What is a cataract?
Like the lens of a camera, the eye’s lens focuses to keep images of both close and distant objects clear. Over time, the lens becomes less transparent. Studies suggest that accumulated exposure to ultraviolet light causes this natural lens to cloud. Most often, this clouding takes place slowly, as proteins within the lens degenerate.
Do I have a cataract?
Cataracts generally do NOT cause pain, discomfort, redness, discharge, or sudden, alarming vision changes that would lead you to seek immediate help.
The changes caused by cataracts generally develop so slowly that you don’t notice them until they are serious enough to affect your normal lifestyle.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Am I having difficulty driving at night?
- Is it more difficult to see distant objects?
- Does my vision seem blurred or dim?
- Have my eyes become sensitive to light and glare?
- Do I see a halo around lights?
- Do colors seem “dull”?
- Have I had to change eyeglass prescriptions more frequently than usual?
- Do I need brighter light for reading?
- Does my vision sometimes seem distorted? Do I see “ghosted” images?
- Have I experienced double vision in one eye only?
All of these are common difficulties related to cataracts. Only a professional can determine if cataracts are the cause of your symptoms. If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, it is time to call Del Negro & Senft Eye Associates to make an appointment for a cataract evaluation.
What causes a cataract?
Cataracts are a normal part of the aging process. While we don’t yet understand why cataracts form as we age, several risk factors have been identified:
- Exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Steroid use
Who can develop a cataract?
While cataracts can affect people of any age, they are most common in older adults. In fact, two-thirds of all adults over age 60 have some sign of cataract formation.
When should a cataract be removed?
When a cataract interferes with your vision and daily activities, it is time to remove the cloudy lens and exchange it for a new, crystal clear lens.
Can eye drops dissolve cataracts?
The Internet has provided a largely unregulated marketplace for those who sell unproven and ineffective treatments for everything from baldness to cataracts. The sellers’ claims may seem impressive: eye drops that supposedly ‘dissolve’ cataracts when used for several months. Other sellers tout drops that will treat the symptoms of cataracts in an effort to delay or avoid surgery. No prescription necessary…just CLICK HERE and enter your credit card number.
This sales pitch sometimes works because those who promote these useless but often quite expensive treatments exploit a natural fear of surgical intervention and a common misconception about what a cataract actually is.
Don’t be fooled. No matter how sophisticated the website’s claims may seem, a cataract (the clouding of the eye’s natural lens) cannot be treated with eye drops of any type, because it is located within the eye, behind the iris and the pupil…not on or near the surface of the eye.
There may be no ‘miracle’ cure, but at Del Negro & Senft, modern surgery to correct cataracts is so CONVENIENT, COMFORTABLE, EFFECTIVE, and AFFORDABLE that many patients consider the change in their vision “miraculous.”
Simply being examined for cataracts can help to protect the health of your vision!
Your cataract consultation with Dr. Del Negro, Dr. Senft, or Dr. Lisa Martin Wiedeman includes a dilated examination. While checking for cataracts, the doctor will have a good view of the retina and optic nerve, which is important in detecting vision-threatening conditions, such as glaucoma and macular degeneration. If you are a diabetic, it is particularly important to check the retina for signs of diabetic retinopathy. Left untreated, these ‘silent’ conditions may not cause noticeable symptoms until irreversible vision loss has occurred.
The more you know, the better you will feel!
Does even thinking about having cataract surgery make you nervous?
It is perfectly natural to be apprehensive about undergoing any surgery, particularly when it involves your eyes. Many patients have told us that their cataract consultation at Del Negro & Senft was helpful in lessening this anxiety.
Call (732) 774-5566 today to schedule your cataract consultation.
Cataract A cataract is a clouding or a discoloration within the lens of the eye. The clouded lens distorts and blocks the passage of light through the eye to the retina, causing vision to be dull, blurred, or indistinct. The same process that clouds the lens can also make it less flexible, affecting reading vision. (see Presbyopia) Outpatient Surgery Center When it comes to cataract surgery, an ambulatory outpatient surgery center can be a convenient, cost-effective, and more easily accessible alternative to hospitalization. The eye surgeons at Del Negro & Senft perform cataract surgery at Seashore Surgical Institute and Jersey Shore University Medical Center, fully-equipped and accredited facilities staffed with experienced, specialized professionals. |
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