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Cataract Awareness Month: Eye Health and Safety
June is cataract awareness month! Cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss and blindness worldwide. If you or a loved one have or are concerned about cataracts, there’s no better time than now to educate yourself about how to prevent blindness and vision loss due to cataracts. Make cataract awareness month 2018 count; learn about what causes cataracts, cataract symptoms, how to prevent cataracts, cataract surgery, and more.
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Glaucoma & Cataract Surgery: The iStent Procedure
Ready for some good news? If you’re considering having glaucoma and cataract surgery done together, you may now be able to take advantage of the innovative iStent eye surgery. For many, the iStent eye surgery has reduced both their intraocular pressure and their use of (sometimes expensive) medicated eye drops. To make a good deal better, iStent eye surgery is typically covered by insurance.
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Choosing a Multifocal Lens for Cataract Surgery
“Should I get the multifocal lens for cataract surgery?” While the decision to get cataract surgery in Houston can be easy, the patient often also has to make custom choices about their vision correction. For some, the different lens options can be a little overwhelming at first. Here’s why multifocal lenses for cataracts might be the right choice for you.
Understanding cataracts & cataract surgery
In order to understand the purpose of multifocal intraocular lenses (multifocal iols), you need to understand cataracts and corrective cataract surgery. Cataracts are a natural part of the eye’s aging process and occur when the clear lenses of your eyes begin to cloud. This clouding can be exacerbated by some natural phenomena, such as prolonged sun exposure to the eyes.
There are steps you can take to avoid cataracts. (Check them out here: How to Avoid Cataracts.) Nevertheless, by the age of 65, nearly 90% of people will have developed a cataract at some point.
Eventually, cataracts can lead to diminished vision and can impair your ability to perform many daily tasks. However, if a cataract evaluation shows that you’re a good candidate for cataract surgery, you may be able to clear and correct your vision.
Cataract surgery is a minimally invasive procedure during which a doctor removes a cataract via tiny incisions. It is a common, safe, and stable procedure. Many eye surgeons report successfully performing cataract surgery on patients in their 70s, 80s, and even 90s in some cases.
Understanding intraocular lenses & cataract surgery
When a cataract is removed from the patient’s eye, a replacement lens needs to be inserted so the patient’s vision will be clear and focused.
A replacement lens is known as an intraocular lens. Patients can choose their preferred type of intraocular lens: monofocal intraocular lenses or multifocal intraocular lenses.
Choosing between a monofocal and multifocal lense for cataract surgery is an important part of the cataract surgery process. But what is the difference between monofocal lenses and multifocal intraocular lenses?
Monofocal lenses for cataracts
Monofocal intraocular lenses are typically a common choice for cataract surgery. However, these lenses focus on just one distance, as opposed to multifocal lenses. Monofocal intraocular lenses require you to choose whether you want to see far, intermediate, or near distances. You will also be able to choose whether you want both to see different distances in each eye.
With monofocal intraocular lenses, patients will experience clear and corrected vision within their distance of choice. That said, it may be difficult for the eyes to adjust from daily vision needs with differing distances, such as reading a book, working in the backyard, driving a car, and driving at night.
Multifocal intraocular lenses for cataracts
Unlike monofocal intraocular lenses, multifocal intraocular lenses allow you to see a range of distances. Instead of choosing just one distance, you can both read a book and see a sign on the road. Multifocal lenses for cataracts can have other benefits, including both cataract and astigmatism correction.
What is the best lens replacement for cataract surgery?
Which lense is better, monofocal or multifocal? Which lens is best for cataract surgery replacement? The best answer to questions like these is: it depends on your vision needs.
It’s best to consult with your doctor to find which type of lenses suit your needs. However, one thing that your doctor will probably consider if you elect monofocal lenses is that, if you wore glasses before the surgery, then you will likely need to wear glasses afterward as well.
The corrective lenses in your glasses will help you see the distance you did not elect for when choosing monofocal lenses. So, if you chose a far distance, then you will need reading glasses; if you chose a near or intermediate distance, then you will need distance glasses.
On the other hand, multifocal lenses for cataracts provide vision correction for multiple distances. For that reason, many patients are able to reduce their dependence on glasses after cataract surgery.
Toric multifocal lenses and ReSTOR multifocal lenses for cataracts
There are different kinds of multifocal lenses to choose from. If you have astigmatism, Eye Center of Texas can provide you with what is called an AcrySof IQ Toric lens. This unique, donut shape lens provides different refractive powers that correct astigmatism.
Toric lenses can be more effective than other astigmatism correction techniques because they can take care of two problems at once: cataracts and astigmatism.
Another kind of multifocal lense, the AcrySof IQ ReSTOR lens, is the most advanced multifocal intraocular lens we provide at Eye Center of Texas. This multifocal intraocular lens features patented apodized diffractive technology, which allows you to see all distances with the best clarity.
Another benefit of ReSTOR lenses is that they provide excellent distance vision in low light situations, such as nighttime driving. Patients have also reported a much lower incident rate of halos around light in low light situations.
Finally, ReSTOR lenses treat Presbyopia, a natural condition that leads to worsened vision. At Eye Center of Texas, 4 out of 5 patients have reported complete freedom from glasses or other corrective means when they elect for ReSTOR lenses.
Should I choose a multifocal lens for my cataract surgery?
Eye Center of Texas is here to help you decide which multifocal lens for cataract surgery best suits your vision needs. Over 275 Houstons-area doctors trust the team at Eye Center of Texas. Start your vision correction today by scheduling an appointment to see if multifocal intraocular lenses are the right fit for you.
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Is Cataract Surgery Safe?
Is cataract surgery safe? Since very few people research vision correction until they need it, cataract surgery can, at first, seem a little scary and unfamiliar. When patients learn that they need cataract surgery, so many questions come up. Patients ask, “Is cataract surgery safe?” “How serious is cataract surgery?” and, “How much does cataract surgery cost?”
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Cataract Factaracts: What Causes Cataracts?
What really causes cataracts? It’s a question well worth asking and answering. Cataracts, one of the scariest eye diseases, is also one of the most common. The leading cause of blindness, it affects more than 22 million people in America alone.
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How To Prevent Cataracts: Simple Tips Anyone Can Use
Cataracts are a life-changing development that may rudely disrupt an active lifestyle. As a result, many patients wonder how to prevent or avoid cataracts. It’s commonly thought that because cataracts occur naturally, they can’t be prevented through good habits, diet, or any other preemptive action.
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Cataracts: The Facts You Need to Know
You may be able to hobble through your day with an achy back or a broken toe, but eye issues can stop you in your tracks. Our eyes are among the most vital organs in our bodies but, unfortunately, eye disorders such as cataracts are more common than people think. Over half of all adults aged 65 and older have at least one cataract, and cataracts are the most common cause of blindness, globally.
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How To Avoid Developing Cataracts
Aside from your essential organs, your eyes are among your body’s most essential parts. The same way we rely on our eyes to see, our eyes rely on a lens to bend incoming light and form clear images. Over time, however, your lenses can develop cataracts which cause them to cloud and diminish your vision. While there is no 100% proven method of preventing cataracts, taking certain steps now can help to protect your eyes and reduce your risk of developing cataracts later on.
1. Protect Your Eyes from the Sun
Although sunlight is not the direct cause of cataracts, excessive exposure has been shown to increase your risk of developing them. To keep your eyes adequately protected, invest in sunglasses with UV protection, and wear a wide brimmed hat to keep your eyes properly shaded while outdoors.
2. Maintain a Healthy Diet
In addition to being a major risk to your overall health, studies have shown that diabetes can increase your risk of developing cataracts. The first step to avoiding diabetes? A healthy diet. Maintaining a healthy blood sugar level will keep your eyes (and the rest of your body) much healthier as you age.
3. Limit Your Alcohol Consumption
In general, preserving bodily health is an important step to preventing cataracts. Just like a poor diet, excessive alcohol consumption can promote unhealthy blood sugar levels which increase your risk of developing cataracts.
4. If You Smoke, Stop
Need another reason to quit? It’s no secret that smoking is absolutely horrible for your lungs, but did you know that tobacco can also harm your vision? According to recent research, your risk of developing cataracts doubles if you smoke cigarettes.
5. Keep Key Nutrients in Your Diet
Studies have shown that the right balance of certain vitamins, antioxidants and minerals in your diet can seriously reduce your risk of developing cataracts. To make sure you’re maintaining an eye-friendly diet, eat plenty of dark-green leafy vegatables. They contain the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which studies have linked to an 18% decrease in the likelihood of cataract development. Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish like salmon and sardines can also help you reduce your risk of developing cataracts.
6. Maintain Regular Eye Appointments
The best way to avoid cataracts is to have your eyes checked regularly. Even if your eyes seem healthy, regular eye exams are the only way to detect early signs of eye disorders such as cataracts, glaucoma, or macular degeneration. After all, early detection can reduce your risk of permanent damage and save your vision!
7. Keep Your Vision Intact at Eye Center of Texas
If you’re experiencing vision issues due to cataracts, Eye Center of Texas is the first step to healthier, longer-lasting vision. Using only the finest technology at each of our six locations, our doctors work to make each experience comfortable, convenient and pain free. Find the location nearest you, and schedule an appointment to get started!
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Cataract Prevention & Treatment
Your eyes are among the most fragile organs you possess. As such, it becomes important to take extra special care of them. One major eye defect that should be guarded against is the formation of cataracts. Let’s take a closer look at this particular medical condition and see how you can prevent it from destroying your vision.
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Cataracts Can Happen to Anyone, At Any Age
Cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss for people in their 40s and older, but sometimes cataracts can develop in children or even from birth. Cataracts are cloudy spots on the lens inside the eye. This lens is normally clear, so when it is clouded, it affects vision.
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