3 Signs You’re A Good Candidate For Cataract Surgery

May 15th, 2020

Have you started developing cataracts? Even if you have cataracts, it doesn’t mean you need cataract surgery quite yet.

There are steps you need to take and things to consider before you have the procedure. Keep reading for 3 signs you’re a good candidate for cataract surgery!

1. Your Cataracts Have Started To Impact Your Daily Life

You may expect a cataract diagnosis to turn your life upside down, but they are actually not very serious at all. In fact, they grow incredibly slowly.

This means they affect your vision gradually over time. Many people don’t even realize they have them at first.

Cataracts can exist for months or years before they have any noticeable effect on your eyesight. Surgeons will typically recommend patients wait to have them out.

They recommend waiting to have cataract surgery until cataracts impact your life. This means that cataracts make it impossible to carry out everyday tasks.

As far as surgeries go, cataract removal is extremely low risk, but it carries some, as it’s a surgery. Cataracts never stop progressing. At some point, you will need them removed if you want to regain clear vision.

2. Your Doctor Has Been Tracking Your Progress for Some Time

You should be getting regular eye check-ups, especially as you reach the age when developing cataracts becomes more likely. Once you reach the age of 40, you’re more likely to develop cataracts.

If your doctor finds cataracts early on, they can track their progression. This allows them to give you a good idea about when surgery may be necessary.

If you believe you may be developing cataracts, or have any problems with your vision, schedule a cataract screening at Laser Eye Center.

3. You Are Experiencing Several Symptoms

Loss of vision isn’t the only symptom that cataracts can produce. There is a wide array of different symptoms you may experience depending on the kind of cataract you have and how mature your cataracts are. Some examples include:

Light sensitivity

Certain cataracts may cause light to scatter inside of your eyes, causing painful glare to occur.

Halos

Halos are most noticeable when driving at night due to oncoming traffic’s headlights. You may notice rings forming around fixed points of light.

Changes to color vision

Cataracts themselves become yellowish as they mature. This may begin to alter the way you see. You may notice a yellow tint to everything, and your vision may become more washed out.

Double vision

You may notice you see several images in one of your eyes. This can be extremely disorienting.

Second sight

As crazy as it sounds, you may experience your vision getting better. A phenomenon known as second sight can occur in some patients with certain kinds of cataracts.

Unfortunately, this benefit is short-lived. As the cataract grows, it may cause your lens to swell up, causing light that passes through to be focused correctly on the retina. As the cataract darkens, the light will stop being able to pass through altogether.

If any of these symptoms sound familiar, it may be time to consider cataract surgery. Schedule a cataract screening at the Laser Eye Center in Huntsville, AL today!