Key Takeaways
A cataract is the clouding of the eye’s lens, which helps light focus onto the retina. When we age, the lens becomes thicker and less flexible and the tissues begin to break down and become clouded. This clouding causes the light to become scattered as it passes through, resulting in blurred vision. You can typically see a grey or blue tint to a person’s eye around the pupil when they have a cataract. San Antonio Cataract surgery specialist Dr. Iskander will consult with you to determine if you have cataracts that need to be removed.
Cataracts are normally associated with the normal aging process. In fact, more than half of all Americans will develop a cataract by the time they reach the age of 80. But there are also certain behaviors and factors that may increase your risk for developing cataracts, including smoking, high blood sugar, and sun exposure without eye protection.
As far as cataract symptoms go, it depends on the degree of severity along with the rate of progression. Cataracts typically start out small and may not have much effect on your vision. But the initial and most obvious symptom is blurred or cloudy vision. Examples of this could be that certain objects may appear blurred or you may notice certain spots or areas of your vision are fuzzy. What starts out as a minor visual issue will eventually develop into full-blown cataracts and can negatively affect your everyday activities, making the world around you seem cloudy or dim.
As cataracts progress and become more advanced, they start to darken in color. When this begins to happen, vision at night is affected and driving and other nighttime activities can become extremely difficult. In addition to poor night vision, sensitivity to light is also a common cataract symptom. The clouded lens can diffract the light that enters the eye, causing a glare and halo to appear around sources of light such as lamps and streetlights. This symptom is not particularly noticeable during the daylight hours. But is significant at night when lights appear even brighter against the dark sky.
If your lifestyle is significantly affected by your cataracts and you find it difficult to complete daily tasks such as reading, writing, or driving, you may want to consider learning more about cataract removal surgery. While cataract surgery is not required for early stages, it can help avoid any further vision loss.
Fortunately, cataract surgery is a safe and quick outpatient procedure that could transform your life. Cataract surgery involves surgically removing the clouded lens and replacing it with a synthetic lens, which is a clear intraocular lens (IOL). Statistically, cataract surgery is one of the safest and most frequently performed surgical procedures in modern medicine. Of the 1.5 million cataract surgeries performed each year, 98% are complication-free and 95% result in improved vision. This is largely because of advances in laser cataract surgery technology and techniques.
If you believe you may have the beginning signs of cataracts, please call San Antonio Eye Specialists to schedule your San Antonio cataract surgery consultation with Dr. Iskander and determine if laser cataract surgery is right for you.
I look forward to meeting you at your consultation.
