| How is a cataract detected? |
| Cataract is detected through a comprehensive eye exam that includes: |
 Visual Acuity Test. This eye chart test measures how well you see at various distances. |
Dilated Eye Exam. Drops are placed in your eyes to widen, or dilate, the pupils. Your eye care professional uses a special magnifying lens to examine your retina and optic nerve for signs of damage and other eye problems. After the exam, your close-up vision may remain blurred for several hours. |
| Treatment |
| How is a cataract treated? |
The symptoms of early cataract may be improved with new eyeglasses, brighter lighting, anti-glare sunglasses, or magnifying lenses. If these measures do not help, surgery is the only effective treatment. Surgery involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial lens. |
| What are the different types of cataract surgery? |
|
| There are two types of cataract surgery |
Phacoemulsification, or phaco. A small incision is made on the side of the cornea, the clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye. doctor inserts a tiny probe into the eye which emits ultrasound waves that soften and break up the lens so that it can be removed by suction. It is also called "small incision cataract surgery." |
Extracapsular surgery. A longer incision is made on the side of the cornea and the cloudy core of the lens removed in one piece. The rest of the lens is removed by suction.
After the natural lens has been removed, it often is replaced by an artificial lens, called an intraocular lens (IOL). An IOL is a clear, plastic lens that requires no care and becomes a permanent part of your eye. Light is focused clearly by the IOL onto the retina, improving your vision. You will not feel or see the new lens. |
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