Cataract Surgery

A cataract is a common condition that occurs when the lens in your eye becomes cloudy and hard. The lens is the clear part of the eye that helps focus images. Cataracts can cause problems such as blurred or dulled vision, sensitivity to light and glare, and seeing shadows or halos.

Most people develop cataracts simply as a result of aging. Other risk factors include eye injury or disease, a family history of cataracts, smoking or use of certain medications.



A cataract will get worse if not removed. Surgery is the only way to remove your cataract. It is your choice as to if and when to have the surgery.

Cataract surgery is one of the most successful and frequently performed surgeries in the country. The procedure itself takes about 15 minutes but you should plan to be in the ambulatory surgery center for 2 hours.

When you arrive at the surgery center, you will receive drops and mild sedation through an IV to minimize any discomfort. During the operation, a microscopic incision is made in the eye. The surgeon will use a tiny instrument to remove your clouded lens. The lens will be replaced with an intraocular lens (IOL) through the same small incision. An intraocular lens (IOL) is a clear plastic artificial lens.

Cataract surgery only corrects vision problems caused by cataracts. This surgery cannot correct vision problems caused by glaucoma, diabetes, macular degeneration, or other eye illnesses or injuries.



Risks from cataract surgery include infection, inflammation, bleeding, decreased vision, vision loss, blindness, droopy eyelid, high eye pressure, and need for further surgery. The IOL may be too weak or too strong. The eye surgeon may not be able to insert the IOL of your choice. The IOL may need to be replaced or repositioned months or years after the surgery.

The most common IOL is “monofocal” (one focus) lens. This helps improve vision for either distance or near. You will probably need glasses to see clearly at other distances. 

In the past, intraocular lenses were only able to correct distance vision, often leaving patients with the need for reading glasses. There are other lenses that can fix both distance and near vision. Medicare and private insurances do not pay for these lenses. Your eye surgeon will let you know if you have astigmatism or presbyopia. You will be given more information if you are interested in these treatments.

“Multifocal” IOLs offer patients more freedom from glasses after cataract surgery by improving vision at all distances. Although this lens will minimize your dependence on glasses, it is still possible to need glasses for some tasks some of the time.

“Toric” IOLs treat astigmatism. Astigmatism is when your eye is shaped more like a football than a basketball. The advantage to this lens upgrade is that, because it significantly reduces or eliminates astigmatism, you will be much less dependent on glasses following surgery for distance.

You will be given prescription eye drops, which need to be used for four weeks following the procedure. The physician will examine your eyes several times to ensure that your eye is healing well. Everyone has a different healing time. While some patients heal quickly, others may take more than a month. It is normal to have blurry or fluctuating vision and mild discomfort after surgery. The eye might have redness, mild watering, minor irritation, glare and slight drooping of the upper eyelid.

Please schedule an appointment with us to determine if you are a candidate for cataract surgery.