Your Options for Cataract Surgery

Cataracts are primarily an age-related type of vision loss that involves the degeneration of proteins in your eye’s lens. Your natural lenses are extremely important to the vision process because they refract light rays that enter your eye. 

As you get older, proteins in your lens begin to break down, and these fragments can clump together and block light that moves through your lens — that’s why one of the most common symptoms of cataracts is cloudy vision. 

Other symptoms of cataracts include general blurriness, sensitivity to bright light, seeing double, and seeing dull or yellowed colors. If you have cataracts, surgery is the best (and only) way to remove them. Take a moment to learn about your cataract surgery options at Ventura Eye Institute with Dr. Michael Ragen and Dr. Kyle Huynh.

Treatment options for cataracts

Sometimes, the symptoms of cataracts can be treated early on without surgery. For example, the National Eye Institute says that using brighter lights at work can help you see better, as can getting a new eyeglasses prescription from your eye doctor after a comprehensive eye exam.

Wearing anti-glare lenses, using computers and phones with anti-glare screens, and protecting your eyes from the sun may also help to reduce symptoms of cataracts. 

However, many people with cataracts do need surgery at some point. Cataract surgery involves removing your clouded eye lens and replacing it with an artificial lens that is much clearer — it’s called an intraocular lens (IOL). According to the National Eye Institute, this is the most effective way to improve your vision if you have cataracts (and the only way to get rid of them).

At Ventura Eye Institute, you can choose from several types of IOLs depending on your cataract symptoms and needs. 

Aspheric lenses

Aspheric lenses are often the preferable option because they’re designed to mimic the natural curves of your eyes. Spherical lenses, which were traditionally used, don’t always match the natural shape of everyone’s eyes — because most people don’t have perfectly circular eyeballs.

Toric lenses

Toric lenses are a great option if you also have astigmatism, because they have different powers in different meridians of the lens. That is, it’s like multiple prescriptions in one lens. 

Accommodating lenses

Accommodation refers to your eye’s ability to adjust its focus at different distances, allowing you to see clearly up close and far away. Accommodating lenses mimic that natural ability of your eye to provide clear vision at all distances. 

Multifocal lenses

Multifocal lenses for cataract surgery are just like multifocal or bifocal glasses — they help you see up close and far away without the need for an additional pair of glasses. Multifocal lenses have a magnified area, so you can see up close just by pointing your eye to the magnification. 

To learn more about cataracts or cataract surgery, or to take a comprehensive eye exam, visit Ventura Eye Institute. Call our Camarillo, California, office at 805-250-9723 or book your appointment online. You can also send a message to the team here on our website.