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NEED HELP? If you
have questions and need answers, give us a call 814-536-5343
or send us an email. |
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INFO FOR YOU (CATARACT) |
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| Description |
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Inside your eye is a lens,
much like the lens of a camera. Located behind
the iris, the lens focuses incoming light rays
through the pupil onto the retina at the back of
the eye.
Your lens must remain clear for the light to
pass through and reach the retina. When the lens
of the eye becomes cloudy or opaque, light is
unable to pass through the lens and vision dims
or blurs. A lens that has become cloudy is
called a cataract. Cloudiness of the lens
usually occurs with age.
A cataract is not a growth or film over the eye.
It is a cloudiness of the natural lens inside
your eye.
By far, the most common cause of cataracts is
the deterioration of the normal structure within
the lens of the eye as a person ages. |
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TREATMENT
The need to have surgery is best determined by
consulting your doctor.
The best time for removing your cataract depends
on how the impairment of your vision handicaps
your own lifestyle.
Once you have decided to proceed with surgery,
you will need to get a physical examination by
your primary care physician.
You will need to take eye drops before and after
the surgery.
Once you are in the operating room, the area
around your eye will be thoroughly cleaned.
Then, sterile drapes will be placed around your
head and face, exposing only the eye to be
operated on. An IV will bring medications to you
that help you relax easily throughout the
surgery.
The actual surgery can take from 10 minutes to
much longer depending upon the complexity of
your case. A small incision is made in the clear
part of the eye called the cornea. Using a
technique called phacoemulsification, the
cataract is removed from inside through that
incision. Then, the implant/lens is placed
inside the eye through that same incision.
After the surgery, you will wear protective
glasses and begin using your prescribed eye
drops.
You will be seen within the next few days and then again
approximately a week after surgery. The other
eye may be having surgery as well, which
generally occurs within approximately two weeks.
NEW DIRECTIONS
New innovations are always occurring in
ophthalmology. You may have read about or have
friends who have had implanted specialized
lenses which can either (1) correct astigmatism
or (2) reduce the need for both distance and
reading glasses following cataract surgery.
As discussed above, the implant is placed in the
eye after the cataract is removed.
Newer-type implants have been modified with the
goal of eliminating or significantly reducing the
need for vision-correcting glasses after
cataract surgery.
These types of implants are called Crystalens,
Restor, ReZoom, and Toric lenses.
To see if you are a candidate for these, take
the survey included in the FORMS section. Bring
it to your appointment, and discuss your
questions with your doctor. |
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| Video of an
actual Cataract Surgery |
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Watch Now>> |
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| Video
Animation of Cataract Surgery |
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Watch the animation now>> |
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