Cataracts are a clouding of the natural lens of the eye. They develop slowly over time and are a part of aging in many adults over 60. Cataracts may develop earlier due to genetic factors, certain medications and medical conditions.

An eye care provider can tell you whether a cataract is forming, usually long before you notice any symptoms.

Common symptoms include:

• Seeing glare or halos around headlights at night
• Difficulty seeing at night
• Needing more light to read
• Blurry vision that can't be fixed by changing your glasses or contacts prescription
• Loss of color intensity
• cloudy, fuzzy, foggy or filmy vision

We recommend cataract surgery only when vision problems are impacting daily activities, such as driving and reading.

Your surgeon will meet with you at every visit, from the initial consultation to the final visit after surgery. The normal process includes:

• Initial consultation: technician will take several measurements of the eyes, check vision and give dilating drops. The surgeon will discuss all aspects of eye health with the patient and examine the eyes to determine if cataract surgery is the right choice.
• Second visit: We will take more precise measurements of your eye and the surgeon will discuss lens options with you.
• Surgery: You are awake throughout the procedure. You will have an IV placed in your arm and an anesthesia provider will be present to provide relaxing medications. Drops are used to numb the eye surface for the surgery. The incision is so tiny that it doesn’t need any sutures; it is self-sealing.
• Next-day visit: Surgeon checks that all is well.
• Two-weeks later: Final post-operative visit. If having cataract surgery on the second eye, the process begins again.

Patients often enjoy a dramatic change in their ability to see light, colors and fine details within 24 hours after surgery. Most people experience no pain and enjoy a rapid recovery. Vision can continue to improve for two weeks.

All lenses generally will improve vision. Vision correction depends on the replacement lens you choose. Many people still need glasses or contact lenses after cataract surgery, most often for reading.

Yes! Most insurance plans, including medicare, cover the cost of cataract surgery and a monofocal lens. 

If you decide to use another type of lens, those are usually not covered by insurance.

Yes.

Cataracts are more common in women than men. In 2010, 69 percent of the people in the U.S. with cataracts were women, according to the National Eye Institute.

Before age 70, cataracts are equally common in all races. But that changes past 70. Half of white Americans aged 75-79 have cataracts, compared to 40 percent of African Americans and 45 percent of Hispanics. Seventy percent of white Americans 80 or older have cataracts, compared to 53 percent of African Americans and 61 percent of Hispanics.