Treatment for Cataracts
Pretty much everyone over age 50 knows about cataracts and cataract surgery, and has probably heard or read somewhere they have a high chance of developing them. It’s become a real elderly issue. You probably know someone who has received treatment for cataracts, but you may not be sure just what that is. As the average life expectancy increases, the number of cases of cataracts also increases. We’ve mentioned that for elderly people over age 65, about 50 percent will develop cataracts. It’s been estimated that cataract surgery is the most common surgery covered by Medicare. By age 75, just about everybody has one – with varying degrees of seriousness. Some never need treatment for cataracts. So it’s smart to be informed in advance about this elderly health care matter. 
Treatment for cataracts or cataract eye surgery is not necessary yet when a cataract first forms. It may not even be obvious for a long time. Even with some blurry vision, patients are able to adjust for awhile by using vision aids, sunglasses, and changing their prescription. But there comes a point when cataracts may begin to interfere with daily functioning in life. The only effective treatment for cataracts is cataract eye surgery. Other options such as nutrition, medications and exercise, are not effective for cataracts. If you have cataracts in both eyes, most doctors will recommend doing only one eye at a time. The second eye would be treated a month or two later. Cataract eye surgery is believed to be one of the most common types of surgery in the U.S., and has an excellent success rate when cataracts are not problematic with other diseases. It is one of the safest surgical procedures. After cataract removal, the cataract does not come back. You probably did not know that almost 3 million Americans receive cataract surgery every year. There’s over a 95 percent success rate for cataract removal, with vision restored to 20/20 to 20/40. There are very few cataract surgery risks, and most are minor. At the beginning of the treatment, your eyes will be given numbing and antibiotic drops, dilated, and your eyelids will be propped open with a small device. The doctor uses a small instrument about the size of a pen to make a tiny incision. Ultrasonic waves are then sent into the eye, which breaks up the lens so it can be removed. The artificial IOL is then inserted. It takes about 30 minutes. Because of the small incision and no need for stitches, you will probably be able to resume much of your normal daily activity the next day after cataract removal.
The newer type of artificial lens now used is called multi-focal intraocular lenses. It works similar to a bifocal or trifocal, allowing the patient to be able to focus both near and far. Previous IOLs were only fixed-focus, allowing only faraway vision. So the patient would still need bifocals or reading glasses after cataract removal. With this type of lens, reading vision may also improve. Previous prescriptions glasses are usually no longer needed. A week after Jean, age 78, had her cataract surgery, she could not believe how well she could see, and only occasionally used reading glasses for small print. Although she had been petrified before surgery, she admitted it was extremely easy and her fears were unnecessary.
My eye doctor told me that the surgeon will implant a lens with your own prescription, thus correcting your vision. Reading glasses are sometimes needed, but not always. Even if you are legally blind, your vision greatly improves. This was of great interest to me, but he assured me no doctor would perform surgery just to implant corrective lenses, when the eye is not diseased and does not need it. Another, now less common treatment for cataracts is called extracapsular cataract extraction or ECCE. This cataract eye surgery also uses an unfoldable artificial intraocular lens. The incision is larger and stitches are necessary. Recuperation time, therefore, is longer. This procedure may be used if the patient has hard cataracts or other eye or health issues along with cataracts. Intra-capsular extraction is an older and outdated and rarely used because of higher risk of complications. A large incision is needed, and a plastic lens is implanted. Sometimes pressure to the vitreous body of the eye occurs, which also causes complications. Return from Treatment for Cataracts, copyright 2009-2011, OneSong, LLC
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