THE PATIENT’S GUIDE TO CATARACTS: The Symptoms, Risks, and Surgical Treatment

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Table of Contents

Causes of Cataracts ........................................... 3 Symptoms of Cataracts ...................................... 4 Diagnosis of Cataracts ....................................... 5 Cataract Treatment Options................................ 5

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Causes of Cataracts You’ve probably heard of cataracts and might even recognize the disease if you saw someone suffering from it. Advanced cataracts are fairly obvious, characterized by a tell-tale milky or yellowish clouding over the lens in the eye. But would you recognize the symptoms of cataracts if you had them yourself? Cataracts are formed by protein deposits that build up in the eye’s lens. The protein creates a distinctive clouding that blocks light from reaching the retina. Cataracts appear most frequently in people over the age of 55, but about 20 percent of cataract sufferers are younger than that. Virtually anyone can suffer from cataracts, and the treatment is typically the same regardless of age. This e-book details cataract symptoms, the causes, how they are diagnosed, and treatment options that help cataract sufferers enjoy clear vision once again. Let’s get started.

Part 1: Causes of Cataracts Cataracts develop when protein in the eye breaks up and causes protein deposits to form in the lens. Researchers aren’t entirely sure what causes the protein to break up in the first place, although age is a significant factor. There are a number of factors that may speed cataract formation, including diabetes, smoking, excess sunlight exposure, and long-term use of certain medications. All of these causes are related to the excessive production of oxygen free radicals, which also form naturally as we age. Exposure to toxins, smoking, infections, and ultraviolet radiation from sunlight can create chemical reactions that result in the over-production of oxygen free radicals. According to recent research, this can lead to a number of illnesses and diseases including cataracts. Glutathione, an important antioxidant found in high levels in the eyes, can help destroy these free radicals that may cause cataracts. Glutathione contains sulfur, a sticky chemical that tends to attract and capture free radicals and toxins. Glutathione is normally recycled in the body, but you can take certain actions to help your body produce more of it. Eating foods like garlic, onions, and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale, and collard greens can boost glutathione production. Incorporating 30 minutes of aerobic exercise into your day and 20 minutes of strength training three times a week is another good way to increase glutathione levels.

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Symptoms of Cataracts As we age, glutathione has more trouble reaching the nucleus in the lens of the eye. This combination of excessive free radicals and less glutathione may speed cataract formation. Cataracts may also be caused by eye injuries, chronic eye inflammation due to a rare autoimmune response, and certain glaucoma treatments. In addition, medicines may lead to cataract formation such as corticosteroids, antipsychotic medications like chlorpromazine, and psoralens which are drugs used to treat some skin disorders. There is also a hereditary factor involved in cataract formation. If cataracts run in your family, you may have a higher risk of developing them. In many cases, the causes of cataracts are unknown.

Part 2: Symptoms of Cataracts Cataracts may cause different symptoms in different people, but they all have one common theme: a loss of clear vision. Cataracts are painless. They develop in each eye separately and cannot spread from person to person, or from eye to eye, although most people who develop cataracts do get them in both eyes. In the early stages, cataracts may cause increased nearsightedness. Older people may notice they don’t need reading glasses for up-close vision anymore, but they now require glasses for distance or their prescription for corrective lenses for distance has increased. As cataracts continue to progress, both near and distant vision will appear cloudy or blurry. Reading becomes more difficult with less contrast between the letters on the page and the background. Even if you are outside on a sunny day, it may seem as if you are living life in the dark with the lights dimmed to 50 or as little as 10 percent power. In fact, lamps, headlights, and even the sun may cause you to squint since intense light can cause glare if you suffer from cataracts. At night, halos may also appear around lights. These symptoms can make driving difficult, and many people finally seek treatment for their cataracts when it becomes too difficult to drive. Colors may also be effected with dark blues and purples appearing black. As color vibrancy diminishes, images may begin to look yellow. Some people with cataracts may also experience double vision. Finally, in the later stages, nearly complete blindness may occur where the patient can only distinguish light from dark. If you experience any of these symptoms, regardless of your age, it’s important to see an eye doctor as soon as you can. You are never too young to have cataracts, and most cataracts can be treated quickly and easily with outpatient surgery.

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Diagnosis of Cataracts In the past, patients had to wait until cataracts ripened in order to receive treatment. Thanks to today’s surgical techniques, cataracts can now be treated much earlier. There’s no need to suffer from vision loss caused by cataracts, so you should see an eye doctor about treatment as soon as you begin experiencing symptoms that affect your daily life.

Part 3: Diagnosis of Cataracts It is easy and painless for an eye doctor to diagnose cataracts during a routine eye exam. Cataracts will most likely be detected during a visual acuity test, although the eye doctor will also measure eye pressure and dilate the pupils to examine the front and back of the eyes more closely.

Vision Impared by Cataracts

Corrected Vision

Part 4: Cataract Treatment Options In their early stages, cataracts may need no treatment at all. They are painless and don’t cause permanent harm to the eye, so as long as the patient can see well, no action is needed. When vision impairment becomes a problem, there are a variety of temporary treatments that can be administered. Surgery is the only way to permanently treat cataracts, but today’s cataract surgeries are exceptionally safe and very common.

Non-Surgical Cataract Treatments

A change in eyeglass prescription can counteract the loss of vision caused by cataracts in their early stages. Your eye doctor may also recommend better lighting for everyday vision, magnifying lenses for reading, or wearing sunglasses for better vision in bright light. Wearing sunglasses that block UV rays may also slow the formation of cataracts since doing so may help prevent the formation of cataractcausing free radicals.

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Cataract Treatment Options Cataract Surgery

As vision deteriorates, leading to an inability to perform everyday tasks such as reading or driving, you and your eye doctor will probably want to discuss surgical treatment options.

Preparing for Cataract Surgery

Cataract surgery is an outpatient procedure with extremely high success rates and few risks of side effects which makes it a common treatment for cataracts. In cataract surgery, a synthetic lens is implanted in the eye to replace the cataract. The professionals at Kremer Eye Center offer a mild anesthesia to relax the patient, and then apply topical anesthetic drops to the eye. This process, pioneered at Kremer Eye Center, eliminates the need for injections which could cause bruising, discomfort, and soreness. If a patient is taking aspirin or blood thinners, there is no need to stop prior to cataract surgery. If a patient has cataracts in both eyes, only one eye will be treated at a time. Two weeks after the first cataract surgery, if the eye has healed properly and vision is restored, the doctor will perform cataract surgery on the second eye. You should be prepared to have someone to drive you home after your cataract surgery.

What Happens During Surgery? During surgery, the eye surgeon makes a small opening in the eye and uses ultrasonic vibrations in a process called phacoemulsification to dissolve and remove the cataract from the eye. The surgeon then implants a synthetic lens.

Most patients select a monofocal intraocular lens (IOL) which offers sharp distance vision, often 20/20. The power of the lens is calculated in the same way the power or prescription of corrective lenses (glasses or contacts) is calculated. Patients who receive this kind of lens will usually have very sharp distance vision, but will still need to wear glasses for reading and other near-vision activities. If you also have astigmatism, this can be treated with the implantation of a special toric lens which manipulates light to resolve the distortion and blurriness caused by astigmatism.

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Cataract Treatment Options A variety of advanced IOLs are also available which can eliminate the need for reading glasses and provide better intermediate vision for activities such as looking at a computer monitor. These advanced lenses, including toric lenses, are not covered by most vision insurance plans, but patients can pay the price difference between regular IOLs and advanced IOLs.

Treating Posterior Capsular Opacity

In about 30 percent of cases, secondary cataracts or posterior capsular opacity occur following surgery. This condition is treated with a simple, one-minute outpatient procedure that uses a laser to make a tiny hole in the remaining lens capsule, permitting light through. This procedure is called a YAG laser capsulotomy.

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Is Cataract Surgery For You?

Only you and your eye doctor, together, can make the decision on whether cataract surgery is the right choice for you. Most patients who have cataract surgery do not regret the decision. B.A., a Kremer patient says, “On the way home after cataract surgery, I remember saying to my husband, ‘I could have driven if I had to.’ I had gone from a -8 contact lens in my right eye to 20/20. Most important, colors are much more vibrant now. I am now seeing leaves on a tree that’s a block away. As a nurse, I drive a lot, sometimes 50 or more miles per day going to people’s homes, and the strain on me is so much less now that I can see so clearly.”

Cataract Surgery was a life-changing experience; smooth and painless.

“We are now enjoying a whole new level of reading, watching television, and driving without the need for glasses,” F.R. commented on both her own and her husband’s decision to undergo cataract surgery. “It was a life-changing experience,” patient Jim Di Stefano noted, calling his cataract surgery, “smooth and painless.”

If you believe yourself or a loved one may have cataracts and would like to learn more or understand your treatment options, please click here or call 866-270-2773 (3937) to schedule a free consultation.

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