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What Exactly is a Cataract?
Posted by: DeLila Bergan on March 25, 2008
By Russell Snook, M.D.
We have all heard of cataracts, but what exactly are they?
Inside of our eyes, there is a lens behind the iris (the colored part of the eye) that helps focus images on the retina in the back of the eye. As all of us age, this lens eventually becomes cloudy. When this lens is cloudy it is referred to as a cataract. Cataracts obscure our vision, like looking through a cloudy window, and the longer they progress, the worse the vision becomes. When one’s vision has become so poor that basic tasks are becoming difficult, like reading or driving a car, then it is time to consider cataract surgery.
Modern cataract surgery has greatly progressed over years’ past. A typical surgery takes from 8 to 15 minutes and is performed as an outpatient. Usually just a light sedation anesthetic is used unless there is some medical need for a general anesthetic. Many surgeons only place eye drops in the eye to numb the eye, although some give an anesthetic injection behind the eye. Most surgeons these days do not place any sutures in the eye.
To perform the surgery, the pupil of the eye is dilated and a small incision is made in the front of the eye. The cataract itself is then broken up into small fragments (emulsified) with a small hand-held instrument that uses ultrasound like a small jackhammer. These small fragments are then removed from the eye by vacuum. The cataract, remember, is a strong lens helping focus light, so we replace it with a plastic lens implant placed behind the pupil from where the original cataract was removed. These lens implants are made from soft plastics (silicon or acrylic) which can be folded to enter through the small incision. There are many lens implants available, and these can be tailored to correct your vision, correcting near-sightedness, astigmatism and even bifocals! These lens implants will be further investigated in a later newsletter article.
After placement of the lens implant, a protective shield is placed over the eye for the day. There are eye drops to be used after the surgery to fight infection and inflammation. Glasses can then be fitted three to four weeks following the surgery.
If you think that your vision is not up to par, consult an eye doctor to evaluate your vision.
Dr. Snook and his partners, Drs. Stephen Ku and Stephen Elieff, are ophthalmologists at North Dallas Eye Associates, with offices in Denton, Lewisville and Plano, Texas. They have a full-service practice offering regular eye exams for glasses, as well as diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases such as cataract, glaucoma and macular degeneration. For more information on Dr. Snook and his practice, please see the Medical Specialists/Physicians/Eye and Ophthalmology section of our web site.
