What is Vision Like With Cataracts?

Cataracts are the scourge of sight, and nothing causes more cases of global blindness than this age-related ocular disorder. Cataracts begin forming in one's 40s, as the proteins in the eye's lens break down, and by age 65, around 90% of people have cataracts.

Cataracts cloud the lens and block incoming light, leading to various visual woes, including blurriness or haziness. Unfortunately, visual acuity will only continue to worsen, so it's imperative that you seek treatment to help regain your sight and daily productivity. And all you have to do to seek treatment is to contact us at Eye Specialists of Napa Valley in Napa, CA.

What is vision like with cataracts?

Patients with cataracts experience a progressive loss of visual acuity as their cataracts grow larger and block more of the incoming light from reaching the light-sensing retina at the rear of the eye. Therefore, one's vision will gradually become worse, and patients will lose more and more of their eyesight if they leave their cataracts untreated. Some patients may struggle to see clearly at night or notice that colors seem to fade. Other individuals report seeing glare or halos around lights, or experiencing double vision.

These can make everyday life unnecessarily tricky and even impossible to carry out specific tasks like night driving. Additionally, patients may find it difficult to enjoy their favorite activities due to their disrupted vision. Getting in touch with our specialists in Napa, CA is essential because cataracts are the leading global threat to good vision.

How can my cataracts be treated?

Fortunately, the treatment is nearly as ubiquitous as the condition itself, and cataract surgery is one of the world's most practiced and fine-tuned procedures. It can reverse the blurriness or haziness that manifests as cataracts cloud the lens of the eye, and it also makes patients immune from developing cataracts again in the future.

The procedure is straightforward, quick, and virtually painless since we administer intravenous sedation and local anesthetic to help you relax and numb the eyes. Once you're comfortable, we make a tiny incision on the eye's outermost portion (cornea) and then use a state-of-the-art handheld device to break down cataracts. This action fragments your eye's natural lens, but we replace it with a synthetic version, an intraocular lens (IOL) made from resistant, medical-grade material.

Multiple benefits abound, the most obvious being your improved vision — many patients have significantly better vision within just a few hours of their cataract surgery at Eye Specialists of Napa Valley. Plus, the risks have been minimized, and the recovery made simple, especially with our detail-attentive aftercare instructions. Also, patients will not have to worry about cataracts again in the future, as their IOL does not degrade.

Explore the benefits of cataract surgery

As an age-related ocular disorder, cataracts may inevitably appear even when individuals take great care to maintain their eye health. And while cataracts can lead to total blindness if left untreated, cataract surgery can safely, quickly, and effectively restore your clear eyesight to improve your quality of living and get you back to your best self in Napa, CA. If you have any concerns or would like to learn more, reach out to us today at Eye Specialists of Napa Valley.