Better than ever : The good news is that you are facing the problem of cataract at a time when the technology of intraocular lenses has made giant leaps ahead.
Better than ever

Significant technological advances have been made concerning cataract surgery, ever since the time of your parents and grandparents. This year, millions of patients will choose to restore their vision and way of life, thanks to this life changing medical procedure.

he good news is that you are facing the problem of cataract at a time when the technology of intraocular lenses has made giant leaps ahead. The goal anymore isn't to simply restore distant vision with a unifocal intraocular lens. Today, the goal is to strengthen your vision with an intraocular lens that will give you a full field of vision, thus minimizing your dependence on glasses, including reading glasses or bifocal lenses.

As soon as you understand what cataract is and how your vision can be improved with the intraocular lens, your worries about the diagnosis can truly be turned into enthusiasm.

How is cataract developed?

Cataract is a haze of the natural lens inside your eye. This lens, which is behind the iris (or the colored part of the eye) works exactly like the lens of a camera, focusing bright images on the retina, which, in turn, sends the images to your brain.

The human lens, consisted mainly of protein and water, can present some haze, in such a degree that the light and images are not allowed to reach the retina. Eye damage, certain disorders or even some medicine can cause this haze. In more than 90% of the cases, however, this haze is cause by the aging process. Cataract isn't a deposition in the eye and cannot be removed with diet or laser. The best way to treat cataract is to remove the old, hazy lens and to replace it with an artificial one.

Cataract can be the cause of the blurring of clear images, the dimming of bright colors or a decrease in vision at night. It is also possible that it is the reason why reading or bifocal glasses that used to help you read or perform simple tasks, cannot help you any longer. Unfortunately, it is not feasible to prevent cataract, but only to remove and replace it with an artificial lens which can restore your vision and significantly improve quality of life. The proper time to remove cataract is when the quality of your vision starts causing restrictions in your activities and your enjoyment of life.

Published Arkadikoi Orizontes in May 2009