Cataracts cause blurry vision, affecting a patient’s ability to read or see things from a distance. This blurry vision usually results from the natural aging of the lens and can worsen with age. Cataract surgery is a practical solution for improving eyesight. Here are some signs that you need cataract surgery:
What is Cataract Surgery?
Proteins in the eyes clump together over the lens, distorting the rays of light passing through your lens and resulting in cloudy vision. Surgeons have to make sure you qualify for the procedure before starting treatment.
Ophthalmologists use laser technology to peel off the cloudy lens and replace it with an intraocular one for better vision. Surgeons screen patients for illnesses that might impede wound healing even though the procedure is typically straightforward and quick. Patients with conditions that impair their ability to heal, such as diabetes, glaucoma, and advanced retinopathy, may not be candidates for operation. Eye doctors may advise patients to postpone surgery until cataracts have fully developed for the best outcomes. So, it is still best to consult the best laser eye surgeon if you are qualified or not.
Small cataracts may only have a minor impact on your vision, allowing you to see clearly. Eye doctors recommend surgery for patients whose cataracts affect their daily lives.
Extreme Sensitivity to Light
Cortical cataracts form unevenly around the perimeter of your lens, scattering incoming light. Scattering light bounces inside the eye instead of being focused on the retina, causing a painful glare. Light sensitivity can affect your quality of life, so your eye doctor can recommend immediate surgery. Removing the cataract allows light to hit your lens evenly and improves retinal focus for better vision.
Strained Vision
Cataracts forming on your eye’s lens start small and are often unnoticeable since the brain can compensate for lost vision. Cataracts grow in size over time, and their effects worsen. Proteins forming the cataract make your lens cloudy and opaque, preventing light from entering your eye. This can cause blurry or strained vision, affecting your quality of life.
The effects of your cataract can be more evident at night since the light is scarcer. Difficulty seeing in low light conditions affects your ability to read or drive at night. Eye doctors can opt for surgery to remove the cataract over your lens. Cataract surgery will improve your vision, allowing you to drive at night or read in low-light conditions.
Visual Abnormalities
Aside from causing blurry vision, cataracts can distort your lens’s line of sight, causing visual abnormalities. Common visual abnormalities include:
1. Halos
Halos occur when a ring of light appears around lights. This results from light rays bending when entering the eye due to clouded lenses. Halos are common with traffic lights at stops and headlights of oncoming traffic, which can be distracting during night driving.
2. Double Vision
Bending light can cause shadows behind images or replicate them, causing double vision. Double vision is disorienting and affects your ability to conduct activities.
3. Second Sight
Cataracts often occur as a single layer of proteins on the lens, but some patients experience many layers. This causes the lens to swell in the early stages of cataract development, causing light refraction onto the retina. Swollen lenses can sometimes improve your vision, but the effect is short-lived. The second sight goes away after some time since the cataract darkens and stops light from entering.
Cataract Changes Color
Cataracts start as white opacities around the lens but turn yellowish as they mature. Besides the yellow color being ugly, it blocks off more light causing vision loss. Eye doctors can recommend surgery for mature cataracts to restore your eye’s appeal.
The yellow color on cataracts can pass the hue onto the light that enters your eye. This alters your vision by giving it a distinct tint and reducing contrast. Patients have trouble seeing colors since they see them as faded. Surgery helps deal with the cataract to restore a clear lens, allowing you to see color better.
Regular Prescription Changes
Once an eye doctor diagnoses cataracts, they can recommend prescriptions to help manage the effects. The prescription may work for some time, but the effectiveness can drop, warranting a prescription change. Frequent prescription changes signal rapid cataract growth, so eye doctors can opt for surgery to improve vision.
Get Cataract Surgery
Cataracts cause blurry vision, affecting your quality of life. Eye doctors can recommend cataract surgery to remove the cloudy layer and improve vision. The procedure is ideal for healthy patients with no medical conditions that can affect their healing process.