual aids.
What Are the Benefits of Choosing Laser Cataract Surgery?
Traditional blade surgery is still an effective and widely practiced method for removing clouded lenses. Over the last couple of decades, however, cataract surgery with lasers has become an increasingly popular option.
Laser-assisted cataract surgery is typically more expensive than the traditional blade procedure. However, it does have a number of benefits that can make that added cost worthwhile.
Of the many cataract laser systems available, the surgeons at North Valley Eye Care use the LenSx® Laser System developed by Alcon. Coupled with Alcon’s ARGOS®
Biometer guidance system, which provides real-time eye measurements, the LenSx® Laser can perform all of the critical steps involved in cataract surgery, from creating precise incisions for cataract removal to preparing the space for IOL implantation.
The accuracy and precision of the LenSx® Laser System offered by North Valley Eye Care increases the likelihood of a successful and satisfactory outcome for their cataract patients. Our skilled surgeons and team have successfully completed more than 50,000 ophthalmic procedures. Our surgery center has the highest level of accreditation from The Joint Commission.
Are you experiencing symptoms of cataracts? Schedule a cataract evaluation at North Valley Eye Care in Chico, CA, today!
