What Are Cataracts?
Cataracts are a common eye condition characterized by clouding of the eye’s lens, the transparent film that focuses the images as seen by the eye on the light-sensitive retina at the back of the eye. This condition usually occurs when proteins form abnormal clumps in the lens. When these clumps enlarge, they begin to interfere with vision by distorting the passage of light through the lens. The result is an increasing cloudiness that affects vision, especially at night.
At Sweeney Eye Associates, cataract surgery and diagnosis is one of our specialties. In fact, Drs. Sweeney and Venincasa have received specialized training in cataract surgery, ensuring you’re in the best hands when it comes to addressing this common vision problem.
What Are The Causes Of Cataracts?
The effects of aging, combined with lifelong sun exposure, cause cataracts to develop usually beginning around age 40. The cloudiness progresses slowly, not usually affecting vision until after the age of 60. Other contributing factors to the development of cataracts are smoking, eye trauma, chronic diabetes, radiation treatments, and corticosteroid medications. Cataracts can be present in infants at birth, usually due to infection, but those cases are very rare.
What Are Cataract Symptoms?
Typically, cataracts manifest no symptoms until the protein clumps have grown large enough to affect the patient’s vision. Because the development is very gradual, patients often don’t realize they have cataracts. But when they reach a certain point of development, various symptoms will show themselves: cloudy, blurry vision; double vision; seeing halos around lights; inability to see bright color; increased sensitivity to glare; and distortion, which can be akin to looking at the world through a veil.
How are cataracts treated?
At Sweeney Eye Associates, we offer laser assisted cataract surgery using the LENSAR® Laser System. This technology is specifically designed for cataract surgery, this femtosecond laser allows our cataract surgeons to create the optimal corneal incision, gently fragment your cloudy eye lens and remove it in a more precise and efficient manner than the traditional manual method. The cloudy lens is removed and the new intraocular lens (IOL) is placed through the same corneal incision.
Are You Having The Onset Of Cataracts?
What Are IOLs?
At Sweeney Eye Associates, in addition to the safety and precision of laser-assisted cataract removal, we offer multiple lens implant options (IOLs) for our patients undergoing advanced cataract surgery’s including the latest premium lens implants, allowing patients to see far, near and everything in-between with little to no dependance on glasses, contacts, readers or bifocals.
At Sweeney Eye Associates, we will discuss all your options for your cataract IOL replacement. We’ll show you all the options out there and help you choose a lenses that is best for your personal best vision.
Read Our Reviews
After suffering with cataracts, I chose Sweeney Eye Associates for my cataract surgery. I elected to undergo laser cataract surgery with an upgraded lens implant. Now I can see at all distances, even up close without glasses!
Joseph B.
Cataract Patient
Read Our Reviews
I have worn thick glasses or hard contacts my entire life! After undergoing surgical vision correction with Refractive Lens Exchange, I can see young again! No Glasses, No Contacts, No Problems!
Jennifer S.
Refractive Lens Exchange Patient
What is the treatment for cataracts?
There is no treatment for cataracts. The only remedy is to have the clouded natural lens surgically removed and replaced with an intraocular artificial lens. The severity of your vision impairment is the deciding factor. When everyday actions like driving at night and recognizing faces becomes difficult, it is time to opt for surgery with Dr. Sweeney or Dr. Venincasa. If you have cataracts in both eyes, the surgery is performed separately for each eye, allowing the first eye to recover with its new lens before removing the second bad lens. The second surgery will usually follow two to four weeks after the first.
What can I expect after my cataract surgery?
Cataract surgery is usually an outpatient procedure performed under local anesthesia. The procedure often takes no longer than 10 minutes to perform. Then, you will recover for 30 minutes or so and be taken home (you can’t drive yourself) with a pair of dark sunglasses to protect your eye from bright light. At home you will wear a protective shield over your eye when you sleep.
Many patients report clear vision within several hours after cataract surgery, but everyone heals differently. It can take a week or two to really see things in the sharpest focus. Until then, there can be some blurry vision, as your eye adjusts to the removal of the cataract and the intraocular lens that replaced it. There is not usually any pain associated with recovery.
