By Duane Wiggins, M.D.
Board Certified Ophthalmologist, Cataract & Refractive Surgeon with Quigley Eye Specialists
Your eyes have a natural lens. The lens bends or refracts light rays that come into your eye to help you see. This lens should be clear. As we age, most of us will develop cataracts, which is when our lens becomes cloudy. Seeing through a cloudy lens is a bit like looking through a frosted or foggy window.
What are the symptoms?
Most cataracts develop slowly and don’t disturb your eyesight early on. You may not even know you have a cataract. But with time, cataracts can interfere with your vision and can negatively affect your quality of life. Symptoms may include:
• Blurry vision
• Light sensitivity
• Bright colors are faded
• Difficulty seeing at night
• Double vision
How did I get Cataracts?
If you have been diagnosed with cataracts, you’re not alone. Cataracts affect more than 24 million Americans aged 40 and older. By age 75, approximately half of all Americans have cataracts.1
The most common reason people develop cataracts is age. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, age-related cataracts may begin to develop as early as 40 years old.
Over time, cataracts become worse and start to interfere with vision. This can affect your overall quality of life in many ways including reading, working, hobbies and sports. If left untreated, cataracts can cause total blindness.
How do I treat my Cataracts?
If cataracts are impacting your quality of life or you’re experiencing symptoms that interfere with daily tasks, your ophthalmologist may recommend treatment.
The only way to treat cataracts is to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with a clear, artificial lens, called an intraocular lens or IOL.
The procedure is about 15 to 20 minutes. It’s very safe and painless with little downtime. Although you’re awake, you’re given a “twilight” anesthesia so you’re comfortable.
What is an IOL?
An intraocular lens or IOL is a tiny, artificial lens for the eye. It replaces the eye’s natural lens that is removed during cataract surgery.
IOLs come in different focusing powers, just like prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses. For example, a basic IOL has only one focusing power, which means you will need glasses for all tasks. On the other hand, a multifocal IOL gives you focusing powers at various focal points, so you may not need glasses after your procedure.
Many patients with multifocal IOL implants enjoy reading again or playing golf without worrying about glasses or contacts. Many of them also report seeing more clearly with brighter colors.
Which IOL is Best for Me?
Based on your lifestyle and the health of your eyes, your ophthalmologist will recommend a cataract vision package customized for you. For example, if you have cataracts with astigmatism, your ophthalmologist may recommend a Toric lens with laser cataract surgery.
Cataracts with Astigmatism
Astigmatism is an imperfection in the curvature of your eye’s cornea or lens and can impact your vision. When combined with cataracts, your vision may be even more impacted. During your evaluation, your eye specialist will let you know if you have cataracts with astigmatism. If so, your eye surgeon can correct your astigmatism during your cataract procedure to help you achieve your best possible vision.
Laser Cataract Surgery
Technology Leaders in Eye Care, Quigley Eye Specialists offers patients the Catalys® Laser System. Compared to another leading laser, the Catalys was found to use less energy and demonstrated superior patient outcomes (Khodabakhsh & Hobauer, 2018).2 Built specifically for cataract surgery, the Catalys is more gentle on the eye and opens the door to laser cataract surgery for patients with glaucoma.
If you suffer from cataracts or any other eye condition, Quigley Eye Specialists can help you see the life you love.
If you have blurry vision, double vision, floaters, eye pain, headaches, trouble seeing up close or far away, you absolutely need to be seeing an ophthalmologist on a regular basis. Eye disorders can escalate quickly, and many times, eye problems are overlooked but can be debilitating or even cause blindness. Keep in mind that many eye diseases do not have any initial symptoms.
Quigley Eye Specialists, founded in 1988, consists of more than 100 medical professionals, including surgeons, optometrists, retina specialists and technicians. Offices are conveniently located throughout Southwest Florida in Sarasota, Venice, North Port, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres, Bonita Springs, Naples and Coral Gables.
For more information, call (239) 466-2020 or visit www.QuigleyEye.com.
Quigley Eye
675 Piper Blvd., Naples, FL 34110
(239) 466-2020 | www.QuigleyEye.com
References:
1. National Institute of Health, 2021
2. In addition to the 2018 study noted above, a 2016 study showed that when
compared to another leading laser, the other laser showed significantly
higher cumulative dissipated energy and phacoemulsification power needed
in comparison to the Catalys group. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/pmc/
articles/PMC5077266/