Tuesday, November 16, 2010

What Happens During Cataract Surgery?

By the age of 40 to 45, most people begin to experience some of the visual effects that result from changes in the eyes crystalline lens. Even patients who have had normal vision throughout life will notice that their vision begins to change.

A cataract is a loss of transparency, or clouding, of the normally clear lens of the eye, most commonly caused by the normal aging process. As one gets older, chemical changes occur in the lens that make it less transparent. When the lens gets cloudy enough to obstruct vision to any significant degree, it is called a cataract. When a cataract occurs, glasses or contact lenses cannot sharpen your vision completely. The only remedy is surgical removal of the cataract combined with implantation of a synthetic lens implant.

The aim of cataract surgery is to remove the cloudy natural lens on the iris. After the removal process, the natural lens is replaced with a permanent intraocular lens (IOL) implant. The decision of having cataract surgery depends on how well a person can see during daily activities. One will be able to watch television, be in front of computer and drive several hours even after developing cataracts. Las Vegas eye care specialists at Eye Care Associates Nevada can help diagnose and correct vision affected by cataracts and other eye problems.

A person who has cataracts undergoes visual problems such as ghost images and declining visual clarity, which cannot be solved with contact lens or glasses. Some may also experience color fade. If one feels that his or her functional vision has declined significantly and he or she cannot carry on regular activities with ease, then cataract surgery can be a viable option.

In Las Vegas cataract surgery is carried out in an outpatient basis. The patient will be asked to avoid breakfast and drinking fluids, depending on the time of the surgery. Eye makeup should also be avoided on the day of the surgery. Once the patient arrives at the operating site, he or she will be given eye drops to dilate the pupils and sometimes mild sedative to become more relaxed. To make the operation painless, local or topical anesthetic is often used.

A detailed cleaning will take place in the skin near the eye and the eye and head will be covered with sterile coverings. One incision will be made into the eye using the help of an operating microscope. Then the surgeon will remove the cloudy lens. The same operation can also be performed using an ultrasonic driven instrument that breaks up the cataract sonically as it is taken out from the eye. Another surgical method includes the breaking of the cloudy lens mechanically into small pieces and removing them from the eye through a small incision with a help of special instruments.

Then the surgeon will replace the natural lens that was removed with a plastic or silicon IOL inside the eye. Although most of the incisions are self sealing, some incisions may need to be sutured occasionally. If stitches are used, they hardly need to be removed. In Las Vegas IOL implantation is a relatively simple and successful procedure when all the proper care is administered.

After cataract surgery Las Vegas specialists recommend a very strict recovery process. A protective shield is placed over the eye once the surgery is over. After a short time staying in the recovery area, the patient can return home, but only with the help of someone else driving for him. During the next few weeks he need to take eye drops several times a day as prescribed by the surgeon. He will also have to be careful while sleeping, and it is recommended that he should use eye protective shield for a week or so. To protect the eye from sun’s bright light, he will be provided with sun shades.

For More Informative Details Visit:
http://www.drhiss.com/henderson-lasik-surgery-center.htm