Cataracts: Symptoms, Causes, & Cataract Surgery

Providers

Allison Baker, MD Ernest Bhend, MD Pedro Cervantes, MD Adrian J. Elfersy, MD Sumit K. Gupta, MD William M. Hammonds, MD Wei Huang, MD, PhD Kashyap B. Kansupada, MD, FACS James G. Kaufmann, MD Ian Kirchner, MD Barbara Lee, MD Chao Li, MD Casey Mathys, MD Payal S. Patel, MD Alexandra Pietraszkiewicz, MD Veena Rao, MD Shobit Rastogi, MD Joshua A. Rheinbolt, MD Rachel P. Sabo, MD * Robert M. Saltzmann, MD, FACS Nehali V. Saraiya, MD Craig S. Self, MD Vipul C. Shah, MD Jeff Stetler, MD Brent B. Warren, MD Lee Wiley, MD Rena Xu, MD, PhD
* = Fellowship Trained

CATARACT Surgery in Charlotte, NC and South Carolina

At CEENTA, our board-certified cataract surgeons offer a quick, outpatient removal method to restore your blurry vision. Through traditional or laser-assisted cataract surgery and multiple lens options, you'll experience a personalized approach to crystal clear eyesight.

Schedule Your Cataract Consultation with CEENTA

Are Cataracts Interrupting Your Vision?

Cataracts can form later in life and distort the way your cornea receives light, creating a milky-white appearance and difficulty seeing. By choosing cataract surgery, this impediment can be removed while you receive a new artificial lens that can improve your vision based on your needs.

CEENTA is renowned for its award-winning cataract surgeons who practice out of nearly twenty offices in the Carolina. Utilizing the latest technology and decades of clinical research, our surgical team is focused on giving you clear sights for your treasured hobbies.

Had it not been for Dr. Kirchner and his staff at CEENTA, I would still have cataracts that darkened and blurred my vision in both eyes.

- Susan A.

Read About Susan's Cataract Surgery at CEENTA

Frequently Asked Questions About Cataract Surgery

What is a cataract?
What causes cataracts?
What are common cataract symptoms?
What are risk factors for cataracts?
What is cataract surgery like?
How do I choose the right cataract lens?
What type of lenses are available for cataract patients?
What is FEMTO cataract surgery?
What can I expect after cataract surgery?
Would I ever need my cataract surgery redone?

WHAT IS A CATARACT?

Cataract symptoms include cloudy lens and foggy vision

Your eye works a lot like a camera. Light rays focus through your lens onto the retina, a layer of light-sensitive cells at the back of the eye. Similar to photographic film, the retina allows the image to be “seen” by the brain.

Over time, the lens of our eye can become cloudy, preventing light rays from passing clearly through the lens. The loss of transparency may be so mild that vision is barely affected, or it can be so severe that no shapes or movements are seen—only light and dark. When the lens becomes cloudy enough to obstruct vision to any significant degree, it is called a cataract.

WHAT CAUSES CATARACTS?

Aging is the most common cause. As you age, the lenses in your eyes become less flexible, less transparent and thicker, clouding small areas within the lens. As the cataract continues to develop, the clouding becomes denser and involves a greater part of the lens.

Other causes include trauma, medications such as steroids, systemic diseases such as diabetes, and prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light. Occasionally, babies are born with a cataract.

Cataracts may develop in only one eye, but they usually develop in both of your eyes. However, they usually aren’t totally symmetrical, and the cataract in one eye may be more advanced than the other.

What are common cataract symptoms?

Cataracts usually form slowly and cause few symptoms until they noticeably block light. When cataract symptoms are present, they can include:

Vision that is cloudy, blurry, foggy, or filmy
Changes in the way you see color because the discolored lens acts as a filter (fading or yellowing)
Glare, particularly at night
Double vision (like a superimposed image)
Sudden or frequent changes in glasses prescription

What are risk factors for cataracts?

Increasing age
Diabetes
Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
Excessive exposure to sunlight
Exposure to ionizing radiation, such as that used in X-rays and cancer radiation therapy
Family history
High blood pressure
Obesity
Previous eye injury or inflammation
Previous eye surgery
Prolonged use of corticosteroid medications
Smoking

WHAT IS CATARACT SURGERY LIKE?

Cataract surgery is an uncomplicated, straightforward, painless procedure that usually takes around 15 minutes. Generally, your doctor will make a minor incision in your eye. A small ultrasound probe will break up and remove your cataracts, and a new lens will be placed in your eye. Stitches are usually not required, and a bandage or patch will be placed over your eye to protect it afterward.

How do I choose the right cataract lens?

Once your surgeon removes your cataract during surgery, he or she must place an intraocular lens (IOL) implant to help you see. There is a variety of options for intraocular lens implants used to restore patients' vision. These implants are placed during the cataract procedure. Options may include implants that correct for distance, intermediate and near vision as well as astigmatism. CEENTA surgeons use a variety of implant types.

While there is no way to test a lens before it is implanted, your lifestyle and overall eye health can help you determine which lens would be best for you. Factors can include the activities you do, the distances you need to see most clearly without glasses, and what you can afford to pay through your insurance and out of pocket.

What type of lenses are available for cataract patients?

Monofocal lenses
Monofocal lens implants allow you to focus at one distance. Typically, most patients prefer to choose their implant to see at a distance, so you would typically need to only wear glasses for near vision.

Monofocal implants are typically included with Medicare and private insurance carriers. Toric and Extended Range lens implants, on the other hand, have an additional out-of-pocket expense that is not included with Medicare or private insurance carriers.

Monovision
Some patients choose to get monofocal lenses with different focal points, so one eye is set for distance vision and one for near vision. This is typically chosen by people who have enjoyed monovision in the past with contact lenses or LASIK.

Extended Range Implants
Presbyopia is the gradual, age-related loss of the ability to see things clearly up close. Extended range intraocular lenses are designed to give the patient multiple focal points at distance, intermediate and near vision ranges in order to help reduce and often eliminate the need for glasses. These include multifocal IOLs, trifocal IOLs, extended depth of focus IOLs, and accommodative IOLs.

When used in conjunction with traditional or laser cataract surgery, most patients enjoy a range of vision from near to far without glasses that they haven't seen their entire life.

Examples of Extended Range IOLs include:

PanOptix Trifocal
ReSTOR Multifocal
Symfony Extended Depth of Focus
Tecnis Multifocal

Toric lenses
Toric lenses are designed to treat astigmatism and provide clear distance or near vision. These implants are like monofocal lenses in that they provide a single point of focus. Typically, most patients prefer to set their implant to see at a distance, where they would need to wear glasses for near vision. Some patients may choose monovision if they have previously enjoyed monovision with contact lenses or LASIK. Some of the Extended Range IOLs also have toric versions.

You and your cataract surgeon will discuss which lens is best for your lifestyle and your eye condition during your office surgical evaluation.

What is FEMTO cataract surgery?

Some physicians also use lasers in cataract care. Femto Laser Assisted Cataract Surgery, or FLACS, reduces the astigmatism by relaxing the cornea at a precise depth, length, and orientation. The Femto Laser also replaces many of the steps during cataract surgery that require a blade – making this a bladeless procedure – and softens the cataract, allowing for an easier and smoother removal.

The LenSx Laser System

What can I expect after cataract surgery?

After surgery, you will still be groggy from the anesthesia and will need someone to drive you home. You will be given a pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes during the drive. You will also be given an eye shield to wear when you sleep.

Some patients report clear vision after only a few hours, but it's not uncommon for patients to take a week or two for their vision to regain their sharpest focus. Do not be alarmed if your vision is cloudy or blurry after you first remove your eye shield.

You will have a follow-up appointment with your cataract surgeon the day after surgery to make sure there are no complications. Tell your doctor if you don't notice any improvement in blurry vision or you feel eye pain or significant discomfort.

Your doctor will prescribe antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eyedrops, which you will need to apply daily.

You should not perform any strenuous activity for a few weeks. You should also avoid bending over, to avoid putting additional pressure on the eye. You should avoid swimming or exposing your eye to irritants. Do not rub your eye.

Would I ever need my cataract surgery redone?

No. Once the clouded lens is replaced, you cannot get another cataract in that eye.

OTHER FACTORS

Your lifestyle isn’t the only thing you should consider before choosing a cataract lens. Your eye health can also affect it. For example, eye conditions such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, or astigmatism can cause problems with certain types of lenses.

While this is a good introduction to the many options you have for cataract lenses, you should discuss your choices with your ophthalmologist before making a decision.

CEENTA has ophthalmologists in 14 locations across North and South Carolina trained in the most up-to-date treatments and technology to provide you with premier patient care.