Cataract Surgery in Portland OR
A cataract is a common condition that causes a clouding of the eye’s natural lens, and affects millions of people each year, including more than half of all Americans over the age of 65. Cloudiness develops as a result of a buildup of protein in the lens.
Cataracts cause a progressive, painless loss of vision. The lens clouds naturally as we age, causing people over the age of 65 to see a gradual reduction of vision. However, cataracts are not considered part of the natural aging process and are a serious condition that requires prompt medical attention. The exact cause of cataracts is unknown, although it may be a result of injury, certain medications, illnesses (such as diabetes), prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light and smoking.
We invite you to contact our Portland office today to schedule an appointment and learn more about Cataract Surgery.
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Signs & Symptoms of Cataracts
Patients with cataracts often do not experience any symptoms when the condition first develops. Cataracts will continue to progress with no apparent pain, although patients may experience:
- Blurred or hazy vision
- Double vision
- Poor vision in bright light
- Seeing halos around lights
- Poor vision at night
- Yellowish tinged vision
- Frequent changes in eyeglasses or contact lens prescription
What Does Cataract Surgery Involve?
Cataract surgery is a minimally invasive procedure that involves numbing the eyes with anesthesia and then making a tiny incision into which an ultrasonic probe is inserted. The probe breaks up, or emulsifies, the cloudy lens into tiny pieces and then suctions them out of the eye. Once the cloudy lens has been removed, a new artificial lens is implanted into the eye. This lens is known as an intraocular lens (IOL), and can often be inserted through the same incision that the old lens was removed from.
How Long Is The Cataract Surgery Procedure?
Surgery usually takes only a few minutes to perform and is painless for most patients. After the procedure, a patch may be placed over the eye and you will be asked to rest for a while.
What Is Cataract Surgery Recovery Like?
Patients can return home the very same day but will need someone to drive them home. For the next few days, you may experience itching, mild discomfort, fluid discharge and sensitivity to light and touch.
Your doctor may prescribe eye drops to help the Cataract Surgery Recovery process and to reduce the risk of infection.
Ensuring the Best Results
There are several different IOLs available to help each patient achieve the best possible results from his/her cataract surgery. Multifocal IOLs allow for full vision correction at near, intermediate and far distances, completely eliminating the need for eyeglasses or contact lenses in most patients. Some IOLs can also correct astigmatism.
Are You A Candidate for Cataract Surgery?
These choices were not always available for cataract patients. In the past, cataract surgery only involved monofocal lenses, which could only focus on objects near or far, but could not adjust to accommodate varying distances. These patients still had to rely on glasses or contact lenses after surgery in order to see clearly at all distances, especially in older patients suffering from presbyopia.
Cataract FAQs
What Are Cataracts?
Cataracts are characterized by clouding of the eye’s natural lens, the transparent film that focuses the images as seen by the eye on the light-sensitive retina at the back of the eye. This condition usually occurs when proteins form abnormal clumps in the lens. When these clumps enlarge, they begin to interfere with vision by distorting the passage of light through the lens. The result is increasing cloudiness that affects vision, especially at night.
What Are The Causes of Cataracts?
The effects of aging, combined with lifelong sun exposure (especially here in the Pacific Northwest where we spend a lot of time outdoors), cause cataracts to develop usually beginning around age 40. The cloudiness progresses slowly, not usually affecting vision until after the age of 60.
Other contributing factors to the development of cataracts are smoking, eye trauma, chronic diabetes, radiation treatments, and corticosteroid medications. Cataracts can be congenital, usually due to infection, but those cases are very rare.
How Can I Tell If I Have Cataracts?
Most people with cataracts have had them long before they know it. Once the protein clumps start to become large enough to cloud the vision is when the condition begins to make itself known. There is no pain associated with cataracts. Because the development is very gradual, patients often don’t realize they have cataracts. But when they reach a certain point of development, various symptoms will show themselves: cloudy, blurry vision; double vision; seeing halos around lights; inability to see bright color; increased sensitivity to glare; and distortion, which can be akin to looking at the world through a dirty window. We invite you to contact our practice to schedule an appointment to see if you have cataracts.
Who is a good candidate for cataracts surgery?
After you have your 60th birthday, the odds are very high that you already have a cataract developing in at least one of your eyes. This can even be more prevalent in a place like Portland where we spend so much time outdoors. That’s because exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays plays a role in cataract development.
When is the right time to have your cataract removed and replaced by an intraocular lens? As mentioned above, cataracts develop very slowly, and the person usually doesn’t notice the subtle changes in his or her vision. When the clouding begins to affect your life, it would be a good idea to have cataract surgery. If your night vision is becoming more and more difficult, it’s time to have surgery.
There just isn’t any good reason to put off this procedure and deal with a vision that looks as if you are looking through a dirty window. You’re missing out on all the beauty around us. Cataract surgery is one of the most successful surgeries performed around the world; the procedure is fast and very precise, and recovery is not difficult. Every day you wait is another day your vision isn’t as good as it could be. In fact, today’s technologically advanced intraocular lenses are so advanced they can correct refractive errors and allow focusing at multiple distances. They can even correct for astigmatism and presbyopia.
What happens if I don’t have my cataracts removed?
If you choose to live with your cataract or cataracts your vision will continue to degrade. Soon you won’t be able to drive at night. Lights will have halos. Color vibrancy will fade. Your overall vision will become more and more blurry. The end of the line is blindness in the eye with the cataract.
But doing so would be such a waste. This surgery is so successful and can improve a person’s vision to such a degree there isn’t any reason not to remove a cataract-clouded lens.
Is cataract surgery painful?
You won’t feel a thing during your surgery, which takes just a few minutes. We numb your eye with eye drops prior to your procedure. We also give you a mild sedative when you first arrive for your surgery. This helps you relax.
Afterward, your numbing eyedrops will wear off and you may have some minor eye discomfort. This is easy to manage with over-the-counter pain medication.
When can I resume normal activities after cataract surgery?
For the first week after your cataract surgery with Dr. Wilkins or Dr. Donohue, you need to take it easy. You need to limit the blood pressure to your face, so anything strenuous is completely off-limits. You can take easy walks.
From there, we’ll give you an idea of the timeframe for different activities. It’s important to avoid strenuous activities or heavy lifting for a few weeks to be sure your eye fully heals. You’ll have a follow-up within a few days after your surgery, so your surgeon can see how well you are progressing then. You’ll be cleared to drive at this time, or possibly earlier.
Any swimming will need to wait for about one month. It’s also a good idea to avoid getting dust or debris in your eyes; this minimizes the risk of infection.
Can Cataracts Return after Cataract Removal Surgery?
No. Your cataracts exist in the natural lens of your eye. After the lens is removed, all cataracts are gone. The intraocular lens that your doctor inserts to support clear vision is made of ultra-thin material in which new cataracts cannot grow.
That said, some people develop clouding again after having cataract surgery. This may occur soon after surgery or years later. As similar as this is to cataracts in terms of symptoms, subsequent visual cloudiness is merely the opacification of the posterior capsule of the eye. This is the capsule that holds your IOL in place. Often referred to as "secondary cataracts," posterior capsular opacification is a relatively rare occurrence. Also, if it does occur, a quick and painless office procedure can resolve the problem.
Can I have Both Eyes Treated at Once?
Cataracts don't always develop in both eyes at the same time. You may have cataracts in one eye and never develop the problem in the other. You may develop cataracts in both eyes but see one eye progress much faster or slower than the other. It's possible to have both eyes treated at once. Doing so may seem more convenient. However, your doctor will carefully consider all relevant factors in your case. The recovery from cataract surgery is not without risk of complications. Your vision may be blurry for a time. For this reason, it's not often considered advantageous to perform cataract removal on both eyes at the same time. Instead, your doctor may recommend having one eye treated and waiting until you've completely recovered before scheduling cataract removal in the other eye.
Will the Results of Cataract Removal Last Forever?
Cataract removal is intended to achieve permanent results. Even if secondary clouding were to occur at some point, the treatment to resolve that issue is much more conservative than the initial removal of the eye's natural lens. The artificial lens that's implanted in the eye is made to last forever. This is one of the many benefits of cataract removal surgery.
Keep in mind, however, that while your vision will never again be affected by cataracts, that having cataracts removed does not eliminate the risks you may have for other vision-threatening conditions. You may continue to be at risk for diseases like glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. It's important to maintain your routine eye exams with your trusted ophthalmologist after your cataract removal procedure. This is the best way to stay abreast of any changes in your eyes that may require clinical management.
Will I Need to Wear Glasses after Having My Cataracts Removed?
The primary objective of cataract removal is to eliminate severely clouded vision. Improving visual clarity is the secondary objective. Today, we have multiple options for intraocular lenses, many of which have been shown to greatly reduce the chances of needing to wear eyeglasses. As you navigate your choices, keep in mind the following:
- Monofocal lenses, the standard treatment option, achieve clear vision at a single distance. This means you may need glasses for reading or up-close work.
- Toric lenses, made for astigmatism correction, also provide single-distance clarity, usually distance vision. You may need eyeglasses for up-close tasks.
- Multifocal lenses and multifocal toric lenses, considered "premium IOLs," are designed to restore optimal vision across near, far, and intermediate distances. Studies suggest that between 60 and 88 percent of patients who receive multifocal IOLs never need to wear eyeglasses again.
The need for eyeglasses after cataract surgery is just one of several factors that should be considered as you choose your IOL. Your doctor will discuss other relevant factors with you during your consultation for cataract removal.
What are the risks involved with cataract surgery?
Cataract surgery is the most successful surgery performed across the world. It takes just a few minutes, doesn’t involve a difficult recovery, and is immensely rewarding for the patient. This surgery is incredibly common — over half the population will develop cataracts at some point in their lives. Complications are very rare, and if any of these happen, they can usually be successfully treated. These are the risks:
- Inflammation
- Infection
- Bleeding
- Swelling
- Drooping eyelid
- Dislocation of the IOL
- Retinal detachment
- Glaucoma
- Loss of vision
More Information on Cataracts and Cataract Surgery »
Schedule A Consultation Today!
We offer cataract surgery in Portland, OR. If you have cataracts and are seeking treatment options, contact the Eye Clinic P.C. by calling 503.297.4718 to schedule a consultation with one of our providers today, or fill out our form below.
