Cataract Treatment Options: What You Should Know

When you go to the eye doctor, one of the last things you expect to hear is that you have cataracts. However, this affliction in increasingly common among people of all ages around the world. Once you receive your cataract diagnosis, you may wonder what to do going forward. Luckily, there are various treatment options available to you to help you treat your cataracts. All you need to do is learn your options and select the best choice for you and your current situation. As soon as you decide, you can contact your eye doctor and get back to seeing as clearly and as well as possible.

Corrective Lenses

If your cataracts are still in the early stages of development, you may be able to temporarily treat your condition with a new prescription for eyeglasses. While glasses are not a permanent solution for cataracts, they can help you to see better and more clearly until you condition worsens, or until surgical interventions are more convenient. 

Oftentimes, eye doctors will prescribe you with corrective lenses to help you see until surgery can be scheduled. Bifocals are commonly used for cataracts to best accommodate the changes occurring in the lenses of your eyes.

Additionally, glare and reflections are problematic when you suffer from cataracts.  Anti-reflective coatings are helpful in dealing with this problem.

Traditional Cataract Surgery

The only way to cure cataracts is to have them surgically removed. Traditional cataract surgery is incision-based. The ophthalmologist will make a small incision into your eye through which they remove the lens of your eye (and, of course, the cataract). 

The eye doctor then replaces the lens with an artificial implant. The incision is closed with a few small stitches and the operation is complete. Depending on the severity of your cataracts and any other eye conditions you may have, the incision may be made larger as well. 

Cataract Laser Surgery

Cataract laser surgery, such as at Country Hills Eye Center, follows the same basic principles of traditional cataract surgery, but it is safer and more efficient. Rather than a surgeon manually cutting into the eye, laser-assisted techniques make the procedure precise and well-planned.

Your eye doctor will be able to use 3-D imaging to create a plan for the surgery. Once the plan is determined, the doctor uses a laser to create the incision in your eye. Because lasers are so precise, the incisions in this type of surgery will usually close on their own.

A self-sealing incision means you may not need stitches at all, drastically lowering the rate of post-operative infection. The healing process is also far shorter when the incision is made with a laser. 

As you can see, there are several treatment options available to you for your cataracts. All you need to do is select the options that are right for you and get started right away.