Do you have cataracts? You’re not alone, as they are a highly prevalent age-related eye condition.
They usually develop very slowly and can start forming as early as your 40s. It can take years for symptoms to manifest, but once they do, they can be debilitating.
The good news is that cataracts are treatable. Any vision you may have lost due to cataracts can be treated with cataract surgery.
Keep reading to learn about 6 ways you’ll look at the world with wide open eyes after cataract surgery!
What is Cataract Surgery?
Cataract surgeons only recommend cataract surgery if your symptoms and impaired vision affect your quality of life. Cataracts cause many visual symptoms, including blurred vision, glare, halos, and poor night vision.
These symptoms can make it hard to perform daily tasks, and cataract surgery is the only treatment that can alleviate them. Cataract surgery involves removing your cataract and the natural lens where they form.
Once the natural lens is removed, it’s replaced with an intraocular lens (IOL). There are different kinds of IOLs, but all are meant to replace the function of the natural lens, allowing you to see clearly after having your cataracts removed.
After you have cataract surgery, you’ll be able to see the world again. Here are just a few of the ways the world will look better after cataract surgery:
1. See Through the Fog
Cataracts manifest as cloudiness on the eye’s natural lens. This cloudiness becomes thicker as cataracts progress and mature.
Seeing with cataracts is much like looking through a foggy window, as everything on the other side of the window appears blurry or out of focus. But after you have cataract surgery, your cloudy lens will be gone.
You’ll be able to see again without constantly struggling to penetrate the fog, and you’ll no longer feel like you’re missing out due to impaired vision.
Instead, see everything around you in crisp, sharp clarity, whether you’re painting a watercolor of your favorite scene or enjoying an afternoon with your family.
2. Say Goodbye to Glare and Halos
Cataracts affect the way lights look, intensifying glare and causing halos. Seeing glare and halos can be annoying and frustrating, but having cataracts can also make your eyes much more sensitive to light, making these things blinding.
After cataract surgery, you’ll be able to see without having to avoid being around bright lights. Not only will you see better, but you’ll also be much more comfortable!
3. Drive at Night Again
Because lights can give off blinding glare and halos, it can be challenging to drive at night if you have advanced cataracts. Cataracts also make it harder to see at night.
The combination of poor night vision, glare, halos, and light sensitivity can mean driving at night is dangerous if you have cataracts. But once you have cataract surgery, you’ll be able to see well enough to drive again without having to contend with these visual problems.
You’ll no longer have to worry about getting home before dark, regaining your independence. Knowing your vision is clearer, you’ll also feel safer about being on the road.
4. Enjoy Your Hobbies
Many people with advanced cataracts struggle to enjoy their hobbies. If you’re artistic and participate in hobbies like painting, knitting, crocheting, sewing, or making models, being unable to see well in low light can make it very hard to see well up close.
If you enjoy active hobbies like hiking and sports, cataracts can also make it difficult to see well enough to avoid hazards and perform well. With cataract surgery, you can enjoy your hobbies again because you’ll be able to see without cataracts getting in your way! Instead of worrying about your vision, you can live in the moment and have fun again.
5. Feel Safe
People with advanced cataracts are at an increased risk of injury. Even navigating your home can be difficult when you can’t see well.
If you’ve fallen or tripped because you couldn’t see something in your way because of your cataracts, it’s time to consider cataract surgery. With cataract surgery, you will be able to see anything in your way and feel safer.
You can go around your home and anywhere else without worrying about injury due to poor vision! You may also feel more comfortable leaving your house after the procedure, which will help you feel more social and happier.
6. See Better than Ever
With cataract surgery, you may be able to see better than you could before having cataracts. Thanks to an advanced IOL, your vision after cataract surgery has the potential to be more vivid and clearer.
St. Luke’s Eye offers our patients different cataract surgery packages featuring advanced IOLs that can provide crisp, clear vision. With one of these lenses, you’ll see everything more clearly, making everything you do far more enjoyable, from spending time with your grandchildren to hiking, sailing, and all your other favorite activities!
Advanced IOL options available at St. Luke’s Eye include:
Toric IOL
Toric IOLs are designed specifically to correct astigmatism. They are an excellent option for reducing astigmatism and improving vision.
PanOptix Trifocal
The trifocal lens is an advanced lens that allows you to see clearly up close, far away, and at a middle distance. Patients with trifocal lenses see especially well up close and at arm’s length, often entirely eliminating the need for reading glasses.
Vivity
The Vivity lens is an extended depth of focus lens, which helps you see well within a continuous range of vision rather than just at set focal points. It also reduces visual aberrations because light bends around the lens rather than splitting.
Light Adjustable Lens (LAL)
The Light Adjustable Lens is the only IOL that offers fully customized vision. Like all IOLs, it is implanted during cataract surgery, but once you’ve healed from the procedure, your ophthalmologist at St. Luke’s Eye can use UV light to change the shape of the lens to suit your exact visual needs.
With any of these IOL options, you’ll be able to see better than ever after cataract surgery! Are you ready for better vision? Take the next step by requesting your appointment today at St. Luke’s Eye in Clearwater, FL!
