Often, as you age, the lenses in your eyes become cloudy, and you may be diagnosed with a condition called cataracts. They grow slowly over time, so you may not notice changes in your vision for a while, but slowly, symptoms will increase. An optometrist on our team at Cataract & Eye Center in Cleburne, TX, and Glen Rose, TX, can help monitor your eyes for the development of your condition and discuss with you when it may be time for cataract surgery.
What Causes Cataracts?
They can happen when the protein and fibers in our eyes break down and form a cloudy haze on our eye's lens. The most common cause is simply due to aging.
However, an increased risk factor can be found in those with other eye conditions (like glaucoma), other health issues (such as diabetes), and those who are obese or smoke. Even children can get it.
Symptoms
Symptoms include blurry vision, seeing halos around lights, needing more light to read or do crafts, sensitivity to light, noticing things look faded or yellow, difficulty seeing at night, frequent changes in your eyeglass prescription, and possibly double vision.
Through regular visits, we can measure the growth of the eye condition and also prescribe a new prescription to reduce symptoms.
Do I Need Surgery from an Eye Doctor?
Doctors like to put the need for surgery more in the hands of the patient. For example, do you feel safe when driving at night? Can you do your job without the eye condition interfering? Are the symptoms starting to affect your independence? Once you have noticed your quality of life being affectet, it may be time to talk to an optometrist on our team about the next steps, which could include cataract surgery.
Cataract surgery is a procedure done by an ophthalmologist. The surgery itself is not long but, you must do things before the surgery to get ready. After the surgery, you may notice some discomfort, but that usually goes away after a few days. You may use a protective cover when sleeping to prevent scratching your eyes and keep dust particles out. You must also visit the ophthalmologist to make sure you are healing properly. If you have it in both eyes, you may have surgery on one, and then once that eye has healed, the eye doctor may perform surgery on your other eye.
Visit Us for More Information from an Optometrist on Our Optometry Team
Visit our optometry clinic, the Cataract & Eye Center, in (817) 641-2020 Cleburne, TX, and (254) 898-8733 Glen Rose, TX, so an eye doctor on our optometry team can help you decide when cataract surgery is necessary.