Advertisement Cataracts cloud the lens within the eye. Think of viewing life through a sheer curtain.
Removing cataracts has become the most common surgery in America, according to Dr. Edward Kim of Harvard Eye Associates based in Orange County, Calif.
But that wasn’t always true. This once was a surgery people tried to avoid.
“When I began my training 30 years ago, we were putting patients in the hospital for a week, with sandbags on each side of their head to keep them still,’’ Kim said.
Today, the surgery takes about 20 minutes for each eye. Patients can choose from among many different lenses, including the new multifocal lens that often eliminates the need to wear any eyeglasses, even for reading.
This has become a pretty painless surgery with many options for the patient, right?
A. Exactly. During cataract surgery, the cloudy lens is completely replaced with an artificial lens, which improves vision tremendously in most cases. Most patients can resume normal activity soon after surgery.
Please explain the new lenses. Are they covered by Medicare?
A. There are multifocal, accommodative and dual optic lenses, which allow distance as well as near vision in the same eye. These lenses are not covered by Medicare. Basic lenses — either a distance lens or a near vision lens —are covered by Medicare. Patients who choose newer lenses pay the extra cost privately.
How do I know I have cataracts?
A. Symptoms include blurred vision, color perception, ghost images, difficulty with night driving. A person may not even realize some symptoms, like color perception, are occurring until after the surgery.
That’s why we urge people 50 and older to have an eye exam with an eye care professional.
Q. I remember how much brighter colors appeared after my surgery. Also, it was easier to read street signs at night. But are people still confused about this condition?
A. There are some misconceptions. Cataracts, for example, are not a film over the eye. The lens itself gets cloudy.
Also, a person doesn’t ``get’’ cataracts from overusing their eyes.
Q. I remember being told I was developing cataracts years before I needed to have the surgery. I went for surgery when freeway signs were suddenly not as easy to read.
A. That’s right. Just because you have cataracts does not mean you need surgery. Vision limitations determine when surgery is performed. The needs of the patient are always taken into account. People are different and their experiences and expectations also differ.
Q. Why not do both eyes at the same time instead of waiting some six weeks between surgeries?
A. If there is a problem with one eye an infection for example it could spread to the second eye. That is why the procedures are done separately unlike Lasik surgery when we do both eyes at once. (Lasik surgery, which modifies the cornea, is done to eliminate dependence on eyeglasses.)
Q. You’ve performed a few cataract surgeries over the years?
A. About 20,000.
