Cataracts can cloud your vision, getting in the way of driving, talking with friends, and other everyday activities. Thankfully, an optometrist can restore your vision through cataract treatment. Whether you are looking to remove cataracts through surgery or simply want to minimize symptoms and slow their progression, look to an optometrist for assistance.
According to the Mayo Clinic, cataracts are clouded areas that affect the lens of the eye and occur due to changes in the eye tissue. This results in a hazy, clouded vision that, as many describe it, feels like trying to see through a fogged window. Cataracts will not form overnight. They develop slowly with age, from injury to the eye or due to preexisting conditions such as another eye-related disease or diabetes. Smoking tobacco, excessive alcohol consumption, eating an unbalanced diet, and sun exposure make cataracts more likely.
An optometrist can diagnose cataracts during a routine eye examination and checkup. The first step will be to determine whether any vision changes have occurred and, if so, to what degree. They will also look at the health of the retina and the eye as a whole. From here, they will recommend cataract treatments such as the following.
Cataracts that are not too bothersome are in the earliest stages. An optometrist may recommend lifestyle changes to preserve vision and slow their progression into more life-altering stages. As per the National Eye Institute, this may include wearing sunglasses and limiting exposure to the sun and bright lights. However, it is also important to refrain from reading or doing other focused activities in poor lighting. The optometrist may recommend brighter lighting for various parts of the house, such as a bedside lamp for reading at night.
Patients with early-stage cataracts may minimize their symptoms and maintain their vision by updating their glasses or contact lens prescription. To benefit from this cataract treatment, patients should wear their glasses or contacts as advised by the optometrist. Out-of-date prescriptions, whether too strong or too weak, can do more harm than good to one’s vision.
When cataracts cause issues to the point that they have started to affect the patient’s life, such as making it impossible to drive safely, they will likely need to be removed. The only way to accomplish this is through cataract surgery. Putting off this procedure leaves the cataract free to progress, so patients must not wait once an optometrist recommends cataract surgery.
To perform this outpatient procedure, the optometrist will replace the clouded lens with an intraocular, or artificial, one to restore vision. It may be necessary to forgo the second step and only remove the clouded lens. For vision correction, the patient may use contacts or glasses once they heal.
Cataract surgery is safe, effective, and largely painless (the area will be numbed at the start of the procedure). However, as with any surgery, there are some risks— cataract surgery has a risk of infection, bleeding, and retinal detachment. Still, most patients are able to go home the day of the surgery. Any soreness typically lasts only for a few days, and most make a complete recovery in a few weeks.
If you have noticed clouded spots in your vision, consult an optometrist at Carmi Eye Care. We can examine, diagnose, and treat cataracts to help patients see more clearly. Call us today to learn more.
Request an appointment here: https://www.carmieyecare.com or call Carmi Eye Care at (618) 374-0513 for an appointment in our Carmi office.
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