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Cataract Treatment
An intraocular lens (IOL) is
implanted in the eye in
place of the patient's
clouded natural lens. Shown
is Alcon's new AcrySof
Natural IOL; the lens
material is yellow because
it filters out blue light,
which may be harmful to
eyes.
When symptoms begin to
appear, you may be able to
improve your vision for a
while using new glasses,
strong bifocals,
magnification, appropriate
lighting or other visual
aids.
Think about surgery when
your cataracts have
progressed enough to
seriously impair your vision
and affect your daily life.
Many people consider poor
vision an inevitable fact of
aging, but cataract surgery
is a simple, relatively
painless procedure to regain
vision.
Cataract surgery is very
successful in restoring
vision. In fact, it is the
most frequently performed
surgery in the United
States, with more than 3
million Americans undergoing
cataract surgery each year.
Nine out of 10 people who
have cataract surgery regain
very good vision, somewhere
between 20/20 and 20/40.
During surgery, the surgeon
will remove your clouded
lens and in most cases
replace it with a clear,
plastic intraocular lens
(IOL).
New IOLs are being developed
all the time to make the
surgery less complicated for
surgeons and the lenses more
helpful to patients.
Presbyopia-correcting IOLs
potentially help you see at
all distances, not just one.
Another new type of IOL
blocks both ultraviolet and
blue light rays, which
research indicates may
damage the retina (see
illustration).
Read more about what to
expect if you have cataract
surgery and how to deal with
rare cataract surgery
complications. Also, men
should be aware that certain
prostate drugs can cause
intraoperative floppy iris
syndrome (IFIS) during a
cataract procedure
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