Cataract Removal (No Needle, No Stitches)
Cataract Removal (No Needle, No Stitches)
Cataracts are the leading cause of visual loss in adults 55 and over. 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 — focusing light images on the retina, which sends images to the brain. The human lens can become so clouded it prevents light and images from reaching the retina. A cataract can be the reason sharp objects become blurred, bright colors become dull, or seeing at night is more difficult. It may also be why reading glasses or bifocals that used to help you no longer seem to be effective.
Cataracts cannot be prevented nor can diet or lasers make them go away. Eye injury, certain diseases, or even some medications can cause clouding, but the majority of cataracts are simply a result of the natural aging process. 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.
Cataract surgery is one of the most effective surgical procedures. The operation entails making a tiny incision in the eye and inserting an instrument about the size of a pen tip to break up and remove the cloudy lens. Once the cloudy lens is removed, a cataract replacement lens or IOL (intraocular lens) is inserted through the same tiny incision and set into its permanent position. It usually takes 20 to 30 minutes or less and most patients are back to their normal activities the very next day.
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