Cataract Surgery
A cataract refers to the condition which occurs when the lens inside the eye clouds over, leading to a blurred and decreased field of vision. The clouding or misting of the lens prevents light from passing through the eye and being focused onto the retina. Vision loss is gradual as the cataract grows bigger, until eventually, all light is obstructed. Nothing is more precious than our eye sight. Our eyes allow us to enjoy the beauty of the world around us. So much of what we learn, what we experience, and what we enjoy, comes to us through our eyes. As you look at the world around you, think of how valuable your vision is. Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss for people all around the world. For people who have cataracts, seeing through a cloudy lens, is like looking through a foggy window. While there is no way to prevent Cataracts, you can slow their progression by wearing UV protected sunglasses, eating healthily, quitting smoking, and taking nutritional supplements (when recommended by your doctor). It's also important, that you continue to monitor Cataract development, by visiting your eye care professional for annual eye exams. Surgery is the only effective treatment as the lens in the eye will need to be removed and replaced. If your loss of vision begins to affect daily activities, this will likely be the recommendation of your optician or ophthalmologist. At Exeter Eye our surgeons have many years of experience in assessing cataracts and giving individualised advice on when the time is right to consider surgery. Fortunately, cataract surgery is relatively quick, straightforward and painless. Cataract surgery is performed under local anaesthetic by our highly experienced ophthalmic surgeons and only takes a few minutes. Your surgeon will use state-of-the-art ultrasound technology to safely remove the cataract from your eye. They will then carefully replace it with a clear artificial lens. The operation is completely painless, and will most likely be over before you know it. And thanks to the advanced cataract surgery techniques used by Exeter Eye, we may even be able to correct other vision problems at the same time. When your cataract is removed it is replaced by a plastic intraocular lens (IOL). If you suffer from long-sightedness, short-sightedness or astigmatism we may be able to help correct your focusing error during your cataract surgery, greatly reducing your dependence on glasses or contact lenses. We also offer the Symfony lens, which gives you an extended depth of focus, so that your need for glasses after surgery is very small. The Symfony and Symfony toric lens implants are giving patients the opportunity to live relatively glasses free after cataract surgery, which most patients find very liberating. After your cataract surgery, you will be able to go home almost straight away. You should see an improvement in your vision within the first few days and will be able to resume normal activities after a couple of days too. You will be given eye drops to use for 4 weeks to help your eyes heal. Your surgeon will only carry out cataract surgery on one eye at a time. Should you need cataract surgery for both eyes, you can have your second cataract operation after two to four weeks.