Surgical Treatments
Cataract Surgery
Cataract surgery should be considered whenever cataracts cause enough loss of vision to interfere with daily activities.
What is a cataract?
A cataract is opacity or clouding of a part of the eye, called the lens, which is normally transparent. The cloudiness interferes with the way light passes through the lens to the back of the eye. This causes patients to have blurred vision, or possibly “see double”. Colour vision may be affected or patients may experience difficulty seeing in bright light. These symptoms often gradually develop over months or years. Surgery is used to treat cataracts, involving an operation to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with a clear artificial replacement, known as an intraocular lens (IOL).
What is Cataract Surgery?
The surgery involves removing the diseased lens and replacing it with a lens implant called an intraocular lens (IOL). Your surgeon may choose to use one of the intraocular lenses made by Bausch & Lomb.
How Does it Work?
Typically this operation is done on an outpatient basis, under local anaesthesia, so you can go home the same day as the surgery. While you will be awake during surgery, you will not have to worry about keeping your eye open -- and you will not be able to see the actual surgery. Although cataracts may develop simultaneously in both eyes, your surgeon will operate on one eye and allow it to heal before operating on the other.
Will It Correct Your Vision?
Assuming the eye is otherwise healthy, cataract surgery improves vision in the majority of cases.
