Treatment for Your Cataracts

Are you tired of viewing the world through clouded lenses? The eye doctors at Brandon Eye Associates in Brandon, FL, discuss cataracts cataractsand explain how cataract treatment can improve your vision.

What are cataracts?

A cataract affects the lens of your eye. The lens, a transparent disc located behind your iris, focuses light on your retina, enabling you to see clearly. As you age, cells in the lens begin to die and clump together, causing the lens to become cloudy. When this happens, your vision can become blurry.

Who gets cataracts?

Aging is an important contributing factor in cataract formation. Cataracts can begin to form as early as your 40s or 50s, although at this point, most are small and don't cause significant problems. As you get older, cataracts gradually worsen and make certain activities difficult, such as reading or driving.

You may be more likely to develop cataracts if you smoke, have diabetes, took a steroid medication for a long time, experienced extensive exposure to the sun, or had an eye injury, inflammation or surgery in the past.

What are the symptoms of cataracts?

In addition to blurred vision, cataract symptoms include:

  • Glare or halos around lights, particularly at night
  • Faded colors
  • Double vision in one eye
  • Increased sensitivity to glare and light
  • Difficulty reading in low light
  • The need to change your eyeglass or contact lens prescription often

How are cataracts treated?

When your cataract is small, you can do a few simple things to manage your symptoms, such as using brighter lights when you read, visiting our Brandon office for a new eyeglass prescription, or buying a pair of sunglasses with anti-glare lenses.

If your cataract is large, and you have difficulty performing your usual activities, surgery may be recommended. During cataract surgery, your lens is removed and replaced with an artificial lens called an intraocular lens implant. Surgery is performed on an outpatient basis and only requires a local anesthetic. Most people notice an improvement in their vision just a few hours after surgery, although it may take a week or two to experience sharp vision.

Do your cataracts keep you from doing the things you want to do? Surgery can improve your vision. Call eye doctors at Brandon Eye Associates in Brandon, FL, at (813) 684-2211 to schedule an appointment to discuss your options.

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