Everyone eventually develops cataracts. Often, however, the growth of the cataract is so slow that people do not even realize their vision has deteriorated until something they need or like to do is limited by poor vision.
For some it is reading, others driving, could even be something like golf or completing crossword puzzles. Because the change in vision is so gradual many people are convinced it is the world, not their vision that has changed. I often hear such comments as “Those charts in the DMV are smaller than they used to be,” or “The newspapers must be trying to save money on ink, because it’s not as dark as it used to be.” When I hear these things, I can pretty much be certain I’m about to diagnose a cataract before even examining the patient.
In medicine, we call these things that people like or need to do: “activities of daily living.” When these activities are limited by vision and the vision cannot be corrected with spectacles or contact lenses and a cataract is present, it may be time to consider cataract surgery..
Typical symptoms of cataracts include: blurred vision, cloudy vision, glare or halos around lights at night, and the sense that colors are not as vibrant as they should be. As the cataract progresses, it begins to filter out blue light resulting in a yellowing of the world around us. Some people have described their vision before having cataract surgery as similar to looking “through a dirty windshield.”
Fortunately, with modern cataract surgery techniques, we no longer have to wait until the cataract is “ripe.” If you are having difficulty with your activities of daily living and your eye surgeon or cataract surgeon feels that you have a significant cataract, then most insurances including Medicare will cover the procedure and the standard intraocular lens that is used to replace the cataract. We’ll discuss this in more detail later.
David D. Richardson, M.D. is Medical Director of the San Gabriel Valley Eye Associates, Inc. He received his doctorate in medicine from Harvard Medical School, is Board Certified, is licensed in the State of California, and has performed over 2,000 cataract surgeries. He is taking new patients (even those without cataracts), and is always willing to furnish a second opinion for those who would like the peace-of-mind that such a consultation would provide. In his spare time Dr. Richardson enjoys sharing his thoughts about cataract surgery and disorders of the eye on his blog: http://www.about-eyes.com
