Hide this image
Procedures for people from 60 to 80 years old
Premium Lenses
New intraocular lens technologies such as pseudoaccomodative lenses (eg. Crystalens) or multifocal lenses (eg. ReSTOR, Tecnis) are used for treating cataracts and can provide good vision at both distance and near. People undergoing cataract surgery have a great advantage when choosing these advanced technology lenses in that they usually are no longer required to wear glasses at all times when trying to see up close and far away.
In many cases, people who have difficulty with reading are not yet considered to be candidates for cataract surgery. The natural lens in their eye is still clear but is no longer able to allow focus on near objects. In cases such as this, the surgeon may suggest an elective form of surgery known as a refractive lens exchange. Similar to cataract surgery, the patient's natural lens is replaced with an intraocular lens. This artificial lens is chosen to provide better near vision than is obtained by the person's own natural lens.
Select a Premium Lenses procedure for more information:
Cataracts
As you age past 60, you will more than likely develop cataracts. By age 60 more than 50 percent of people have some degree of cataract and this percentage increases with age. Some individuals develop cataracts at even younger age. It is quite normal and almost always treatable with corrective surgery in one or both eyes. As the eye ages, the crystalline lens develops cloudy protein deposits that interfere with sight to varying degrees. Cataracts usually progress slowly and vision loss gradually increases with time if left untreated.
Some of the symptoms that cataracts are developing include decreasing, blurred or double vision, difficulty seeing at night or seeing halos in bright light, difficulty with depth perception, muted colors, and difficulty reading. The development of cataracts is sometimes unavoidable as it can be caused simply by aging, or hereditary conditions, but it can also be caused by eye trauma, diabetes, long term use of some medications like oral steroids, ultraviolet radiation, and smoking. If you are experiencing some of the symptoms of a cataract, you should visit your eye doctor so he or she can perform a complete eye exam including a contrast sensitivity test. This will determine the degree to which the cataract is affecting your vision and will determine how soon you should treat your cataract. Once a cataract starts altering your vision enough to affect everyday activities, it is probably time for treatment since it will only get worse. Currently the only medical treatment for cataracts is to have them surgically removed.
Cataract Eye Surgery
Surgically removing a cataract is usually done on an outpatient basis and involves making an incision into the capsule of the cataractous lens in order to remove the lens. A topical or local anesthetic will be applied, as well as dilating eye drops and/or a sedative, in order to make the operation painless. The doctor will choose to physically remove the cloudy lens, or to break it up using high frequency sound waves, and then extract the lens particles using suction. In either case, the lens is replaced with a new flexible lens that will remain permanently. These replacement lenses can be adjusted to correct other previous vision deficiencies as well.
Cataract surgery incisions are usually self-sealing and do not require sutures. When stitches are occasionally required for healing, they can be easily and painlessly removed in the office. Click here for more info.