INTRODUCTION

Approximately 20.5 million Americans age 40 and older have cataracts.  In fact, over fifty percent of people over the age of 60 suffer from cataracts.  Cataract formation is primarily a disease of aging and eye care providers generally feel that everyone will eventually develop cataracts if they live long enough.

HOW THE EYE FUNCTIONS

The eye functions much like a camera.  In the same way that a camera utilizes a lens to focus light onto film in order to produce a picture, our eyes utilize lenses to focus light onto the film of the eye called the retina.  The retina then sends the light images to the brain for processing through the optic nerve.  The end result of this intricate processing of light rays is eyesight.

Unlike a camera, however, the eye uses two lenses working in concert to focus light onto the retina. One of the lenses, the cornea, is located on the outside of the eye.  The other lens, the crystalline lens, is located on the inside of the eye.  A cataract is a progressive clouding of the crystalline or internal lens, which obstructs the passage of light into the eye.

Cataracts start out small and have little effect on vision at first.  But as the cataract grows, vision becomes increasingly affected.  Individuals with cataracts may experience a painless blurring of vision, sensitivity to light and glare, double vision in one eye, poor night vision, frequent changes in eyeglass prescriptions.

Currently, there are no medications or exercises to prevent or reverse the development of cataracts.  Once they form, the only way to achieve clear vision again is to surgically remove them from inside the eye and replace them with an artificial lens.  The time to have your cataracts removed is when you believe that the cataracts are interfering with your ability to perform your daily activities.  You decide!

CATARACT SURGERY

Cataract surgery is the most frequently performed surgery in the United States, with more than one million surgeries performed each year.  According to a survey conducted by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, 98% of cataract patients who undergo surgery have their vision significantly improved.  Once removed, cataracts will never grow back.

THE CATARACT SURGICAL PROCEDURE

Step 3: Once the lens containing the cataract is removed, it is replaced with an artificial lens made of a special plastic material.

At the Flowers Vision Institute all patients undergoing cataract surgery receive an extensive preoperative evaluation to insure surgical success.  Dr. Charles Flowers is an experienced cataract surgeon, who utilizes the most advanced surgical techniques and technology to provide his cataract patients with excellent visual outcomes.  Currently, Dr. Flowers performs cataract surgery using topical (“eye – drop”) anesthesia and self-sealing incisions.  Many of his patients are able to see with clear vision much sooner after surgery.  Call the Flowers Vision Institute today if you feel cataracts are affecting your vision.

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