Are You a Candidate?
The term “age-related” is a little misleading. You don’t have to be a senior citizen to get this type of cataract. In fact, people can have an age-related cataract in their 40s and 50s. But during middle age, most cataracts are small and do not affect vision. It is after age 60 that most cataracts become visually significant.
The risk of cataract increases as you get older. Risk factors for cataract include:
- – Certain diseases such as diabetes.
- – Personal behavior such as smoking and alcohol use.
- – The environment such as prolonged exposure to sunlight.
Prominent symptoms of significant cataracts include:
- – Cloudy or blurry vision.
- – Colors seem faded.
- – Glare. Headlights, lamps, or sunlight may appear too bright. A halo may appear around lights.
- – Poor night vision.
- – Double vision or multiple images in one eye. (This symptom may clear as the cataract gets larger.)
- – Frequent prescription changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses.
- – These symptoms also can be a sign of other eye problems. If you have any of these symptoms, check with your eye care professional.
Cataracts are not life-threatening and are not considered to be an emergency. Leaving the cataract alone and continuing to wait until your vision worsens is a viable option. Time is on your side. As long as you are not unhappy with your vision, leaving the cataract alone is acceptable and safe. If you choose to defer cataract surgery, your vision will remained blurred and the blur will only worsen as time passes. When your level of frustration with your blurred vision is no longer acceptable, and if you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, then you can choose to have cataract surgery done.
Cataract surgery is performed to improve your vision. Cataract surgery is indicated when one’s vision is sufficiently blurry to impair one’s ability to see comfortably to perform their usual activities. If you choose to improve your vision through cataract surgery, you have a choice of intraocular lens implant (IOL) that you will receive.
To see if you might be a candidate for cataract surgery, please take our:
To schedule an appointment, please call our office at 281-420-EYES(3937) or schedule online.
