What should I ask about cataract surgery?
How bad does my vision need to be before I consider surgery?
- If your vision is 20/50 (20/20 is normal) or worse because of a cataract, you may benefit from surgery.
- If your vision is 20/40 and you have severe glare problems or require good vision for work (for example, you drive for a living), surgery may help you. However, eyeglasses may also help. You may want to consider trying glasses before having surgery.
- If your vision is 20/40 or worse, have your eyeglass prescription checked, and consider surgery only if eyeglasses fail to help.
Where should I go for surgery?
- The most important factor to consider is the skill and experience of your eye surgeon. Talk with your family doctor or optometrist if you need a recommendation for a surgeon.
- Try to choose a convenient location so that you can easily get follow-up eye exams and be seen if you have problems.
Which procedure will be done?
- In older adults, phacoemulsification has the highest success rates.
- Ultrasound to break up the cloudy lens before it is removed (phacoemulsification) is the most commonly performed type of cataract surgery. Ask your surgeon how experienced he or she is with this procedure (how many procedures the surgeon has done and what the outcomes were).
- Standard extracapsular and intracapsular surgery are usually reserved for special situations (such as dislocation of the lens).
What type of anesthesia is planned?
Cataract surgery in otherwise healthy people can usually be done on an outpatient basis with local anesthesia or topical anesthetic eyedrops. (General anesthesia is only necessary for a few people.)
What type of lens replacement is best?
- Lenses that are placed inside the eye during surgery (intraocular lenses, or IOLs) are used in almost all cataract surgeries. Recently, IOLs have been used more often in people under age 18 with good results. However, IOLs are usually not used after cataract surgery in children younger than age 2. IOLs cannot provide consistently good vision when the eyeball is growing rapidly during the first 2 years of life.
- Contact lenses placed on the eye's surface are an option, but they may be difficult for older adults and young children to use. Contact lenses are used after cataract surgery in children under age 2.
- Thick cataract glasses, which were used in the past, are not used very often now that IOLs are available.
What should I do if I have cataracts in both eyes?
- For adults, the reasons to have cataract surgery on the second eye are the same as for the first eye: Vision loss caused by the cataract is interfering with your daily activities and adversely affecting the quality of your life.
- Cataract surgery is usually not done on both eyes at the same time in older adults. Discuss with your doctor how long you need to wait after the first surgery before you can have cataract surgery on your other eye.
- Most people will have the second cataract surgery 2 to 4 weeks after the first surgery.
| Author: | Jeannette Curtis | Last Updated: October 1, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine Christopher J. Rudnisky, MD, FRCSC - Ophthalmology | |
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