Cataract Surgery

A cataract is a clouding of the natural lens inside your eye. This lens, located behind the iris, works just like the lens of a camera: by focusing light images on the retina, it sends images to the brain. As the human lens becomes clouded, it keeps light and images from reaching the retina. Cataracts affect over 22 million Americans (in most cases, aged 40 and above) and are present in 90% of Americans aged 65 and older. This eye disease is the leading cause of visual loss in those who are over 55. At our cataract center, we see a lot of patients afflicted with this disease.

A cataract can be the reason sharp images become blurred, bright colors become dull, or seeing at night is more difficult. It may also be why the reading glasses or bifocals that used to help you read or do other simple tasks no longer seem to help. Vision with cataracts has been described as seeing life through old, cloudy film. A cataract is not a “film” over the eyes, and neither diet nor lasers will make it go away, nor can it be prevented. Sunlight, smoking, eye injury, certain diseases, or even some medications can cause clouding. The best way to treat a cataract is with surgery that removes the old, clouded lens and replaces it with a new, artificial one to restore your vision and, in many ways, significantly improve your quality of life.

If you’ve received a cataracts diagnosis, the standard course of action is to undergo surgery to remove the clouded natural crystalline lens housing the cataract and replace it with a clear acrylic lens called an intraocular lens. We are here to help! Our cataract center is led by a highly skilled head physician with extensive experience in performing these surgeries. During this surgical process, your clouded or hardened natural crystalline lens will be extracted and substituted with a new artificial lens. Typically, the entire procedure takes less than half an hour, and in most cases, patients notice an immediate improvement in their vision right after surgery. Some individuals may go through a brief adjustment period during which they might experience halos and glare around lights, but this tends to diminish over time in the majority of cases.

When having cataract surgery, only one eye is treated at a time. You have to book another surgery at a cataract center for a later time to take care of the other eye. Since cataract surgery is an outpatient procedure, you don’t have to plan for an overnight stay. Most people can resume their normal activities with minor restrictions the day after their procedure.

Cataracts are highly treatable, and through advances in both cataract surgery and lens implants, more people are experiencing the complete restoration of their vision than ever before. If you have been told that you are in the early stages of developing cataracts, you must familiarize yourself with the options that are available to you. As a cataract center trusted by locals in Lexington, KY, Abell Eyes offers the latest technology in lens implants, enabling a full range of vision and decreased dependency on glasses! Our experienced physicians and staff will educate you on all of your lens implant options and get you on the road to better vision.

Monofocal Intraocular Lens

This is used to restore vision for one area of focus—usually distance. Reading glasses may still be needed.

Multifocal Intraocular Lens

This is used to provide high-quality vision at multiple distances, with enhanced vision at a distinct distance customized to suit the patient’s lifestyle. These lenses may increase freedom from glasses.

Cataract Surgery Procedure

A cataract surgery procedure is more difficult after LVC, LASIK, ASA, or PRK. Further refractive surgery or IOL lens exchange is to be expected.

LASIK: A laser is used under a corneal flap to resurface the cornea and correct refractive error, thus eliminating the need for glasses.
ASA/PRK: A laser is used on top of the cornea to correct refractive error.

Implantation of IOL Lens

Standard Lens: The standard lens, while very high-tech, may not completely correct a refractive imbalance. This lens will not provide treatment for astigmatism, and glasses are expected to be needed.
Monovision: A specific refractive endpoint will be obtained, including astigmatism correction, for distance and near vision. This lens provides about 70%-80% spectacle freedom.
Distance: A specific refractive endpoint will be obtained, including astigmatism correction, for distance-only vision. You should expect to need readers with a small chance of needing glasses for distance and vision also.
Premium Multifocal Lens Package: A specific refractive endpoint will be obtained, including astigmatism correction, for distance and near vision. You can expect to see halos at night, but this usually resolves. This lens provides 70%-90% spectacle freedom.

YAG Laser Capsulotomy

The fibrosis of the capsular bag around the implant secures the positioning but can cause visual impairment within 1-3 months after a cataract surgery procedure. Once 3-6 months have passed after the procedure, YAG will be performed. It is very important to open the capsule before a refractive enhancement to avoid a refractive change. Although ex-plantation is extremely rare, it is advantageous to be performed prior to the YAG laser.

Refractive Enhancement

We will assess a patient’s vision approximately 3 months after the YAG treatment. To determine whether enhancement may be needed, we must ensure that a patient’s vision is stable for over 3 months with no notable refractive changes. The most important part of the process is to address the refractive outcome with enhancement if needed. Refractive enhancement is usually necessary 30% of the time. LASIK or a surface ablation will be performed to obtain the best possible corrected vision.

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Premium Lens Implants

An intraocular lens (IOL) is the replacement lens that is surgically implanted in the eye to replace the existing clouded lens during cataract surgery.

The good news is that you’ve encountered cataracts at a time when intraocular lens technology has taken great leaps of progress. Traditionally, the replacement lens used for cataract surgery was a monofocal IOL. This type of lens restored good functional distance vision, but people still needed to continue wearing reading glasses. Today, you also have the option of a multifocal lens, which can improve vision in a full range of distances from near to far; this is a premium lens implant.

The multifocal lens is a breakthrough lens for cataract surgery that lets patients see from near to far, usually without glasses. Innovative optical technology makes this lens uniquely effective, especially when placed in both eyes. Similar technology has been used for years in microscopes and telescopes to improve image quality and has now been patented for use in intraocular lenses.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does cataract surgery hurt?

Most patients report little or no pain during or after cataract surgery.

I have cataracts in both eyes. Will the doctor treat both at the same time?

The surgeries, while not scheduled on the same day, are scheduled on a different day within the same week. All patients are different, so talk to your doctor about what is right for you.

How long will I be in the hospital or surgery center?

Patients commonly spend only a few hours at the hospital or surgery center, and are allowed to go home the very same day.

How long after surgery can I see and return to normal activities?

Every patient and every eye is different, but patients commonly see well enough to drive the day after surgery. Most patients can resume normal basic activities like reading and watching TV by the next day, and return to work within one to seven days. You should ask your doctor what is best for you.

Do I have to use eye drops after surgery?

Yes. You will continue to use drops until told to discontinue by your doctor. Typically, this is a couple of weeks. Always ask your doctor before stopping the use of any prescribed medicine or eye drop.

Will I need glasses after cataract surgery?

It depends on what type of intraocular lens you elect to have implanted. Most patients do not need glasses or contacts for distance tasks following cataract surgery with a traditional monofocal IOL, but still rely on reading glasses for near tasks. In the clinical trials for the ReSTOR and REZOOM, a significant number of patients reported never wearing glasses for distance, intermediate or near tasks after their surgery.

Can my cataract come back?

No. However, over time, patients may complain that their vision has once again become cloudy. This sometimes a common condition, which may occur with any type of IOL, is known as a secondary cataract or “PCO.” Secondary cataracts can be easily treated in the office.