Cataract Surgery

A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens. It usually develops slowly with age, making vision blurry, colors dull and night driving harder, with more glare around lights.

What the surgery involves

Cataract surgery removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with a clear artificial lens, called an intraocular lens or IOL. It is one of the most common and successful surgeries in medicine. It usually takes less than half an hour, you go home the same day, and most people notice clearer vision within days.

Choosing your lens

The lens you choose shapes how you see for the rest of your life, so this is where I spend real time with each patient.

• Monofocal lenses give clear vision at one distance, usually far away, and most people still use reading glasses.
• Toric lenses also correct astigmatism.
• Extended depth of focus and multifocal lenses can provide a range of vision, from distance to computer to reading, with less need for glasses.
• The Light Adjustable Lens can be fine-tuned with light treatments after surgery, once your eye has healed, so your vision can be adjusted to what suits you best.

Your work, hobbies, driving at night, screen time and the overall health of your eye all factor into which lens fits you best.

Cataracts and the rest of your eye

Dry eye and other surface problems can affect the measurements used to choose your lens. I check and treat the ocular surface first, so your results are as sharp as possible.

This page shares general information, not personal medical advice. Your own eye doctor can tell you which options are right for you.