Don't Fear Surgery As Cataract Treatment

Though it may sound hard, cataracts can not be treated with drugs, eye drops, nutritional supplements, physical exercises or enhanced visual aids. While wearing more powerful eyeglasses and using enhanced lighting can be of help during the early stages of cataract, with time, the disorder progresses and vision gradually deteriorates further. This can make doing normal duties very difficult. This is the time when the trouble-causing cataract should be removed.

There is only one line of therapy when it comes to cataract treatment, and that is surgery. There are many who believe that cataract is a function of age and try to take it in their stride. But the good news is that cataract surgery is one of the simplest yet most effective methods to remove cataract and restore vision. Since all Americans who are above 65, suffer from some kind of blurred vision and 70% of those over 75 years of age have their vision under jeopardy, due to cataract, it is no wonder that cataract surgery is one of the most common forms of surgery in the United States and done with such proficiency.

The primary goal of a cataract surgery is to remove the cloudy lens and insert a lens implant in its place. These implant lenses are called intraocular lens or IOL. This kind of surgery is usually done by an eye doctor called an ophthalmologist. The success rates are very high with cataract surgery - nearly 95% of people who have had their cataracts removed by surgery have recovered their lost vision.

Cataract surgery need not be done immediately after cataract is diagnosed. You will normally have plenty of time to decide on the options. You will have to discuss with your eye doctor, whether the condition of the cataract has indeed reached a state where it has to be operated upon. Since cataract will not blind you immediately, you will continue to live your normal life for many years, despite having cataract.

People who are comparatively younger or are diabetics, cataracts are known to advance very rapidly, which makes surgery an imminent step. The choice of surgery for cataract treatment has to be taken keeping mind the stage of its evolution and how much it is affecting your normal life. For instance, an older person may not have similar need of a sharp vision as a younger person, who needs to drive to work everyday. Then there are situations where cataract treatment needs surgery if the patient complains of double vision or high level of glare. Cataract surgery is also inevitable, when it interferes with other eye treatments, like macular degeneration, retinal tear, diabetic retinopathy, etc.